Thursday, January 30, 2014

Cardinals in the Snow

"The Missus"
watercolor on arches hot press
It's my thing to see more color than may actually be there, when I paint and although this female Cardinal is looking a bit tropical, I really see these colors in her.  The male's incredible scarlet color is arresting but the beautiful golden feathers of the female are complimented by dusky purple grays and rusty maroon tail feathers. She really sparkles. 
I'm loving watching all these birds in the snow.

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Monday, January 13, 2014

Narcissus

"Narcissus"
Watercolor 10"x5"

The scent of the Narcissus bulb, their tall foliage and white flowers add a warm touch to winter.
I'm going to order some more to grace our "bird" window. 

the "bird" window

Saturday, January 04, 2014

Winter Cocoon

find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest   
Dalai Lama

8x10 watercolor

The glorious Cardinal swoops to my feeder, the bright red of his feathers flashing, against the brilliant snow. She's beautiful as well, with her golden body and magenta markings and I notice that they are always in close proximity to one another. When I see one I look for the other.
But he is arresting, no matter how often or in which season I see him and I am thrilled each time.
My mumma loved Cardinals and her sweaters and sweatshirts were adorned with them, particularly her Christmas attire, so of course, when I see them I think of her.
She is still so present for me as I ponder her loss.
I looked online for symbolic meanings attributed to these beautiful birds and found this.


The Cardinal Cycle of Twelve is symbolic of: Cycles, life, death & renewal
  • Twelve hours make a day and twelve months make a year. Twelve is a vital life cycle and regardless of the time of year, the time of day or the time of life you are presently confronting, you are a part of the cycle. You are a vital element in the circle of life and regardless of where you are in that cycle you always have the opportunity for restoration, revitalization and renewal.
*Another notable quality is that cardinals are year round residents. As they do not migrate like most other birds, cardinals represent a twelve-month cycle. Twelve is considered a powerful cycle in nature as it represents the spectrum of the seasons and the full circle of life. Cardinals also lay eggs that hatch within twelve days. Due to their twelve-month residency and their twelve-day incubation, the number twelve is strongly associated with the cardinal. 



Wednesday, January 01, 2014

Intention

"the promise" 
8x10 sketchbook pen and ink

my intention is to stay in the moment

to live mindfully

to continue my yoga practice and eventually, be flexible enough to put my nose to my knee (used to be able to do that)

to stop critiquing the driver ahead of me, maybe he's obeying the speed limit and not on the phone ;)

to stop critiquing the the tailgater behind me, maybe he's not on the phone but, his wife is giving birth in the car ;)

to see the good intentions of others instead of what I think I see…

to reach my potential

to be my best self…..


I stopped making New Year's resolutions ages ago but, today, New Year's Day, I'm posting this intention which also happens to be our Girls Just Wanna Paint monthly challenge. 
I had to go far from my usual approach with this but that's what it's all about and I'd like to step out of the box …..

*credit to google images for these words which I modified 

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