Nearly Caught

Why is it that the beautiful things die when caught? We almost catch a butterfly and think "what a shame! I almost had it!", when it would have died in our hands.

The deer and maidens were nearly caught in this picture. But as much as we as people like to own beauty, I think there is something to be said for the elusiveness of the beautiful. It adds mystery, mystique, and worth to that which we deem pretty.

Aesthetics does not only lie in what one sees, but also in what one imagines.

A word of gratitude here to all of you who have seen my site or bought my work! Thank you for your support throughout the evolution of my art. I am honored by your attentions. <3 to you all!

Moonlit (not Sumi-e)

When you're a slave

It doesn't much matter

If your master is present 

Or not.

You feel the pulls of his commands

Whether he is all there

Or not.

When he is in control

It doesn't much matter

If you agree

Or not.

The tides will pull and push

Like they always do

New moon

Or not.

Today, I ask, what are you slave to? What pulls you in ways that you wish you could resist? What makes you wish for freedom?

Today, I ask, will you conquer it?

Rough Seas (new picture!)

When the seas and skies are roiling from the depths of their bellies, it's hard to see much else. It's hard to know if that's safe harbor approaching, or if it spells your death.

But in the middle of the slash of rain, you can choose to feel the water that feeds the earth. In the midst of tearing winds you can partake of the breath of God spinning around you.

You can come to a staircase, and think, "great, it's uphill from here", or think "this was put here to bring me higher".

Never underestimate the power of perspective. Because what one may suffer through, if one were to step back and see what God sees, might be beautiful.

Step back. See the beauty, not in your suffering, but in your inevitable triumph over the disaster.

I thank God for my trials, because I know that between Him and I, the glory will be His, and the trials will be but stepping stones that lead me closer to His heart.

Dandelion Spirit (new picture)

When I was about in the 2nd grade, someone told me I could wish on dandelion seeds.

I was a horribly skeptical child, and scoffed at the idea. But one day, I really needed a miracle. But, wishes were for children, and I, at the grand age of seven, was certainly not a child. But, miracles...Jesus did those. Maybe, just maybe, if I plucked one of those weeds from the ground, pursed my lips and sent my need out into the world, like a prayer without words, he would hear me.

So I did it. My first silent prayer was sent out on the seeds of a weed, straight into the smiling face of Heaven, and miracles followed prayers.

Pluck a dandelion, close your eyes, and pray with all your might. Wishes and prayers, sent out on fluffly little seedlings or not, are all heard by Him.

Tide Pools (new picture)

A long time ago, there were Saturday mornings I used to look forward to very much. Jagged red clay rocks poking my feet as I walked toward the surf...Maybe the rocks weren't actually red, but they blushed under the light of the rising sun. My sister and I would rush toward the glittering horizon, but the water was not our aim. We were interested in a much smaller wonder.

The microcosm of tide pools fascinated me as a child. Teeming with life and color, everything moved to the rhythm of the larger ocean, in and out with the same breath, but here, I could touch and see and feel and be with the mysteries of the ocean. Starfish and little crabs, algae and small fish, everything was there, at my fingertips, big in spirit and little, like me.

Today is a day to be filled with wonder. to relate to those like you and realize that we are all equally worthy of interest and love. Each person is a small tide pool, filled to the brim with happiness, fear, anger, and peace, all echoing the tides of the world.

Touch someone close to you, look at them with new eyes. Let yourself be amazed by your child, your friend, or your lover. Little big spirits are everywhere. Look for them.

Finding my way by Moonlight

When I sit down in front of my paper with brush in hand, the ink beginning to drip onto my desk, I enter another world altogether. Time slows down. I speed up. The music wafting through the air settles in my chest and rises to my head, quieting my brain, stirring up my heart.

It's rare that I actually ever sketch out what I am about to paint. I don't "see" it in my head, either. I have no plan, I just feel. I just know how I want you to feel.

My paintings do not come from meticulous planning, over-analyzing, or from three critiques and a slap on the wrist for making the same mistake, again. They come from wanting to breathe. To participate in that inspiration, that respiration that unites us. We often fear just letting go. I know I do. But when I pick up my brush...it's different.

I don't know if my paintings necessarily reflect this. But, I do know that when I painted them, I enjoyed every second of it. 

So, I invite you, dear friend, to lose yourself today. In a prayer, in a song, in a dream, in the eyes of a loved one. 

Finding your way by moonlight means trusting your instinct, your intuition, your hands and your feet. Make mistakes, pick yourself up, laugh about the fall, and move forward.