Emergence

Emergence 2Here is my final offering for the year 2012: "Emergence", an evocation of our connection to earth and sky and of the fluid nature of the world.  Here, the human being emerges from the verdant earth beneath and stands upright and strong. The outstretched arms receive what the universe is bringing and also bless the other creatures in the painting: a small child and a red dog. The pair of large spirals is reminiscent of large and powerful wings that carry us to new experiences.

May the coming year see you all strong and filled with life's energies. May you receive many blessings.

ancient wisdom

Gouffre de Padirac courtesy www.sarlat-tourisme.com

In 1970, I visited the Gouffre de Padirac, a cave in the Dordogne region of France with my mother. I was 27 at the time and my mother in her late sixties.  We approached the huge chasm in the earth with awe; it was 115 feet across and over 300 feet deep. A series of lifts and stairs led down and down past wet rocks into a system of caverns where ancient stalagmites and stalagtites were still growing and an underground river flowed along. Colored electric  lights dramatized the geological features which were reflected in the water. As we descended deeper and deeper, my mother's heart began to race. Perhaps it was fear, perhaps a change in oxygen levels in the air. Whatever the reason, I had to escort her back to the sunny ground above. I was concerned for her health but also disappointed that I did not get to ride in a boat on the underground river. In my memory the cave remained an exotic, mysterious, and beautiful place that I would have been happy to visit again.

Ancient Serpent

In 2008 I turned 65, and thoughts of becoming a crone entered my life. I had joined a group of women who celebrate the turning of the seasons ("casual pagans" we might be called). One day, as I was painting, I imagined us as women of ancient times, or a timeless time, dressed in long robes, dancing slowly along the edge of a body of water toward an opening in the earth. Here was my return to the cave. Are we are the edge of the River Styx, the boundary between Earth and the Underworld, the realm of Hades? What lies inside the cave? What will happen there? Perhaps a torch-lit ritual honoring the Goddess Styx and Persephone Queen of the Underworld? The huge serpent witnessing us is a reminder of spiritual wisdom, life and healing.

A recent tour of the Oregon Caves National Monument with my husband allowed me once again to walk deep inside the Earth; to experience total darkness (when the forest ranger switched off the lights); to marvel that bats and spiders could live there; to listen to the underground stream (actually named the "Styx") as it flowed over marble and sculpted away the inside of the mountain; and finally, to rejoice in the warm sun-filled sky that awaited us at the end of this particular journey.

In Praise of Water

Important ConversationIn the beginning there was water.  According to the creation myths of many cultures, the world began with water. "Darkness was there, all wrapped around by darkness, and all was Water indiscriminate," says the Rig Veda (3700 B.C.) According to Genesis 1, "....Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." In the Taoist-based Qigong routine that I practice, several movements include "water": Picking Up Water; Row the Boat at Lakes Center; Scoop the Ocean/Look at the Sky; Pushing the Waves. The Tao Te Ching teaches us to emulate the qualities of water in our daily lives. Sensitive Chaos by anthroposophist, engineer and water researcher Theodore Schwenk teaches that "cosmic consciousness" is symbolized by water and that water movement, by its very essence, signifies change.

Water is also the matrix of biological organisms.  In his book Life's Matrix: A Biography of Water, science writer Philip Ball calls water "the real elixer." He writes "....Biological structures and processes can only be understood in terms of the physical and chemical properties of water. Biology starts with water — historically, ontologically, pedagogically." No water, no life.  

Shimmer on WaterAs for my paintings, I naturally paint flowing shapes. This has more to do with the way my body wants to move than with my mind trying to convey a particular concept. A good example of pure flowing forms is "Shimmer on Water".

How beautiful and varied are the shapes and colors of creatures who live under water. There are far more species in oceans and seas and rivers than are found on land. Add to jellyfish, goldfish, and anemones the imaginary creatures of my imagination and you get "Important Conversation" (shown above), an underwater scene that started out as two people sitting on yoga mats and ended up as two "mermen" (male version of mermaids) who are holding a conversation while seated on a living “magic carpet” that is actually a nudibranch hovering above a large oyster shell. An enormous fish overhears the conversation of the mermen, while lovely river sprites (Hindu “nagas”) collect the fruits of tree-like creatures, unaware of the secrets being told below.

My gratitude to Lezlie Green for inviting me to show my water-themed paintings at her Waterstone Salon. The artist's reception is Friday, September 14, from 5:30-7:30 pm. at 14 South First Street in Ashland. If you are in town please come by to enjoy the artwork paintings and to say hello.

Gratitude also to my Qigong teachers Teja Bell and Michael Vasquez.

Dancing at The Rose Circle

Dancing Scissors 24The Rose Circle Mentoring Network, a wonderful organization whose mission is to support and empower youth through mentoring, is celebrating the opening of its new office in downtown Ashland on Friday, September 7.  As a former mentor and the designer of The Rose Circle's first logo and website, I was invited to exhibit some of my artwork at the open house. Since teen-agers love to dance, I chose upbeat artwork that I thought would appeal to them: images of dancers, in gouache, watercolor and cut-paper.  The Rose Circle celebration is good reason to add some new images to my website and to re-consider what dance means to me and others. I invite you to re-visit my Dancers Gallery and check out my previous blogs: Dancing Scissors, Dancing Brush, Balancing Dancers. 

Valentines DancersAlso, check out young-dancers.org as well, an "awesome" first dance-dedicated website for teenagers created by The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing based in the UK. The site includes photo galleries of all varieties of dance, advice about careers in dance, spotlights on some of today's leading dance stars, and quotes about dance, like this one from, of all people, Friedrich Nietzsche: We should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once.

Like, Wow!

I am very blessed to have a husband who loves my artwork. Not only does he love it, but he wants to tell the world about it. Am I a lucky woman, or what!?

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