Crows & Baubles
While I was in the garden this morning I noticed that some of the shiny baubles I had placed in a container were missing. It’s not the first time this has happened and the culprit is usually a crow.
Later when I went to take the garbage out, there was a crow with his “beak in the cookie jar” so to speak. I laughed as he hastily made off with his stolen prize.
Rune Master – Combined Media – 11 X 14 inches
Wednesday
Yellow Roses
“There is nothing more difficult for a truly creative painter than to paint a rose, because before he can do so he has first to forget all the roses that were ever painted.” – Henry Matisse
“The optimist sees the rose and not its thorns; the pessimist stares at the thorns, oblivious to the rose.” – Kahlil Gibran
A Reverence for Trees
I’ve been working on a mixed media piece for a while and have played around with different versions of the original work which is still in progress. Here is a watercolor version.
I was inspired to create this painting after a trip to Mendocino located in Northern California. On the way there we drove through Montgomery Woods, a coastal redwood grove, and decided to take a break from driving and check out the area.
It was so beautiful as we stood there in silent communion beneath the ancient redwood trees, drinking in the splendor of Mother Natures living cathedral.
I felt enlivened and peaceful in the presence of these old trees, feeling reconnected with my deep ancestral roots in the forest. They are the elders on this planet and for centuries were considered sacred, alive, and ensouled.
In the painting below the woman represents a ban-drui, ( a female druid). She is a healer, priestess, storyteller and teacher who listens and learns from trees. She records and preserves their teachings which are passed down from one generation to the next. She teaches “balance in all things”.
A Reverence for Trees – Watercolor – 4 X 4 inches
“They are beautiful in their peace, they are wise in their silence. They will stand after we are dust. They teach us, and we tend them. – G. MacDunelmor
The Wind Across the Sky
After a rather hectic day I decided to take a walk to clear my head and change my attitude towards a rather frustrating situation. I also took my camera with me just in case I came across something I wanted to photograph.
Albert Einstein said, “No problem can be solved from the same consciousness that created it.
As the wind touched my face, eyelids, and hair, it soothed and calmed my mind and body. I felt a subtle shift inside me and simply let myself go wherever the wind blew me.
On my journey I came across …
Angel in the Garden
Squirrel Eating Nuts
“Sometimes I go about feeling sorry for myself and all the while I am being carried by the wind across the sky.” – Old Chippewa Saying
It’s October
Welcome October!
Mountain Home – Combined Media – 10 X 14 inches
“I know the year is dying,
Soon the summer will be dead.
I can trace it in the flying
Of the black crows overhead;
I can hear it in the rustle
Of the dead leaves as I pass,
And the south wind’s plaintive sighing
Through the dry and withered grass.
Ah, ’tis then I love to wander,
Wander idly and alone,
Listening to the solemn music
Of sweet nature’s undertone;
Wrapt in thoughts I cannot utter,
Dreams my tongue cannot express,
Dreams that match the autumn’s sadness
In their longing tenderness.”
– Mortimer Crane Brown, Autumn Dreams
Tuesday
This morning I took a few minutes to sit in the garden with a hot cup of Irish tea as I listened to the wind in the bamboo and watched autumn leaves falling upon the dew soaked grass beneath my feet.
It’s hard to believe October is already upon us and that means the holidays are lurking just around the corner. Where did the year go?
These days it seems our lives move at the speed of light and most of us can barely keep up. I often wonder where we are hurrying to? Why are we rushing around trying to cram in as much as we can into one day .. one week .. one year?
What’s the hurry? It seems we have become a society that wants to live our lives in quick, rapid sound bytes. Are we in danger of missing the whole point of living?
Of course the other side of this equation is the tremendous guilt we feel when we slow down, and do nothing because many of us feel it’s wrong to just be still and stop doing.
Could it be that by being so rushed, distracted and preoccupied with the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we may be inadvertently settling for a mediocre version of what our lives could be.
If you get the chance to see the movie “Koyaanisqatsi“, I highly recommend you do so. The name of the movie comes from a Hopi Indian term which means life out of balance. It’s a beautiful but sad commentary on how we are no longer connected to the natural world, and how we have built a world that now exists to support the artificial one in which we live.
Happy Equinox
Today is the Autumnal equinox. It’s officially Fall. Equinox literally means “equal night”, and from here on out the nights will grow longer as we head towards winter.
September is a month of changes, we’ve had our summer fun, the night’s grow cooler and it’s almost time to bid farewell to the warm weather.
It’s also the time of year where I often find myself reflecting over what I have gathered and seeded over the past months. I take stock of what the seasons have yielded so far, the hopes and dreams which were sown in the beginning of the year.
What have I harvested?
What wisdom have I garnered so far this year?
I also ask myself what lies fallow, uncultivated? However, I recognize that sometimes dreams need a period of incubation in order to come to fruition, and remind myself that all fields must lie fallow for a season or they become infertile, a wasteland.
Today I am thankful for all the blessings in my life, including family and friends.
Autumn Leaves
I Love a Rainy Day!
The pregnant dark clouds rolling in, the soft sound of rain hitting my studio window and our dog lying next to me create feelings of warmth and gratitude for just being alive.
I believe it is so important to wake up, stop doing whatever we are doing, just step back and take a deep breath. Life is a gift!
It’s Friday, the end of another work week and we are both looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend.
My husband’s idea of a perfect rainy day is a white chocolate mocha with a mini chocolate cake. These cakes are so tiny and so delicious. Yum!
Mini Cake for One
He decided to eat only half and save the rest for later.
Mini Cake Filling
“Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby.” -Langston Hughes
“Rain showers my spirit
and waters my soul.”
-Emily Logan Decens
Neti Pot
I had to replace my Neti Pot yesterday, it had served me for a number of years and had so many little nicks and cracks I had to finally replace it.
I went to our local Health Food store and found this little gem. I thought about getting a plastic one but I decided on another ceramic one. I love the color!
Neti Pot
Here is a recipe for a Nasal Sinus Wash.
3 heaping teaspoons of pickling or canning salt.
Do not use regular table salt!
1 rounded teaspoon baking soda.
Mix and store Dry in a separate sealed container.
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Add 1/2 teaspoon of the salt-soda mixture to 1/2 cup lukewarm distilled or filtered water. Stir to dissolve and use.
Here is a site that has information on how to use a Neti Pot.
If your not into making your own Sinus Wash, try using premixed packets from your local pharmacy.
Work In Progress
Today I was able to work some more on the Tui collage/Mixed Media piece. I added some more collage components and painted in some leaves along her neck area.
Hopefully tomorrow I will have some extra time to work on it.
Tui – Mixed Media – 8 X 10 inches on canvas
“Creativity comes from awakening and directing men’s higher natures, which originate in the primal depths of the uni- verse and are appointed by Heaven.” – I Ching quote
“He who possesses the source of enthusiasm will achieve great things. Doubt not. You will gather friends around you as a hair clasp gathers the hair.” I Ching quote