anonyrrie

Invincible Summer

In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.  - Albert Camus

Fern Hill

Now as I was young and easy under the apple boughs

About the lilting house and happy as the grass was green,

The night above the dingle starry,

Time let me hail and climb

Golden in the heydays of his eyes,

And honoured among wagons I was prince of the apple towns

And once below a time I lordly had the trees and leaves

Trail with daisies and barley

Down the rivers of the windfall light.

And as I was green and carefree, famous among the barns

About the happy yard and singing as the farm was home,

In the sun that is young once only,

Time let me play and be

Golden in the mercy of his means,

And green and golden I was huntsman and herdsman, the calves

Sang to my horn, the foxes on the hills barked clear and cold,

And the sabbath rang slowly

In the pebbles of the holy streams.

All the sun long it was running, it was lovely, the hay

Fields high as the house, the tunes from the chimneys, it was air

And playing, lovely and watery

And fire green as grass.

And nightly under the simple stars

As I rode to sleep the owls were bearing the farm away,

All the moon long I heard, blessed among stables, the nightjars

Flying with the ricks, and the horses

Flashing into the dark.

And then to awake, and the farm, like a wanderer white

With the dew, come back, the cock on his shoulder: it was all

Shining, it was Adam and maiden,

The sky gathered again

And the sun grew round that very day.

So it must have been after the birth of the simple light

In the first, spinning place, the spellbound horses walking warm

Out of the whinnying green

stable

On to the fields of praise.

And honoured among foxes and pheasants by the gay house

Under the new made clouds and happy as the heart was long,

In the sun born over and over,

I ran my heedless ways,

My wishes raced through the house high hay

And nothing I cared, at my sky blue trades, that time allows

In all his tuneful turning so few and such morning songs

Before the children green and golden

Follow him out of grace.

Nothing I cared, in the lamb white days, that time would take me

Up to the swallow thronged loft by the shadow of my hand,

In the moon that is always rising,

Nor that riding to sleep

I should hear him fly with the high fields

And wake to the farm forever fled from the childless land.

Oh as I was young and easy in the mercy of his means,

Time held me green

and dying

Though I sang in my chains like the sea.

- Dylan Thomas

 

Already August

Okay - so it looks like I might just be posting here every few months, but that's okay.  Life is an ebb and flow experience, and I have learned that I need to ebb and flow along with it.   I've really come to understand my need to focus my energy in one direction at a time.  Once I start to divide myself, nothing happens.  

So, what have I been doing?  Mostly SoulCollage® - making cards, holding workshops in my studio, putting together new workshops for the fall.  Below is a sample I made for my October 23 workshop, Beyond Persona: Creating an Intuitive Soul Portrait.  

All the workshop information is here , and if you happen to live in the vicinity of NW CT, please consider taking a workshop in my pretty little studio in the woods.

Other than that, I've been walking my dog, working out, taking some day trips, reading books and making a little art here and there.  I do feel that my tide is turning again though, pulling me towards my paints and wood panels...  so we shall see!

In the meantime, enjoy a morning walk with me and Heidi...

See you around!

Catching up!

I know... I haven't posted anything in two months!  The fact of the matter is that I have been occupied with things other than painting, some quite wonderful and others rather burdensome.  Since the burdensome stuff has to do with mountains of paperwork, I shan't say another thing about it.  Enough already!

So... what's good?  Let's see (lots of pictures - click to see them larger)... 

Exhibition News

I have three of my Mandalas & Meditations paintings in the 49th Anniversary show at the Gallery on the Green.  Each painting is 10" x 10" x 1" - acrylic and mixed media on wood.  From left to right: Shine Within, Listen and Be Present. The show runs from May 22 through June 21.

These two paintings, Bee's Wing (which is featured in Susan Tuttle's fabulous Book, Exhibiton 36) and Asphodel (both 12" x 12" x 1" acrylic and mixed media on wood) are in Artwell Gallery's Square Foot show, opening May 30 and running through July 21.

Studio Project

I have pretty much completed the first phase of my studio project and am ready to start getting creative again.  It's a beautiful space, and I want to thank my dear husband Jol for making it all possible... clearing out his "stuff," putting it new lighting and flooring and helping me move the masses of art supplies and furniture from the house down the hill to the new studio.  Below are some shots of Ethan and Jol removing the old carpet and installing the new floor.

The next shots show the moving-in stage...

And finally, the pictures below show that everything is somewhat organized. The studio is now functional, but I want to get new furniture and decorate the space so it's beautiful and inspiring rather than simply utilitarian.

Jol's shop is right next door in the same building, so I'm looking forward to hours of time spent together in our own little worlds!

SoulCollage®

Last, but certainly not least... After spending a very inspiring weekend (April 17 - 19) in a SoulCollage® Faciliator Training Workshop run by Anne Marie Bennet and Jean Marie Merkel at Wisdom House in Litchfield, CT,  I am now a SoulCollage® facilator.  

Starting in July, I will be offering live SoulCollage and art workshops in my studio.  I'm also planning other events and workshops that I can share with those of you who aren't in my local area.  In the meantime, I invite you to visit my Wings 4 You Coaching blog where I am hosting a SoulCollage® Discovery Circle.  It's never too late to join as this is an ongoing group.

And now, before the day gets too old, I'm going to get outside and enjoy the sun!

Spring Planting

It seems like Spring brings the best art exhibits!  Among these shows is one that has the potential to expand the participating artists' opportunities. Every year at this time,  Artwell Gallery in Torrington, CT holds their Show for a Show exhibition.  During the show, more than 50 major art museums and galleries from the tri-state region view the submissions and select works and artists to exhibit in their galleries.

Flora - 24" x 36" x 1.5" - acrylic & ink on wood panel

I have decided to enter Flora, a painting I did for the Girls,Girls, Girls show at the IO gallery last spring.  She didn't sell and has been hanging on the wall of my office, mesmerizing me with her huge eyes and mysterious beauty.  I almost don't want to part with her, but...  she may plant some seeds of opportunity for me!

The Show for a Show exhibition runs from April 4 through May 17 with the opening reception on April 4 from 6 - 9 p.m.

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Edit - 3/38/09 - I'm also submitting her for Illustration Friday's topic, Poise.  She does seem very poised, yes?  

Word-Art Opening

On Ancient Wings - 16" x 20" x 1" - acrylic/mixed media on wood panel

Tonight is the opening of the 4th semi-annual Word-Art show at the Gallery on the Green in Canton, CT.  Once again, I had the honor of working with my dear friend, Karen Jasper, who wrote the poem "Wounded Bird" in response to my painting, "On  Ancient Wings."  The show runs through April 12, with an evening of readings on Saturday, April 4 at 7:30. 

Wounded Bird

Part 1

A swallow can fly miles, from treetop to ocean cliff,
The wind's undertow buoyantly gliding her
To a resting place warm with possibility.

She is free, lifted higher by duty and family,
Not a thought outside of weather and wind,
Acceptance and choice safely within her span.

But then, jolted in flight,
her heart pumped deep
And she is transformed,

The unknown and unfamiliar
In that very moment,
A broken wing reclaiming

Something lost and ancient
Spiraling deep and desperate
Into the habitat of hidden.

Some species heal their wings
In solitude, licking and lying
In a nest of thin twigs

Healing from within
Until they can fly again,
To and from home.

But other species do not heal
And they tuck that wing
Underneath themselves,

Landlocked and less,
The natural order
Injured inside and out.

That species will push on
Practicing, praying, pretending
That wings are but a crutch;

Meanwhile hoping that reverse gravity
May rocket them up and open them wide,
Heedfully whole to fly again.

 

Part 2 (My Side)

 I fly from necessity

Hovering over leafy trees and endless water,

Following an inestimable path from home

 

Only to return again,

Where I’ll find my roots and rhythm

Deeply tucked in grainy sand.

 

I do not question why I do this--

This destiny of family and fate--

What I cannot fathom I will not change.

 

My twelve feather tail and meager wing span

Weigh in below two ounces,

 Not enough for my survival

 

And yet I maneuver and endure,

I doggedly sing my song

And tuck my broken wing

 

Under my expanding and rapid chest

Until I know if

I might fly again.

 

If I should die here

Unable to lift myself beyond this place

I will fly anyway

 

Straight to this indomitable future

Where I will be an African River Martin

tending and fending

 

Reaching still and always,

Weightless in my belief          

That I was born for just this moment.

- Karen Jasper

SoulCollage Discovery Circle Starts March 22

New Spirit - Committee Card

Every year about this time, I begin to sense a re-emergence of spirit in anticipation of Spring.  For me, the Vernal Equinox signals a new year as I come out of hibernation, ready to welcome new growth and energy.  This year, I want to celebrate the Vernal Equinox and new beginnings by honoring my intuition and nourishing my creativity, and I invite you to join me on this journey.

Starting March 22, I will be hosting a SoulCollage Discovery Circle at my wings 4 you blog to work through Seena Frost's book,  SoulCollage: An Intuitive Collage Process for Individuals and Groups, to create a deck of cards and share our experiences.  SoulCollage is a process by which you access your intuition and use expressive visual imagery to create a deck of collaged cards.  It is for anyone who is interested in self discovery and self expression in a creative, non-competitive environment.

SoulCollage cards are created by first allowing the power of images to call to you, and then intuitively composing them on cards to express the components of your personality, the archetypes, the community, and the animal guides that make up your own personal mythology.  In the process of creating your cards, you will connect with yourself in a deep and meaningful way and discover many truths that have remained hidden within.  

All you need to start is to leave a comment here and purchase a copy of Seena Frost's book, SoulCollage: An Intuitive Collage Process for Individuals and Groups.  Then starting March 22, I will post a prompt each week and provide a place for you to leave a link to your blog so you can share your SoulCollage journey with the circle.  

You can read more about SoulCollage here.

Medusa: It's Intricate

Medusa - 9" x 12" - micron pen/digital color

Whenever I read Greek mythology, I am always intrigued by the intricacies of the gods' relationships!  This is a drawing I posted a few years ago, along with the story of Medusa.

The Gorgons of Greek mythology were so hideous that the mere sight of them would turn anyone who gazed their way to stone. They were, according to the poet Hesiod, so frighteningly repulsive to the senses that they "were not to be approached and not to be described." Medusa, the only one of the three who was mortal, was born beautiful with a head of luxuriant, shining hair. The lusty Poseidon took a fancy to her, and disguised as a horse, seduced her in the temple of Athena. Enraged, Athena transformed Medusa into a monster whose most common portrayal shows her once beautiful hair as a mass of writhing snakes.

Medusa

 

She is the gypsy

Whose young have rooted

In the very flesh of her scalp.

Her eyes are drill-holes where

Your senses spin, and you are stone

Even as you stand before her.

She opens her lips to speak,

And have you believe.

She has more tongues to deceive

Than you can deafen your ears to.

If you could look away, the voices

From the heads of her vipers

Would be hard to argue.

If you could look away,

The pedestals of your feet might move.

If you could look away, 

The song from the cathedral of her mouth

Would fall to the floor like a lie.

- Frieda Hughes (1960 - )

Hurray for Snow!

I know... I've been carrying on about wanting it to be springtime with nice warm weather, budding trees and chirping birds.  I still do, but having a snowstorm on a Monday that's  big enough to keep me home all day is pretty good too.  And here's what I did with my free day...

I pretty much finished this painting, except for painting the sides of the wood panel.  I don't know what I'll call it, but it's 12" x 16" x 1" acryclic/mixed media.

Then I made a SoulCollage card using John Everett Millais' The Bridesmaid as a central figure. I've always been drawn to this painting, so I decided to use her as a basis for a Committee card, adding some embellishments with paint, crayons and pen. 

And that was my Monday, a gift of creative time from Winter, who hasn't quit yet.  I hope your day was a delightful as mine...

Thursday Afternoon Play Date

I had some practical plans for this afternoon; paperwork and the like, but then I looked at my brand new, totally blank journal (a larger one this time - 9" x 12") and here I am... hands covered with paint and nothing practical accomplished.

But so what?  I have been feeling such unrest inside, a need to let things out, loosen up, play more.  This feeling has as much to do with my life as it has to do with my art...  an insistent nudge to get away from precision and just allow things to happen as they will.  Be freer, give myself permission to explore and enjoy.

Can you tell how much I'm pining for Spring?  To see fresh green shoots break through the tired remnants of snow... to hear the sounds of the creatures waking from their winter sleep... to watch the bluster of March clear the sand from the roads... to see the sun rise earlier in the morning and set later in the day... to wash clean to dreary dregs of winter. 

I'm sure I'm not the only one.  Happy Thursday!

(p.s. Have you visited my new etsy shop?)

Silver & Gold

work in progress - 12" x 16" x 1" - mixed media on wood

It's been one of those weeks... and I feel like I've had one foot in the twilight zone.  There's been such a surreal aura around me - weird synchronicities and strange happenings, but somehow I have managed to hold on to my calm center.  

Perhaps all the turmoil has stirred up some creativity, because I've started a new painting that I hope to finish by the end of the weekend.  The story is evolving... two friends, a secret, who knows?  I guess I'll have some idea by the time it's all finished.  I'll simply let instinct and intuition guide the way.

Here's what's I've been hearing in my head as I've been painting:

Make new friends but keep the old,

One is silver and the other is gold.

- from the Girl Scout song 

2/21 - here's some progress on the painting, which I worked on yesterday.  

I still need to do the background and finish up the detail work on the figures and the foreground, both of which are still rough.  The flowers in the foreground are collaged from paper napkins, a technique I first learned about from my friend Lenna Andrews and more recently was reminded of by Sharon Tomlinson's  article in Cloth Paper Scissors. I'm going to need to paint them in, but I really love the fine layer they add!

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2/22

I did a bit more today... I layered on some decorative papers for background texture, and then painted over them.  I also did some more detail work on the figures. Now it's time to let it sit while I ponder the rest of the background.