Change and “Roses, from rain”

Roses, from  rain… en plein air, France. ©Susan Morrison Sims

(acrylic on unstretched canvas. approx 14.5″ x 16.5″  Click on image to see complete painting)

~~

They must often change,

who would be constant in

happiness or wisdom.

~Confucius

~~

I am struggling for words this afternoon…can you imagine that? ha! I think that is why I decided to show you this piece painted en plein air in France. It was painted over another piece..one of struggles.  The other four pieces, I’ll eventually post, are probably more of what you are expecting..landscape paintings from that area. Well maybe, you know I tend to step into my own little world when I paint…right?  eh, eh

On the last day of painting, before a road trip to Lyon, I was painting, re-painting, and RE-PAINTING a landscape. I started it the very first day of painting, and I was VERY frustrated with it! :o Then on top of that the weather changed and a gentle rain began, which quickly turned into a steady drizzle. So I had no choice but to pack up and head back to the villa…which only added to my frustration!  I walked under a certain window, as I often had while staying there.  Alas this time, despite the rain, I found myself standing there mesmerized by the beautiful roses caressing the window and wall.  In awe and enchanted by their simple beauty in the rain…my frustration simply dissipated and happiness filled the space. I then knew what I wanted and needed to paint that morning.

I spotted a large umbrella on the patio and moved it beneath the the little window and set up to paint roses OVER the frustrating landscape (things of life). The rain not only continued, it strengthened and it was challenging to keep everything dry..including the canvas.  I painted for about 45 minutes until my palette and my canvas were a mix of paint and rain.  I decided to just let it be, as you see it here. So I can honestly say..this painting is of roses, from rain.

This painting (and this post) are metaphors for some recent events in my life and in a friend’s.

Life is constant change

and

one never knows what wisdom or gifts

are contained

within the change.

I am dedicating this post to Stephanie,  my wonderful framer and wonderful friend. I have often mentioned her here. Sadly she is closing her shop, and today is her last day. I have witnessed her strength and determination to adjust and embrace change, and I admire and respect her more than ever! May good energies abound on her new path, and YES I am saying it, corny as it may be, I can’t help myself….I am wishing her Roses, from rain.

I am wishing the same for all of us,

love, light, and laughter,

~gypsy-he♥rt

~♥~

susanmorrisonsims.com

Simple things…magic!

You lose sight of things

and

when you travel

everything balances out.

~Daranna Gidel

~~

Me in front of an ancient Roman bridge (of course, those damn safety rails are not ancient).

(click on the photos to enlarge )

I must tell you….

Standing there at 55 years of age (yes, 55..so F’n what! :)

face naked

laugh lines exposed

silver hair blowing in the breeze…..

I felt like a child again

and

it was utterly divine!

~~

Dinner sitting next to David, a friend and fellow artist in the Radius workshop.

Tidied up a bit and in candle light..which tends to help hide those laugh lines. ha, ha

~~

One of the courses I had that evening…

Prepared special for me…how’s that for vegetarian?

Hello dear hearts..I am back in Florida. I hope all is well in your worlds!

I don’t know where to begin. I guess I’ll just begin by saying, I had a wonderful time in France!! I confess, I am still adjusting to being back in the real world. I think you know what I mean..cooking my own meals, laundry, driving myself around, etc. Oh and did I mention gardening? The weeds tried to claim my little vegetable~flower garden!  So one entire morning was spent removing them (all but the wild morning glories..my heart would not allow such). Anyway, it looks loved again.

I painted five en plein air pieces which I will post soon. I still have them rolled up from their journey home within my carry on suitcase.  :O

I have MUCH to tell you, and I promise I will soon. For example, I dined at the best restaurants, and I dined outside on a farm with roosters and hens running around and under the table (I swear)!  Which do you think I preferred???  While in Lyon I ate more rich decadent food..than in my entire life..and yet I lost weight from walking a lot in that glorious city. (I would love to live there, part time).

I know this is short, but I just wanted to say hello today. I hope to start making my way to your blogs and responding to your most appreciated comments and emails!! I wish all of you could have been there with me!! I plan to post more photos on here and on Facebook.

I do feel centered, balanced, and quite free again (to new levels!!). Other than the beauty and excitement of France, what other magic on my trip? Well…

I re-discovered how much I love life

especially the simple things like

good food,

good wine,

good music,

good friends,

and laughter

yes…

lots and lots of laughter!

I am wishing the same for all of you,

mwah mwah,

~gypsy-he♥rt

Ps  Most of you recall some of my “chats” about my Grandmother Morrison (G’ma M). Well, she turned 102 on June 13. Needless to say, she loves life too..and she agrees about the magic of the simple things in life! Okay..maybe not about the wine..she only drinks coffee (strong and straight). Hmmm… I have to think that maybe..there was a little more fun to be had in her 102 years with a little wine…agree?

What’s age anyway…G’ma M say’s it’s subjective. I have to agree…hell, I was an old soul when young!

Here’s a wine toast to my G’ma M on her 102!

Here’s to all centenarians!

~♥~

susanmorrisonsims.com

Visualize and begin to build!

Ashlen’s Vision 1 – 4 © Susan Morrison Sims

acrylic on canvas  (As one image 48″ x 64″ Individual 24″ x 32″ )

click on images to enlarge

~~

Visualize this thing that you want,

see it,

feel it,

believe in it.

Make your mental blueprint

and

begin to build.

~Robert Collier

~~

Yes, my dears…I am still among the living, and I’ve missed all of you! As usual thank you for your wonderful comments and emails! How are things in your world’s…good I hope! All is good in mine I have just been living, loving, and laughing, and I’ve been extra, extra busy. Among other things spending a lot of time on Drayton Island working on the old 1880 house.  I must stop calling her the “old girl” because she is getting a makeover, and she is evolving into quite a “babe” if you know what I mean. hee, hee In time I will post pictures of her on here and Facebook. Who knows someday you may come for a weekend retreat.  That is, if you are not afraid of being on a island, with no bridges, old Florida style..complete with deer, bob cats, wild turkey, bears, alligators,…. Hmmm… Cross Creek by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings comes to mind.

A few posts ago I told you I was working on four commissioned pieces that were quite a challenge. Well these are the pieces Ashlen’s Vision 1-4.  Why the title? Well, there is a young woman named Ashlen that is part of my art business world here. One day, I was in her business and while chatting I discovered her dream of traveling to Tuscany with her husband. She told me she wanted a painting that reflected her dream.  So we talked about what I saw and loved on my visits there, and what she wants to see. Her vision and my vision are the “things” in the paintings. Villas, grape vineyards, rolling hills, divine little roads and paths here and there, ……

At first,  she wanted one large piece for her wall. I mulled it over and suggested four separate pieces that work together as one image. Thus, the four pieces.  She told me with her budget she could not manage the originals at that time. It is a lot about connections for me, and I have always liked her energy…so I thought it over, and I called her with an idea. I offered to paint the pieces, and then have my printer create canvas giclee’ prints, which would fit within her budget. Needless to say, as my Grandmother would say that was going about it all  “back’ards.”  One normally paints the pieces then the prints follow…so this was certainly a first! :O

I won’t go into all the challenges, but here are just a few: I had to come up with four smaller compositions within one and they all had to flow together and yet work individually. Each piece was large so I had to line up easels to work on them, and it was cumbersome. She wanted certain colors with a Tuscan theme. Her colors of choice were the same that tend to be in my palette anyway (my energy colors) so that was a good thing.  Alas, you know I like challenges and all ended up as we both envisioned. When you stand in front of them you feel as if you are on a hill..standing at the edge of the vineyard looking out over Tuscany. It’s during the fall harvest, which is my most favorite time of year there (and here). As usual, I have some symbolism in it..when she looks at it I want her to feel as if

~she’s standing at the edge of her dream,

and

all she need do is step into it~

I think I told you that she was very happy with the results and so was her husband…so that made me very happy and the whole ordeal worth while. Besides, I learned a lot from it! Oh I forgot…she wanted the pieces in time for an important dinner party she was having on a Saturday. Her husband was literally hanging the last piece as the first guest arrived. (talk about timing!) As for me..I was spent so I propped my feet up and had a glass (or two) of muscadine wine while listening to my girl, Duffy! I have four commissioned pieces to begin after my trip to France ..but they are for four individuals. These are for the originals this time, and prints to follow if some souls out there feel a connection. So maybe, just maybe a little less challenging…eh?

*Little side Note: Not the best photos, but did you notice the rose bushes in the front of a few of the vineyard rows? Well, when I saw those in Tuscany I thought..oh these people are so creative and seem to make everything so beautiful. Well, that is true, but I found out the rose bushes are there for a reason other than beauty. The farmers  watch them for pest and disease problems before it happens in the vineyard. So one could say the rose bushes are there as sacrificial bait, but I prefer to think of them as the guardians of the vineyard. Hmmm…guardian roses…I happen to like that image! For as most of you know, I count roses among my most favorite flowers..esp wild roses. :)

Before I leave you again,  I want to say how much I believe Robert Collier’s quote to be true! This can apply to anything in our lives. I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve put this into practice and it works!! Word of caution…one must be careful not to visualize the negative!

Do you realize how much power you have?

‘Tis all contained within your own heart and mind?

Powerful energies around and within all of us,

if only we…

open our hearts and minds to what is there!

So, my little pretties may we embrace Collier’s words..…just visualize, see it, feel it, believe in it, make your mental blueprint, and begin to build!!!

~JUST STEP INTO IT~

Love and light to all of you!

mwah, mwah

~gypsy-he♥rt

Ps I will tell you when Ashlen travels to Tuscany, because I know she will someday! Speaking of travel. As I mentioned I will be leaving on a trip to France (May 26). I will be staying in a medieval village in Provence ten days or so.  Then three of us are renting a car and driving into Paris and where ever else the road takes us.  I’ll try to do another post before I go, but I am running out of time and still have much to do before the trip. I may just try to get around to visit all of you.   ta, ta for now.

~♥~

susanmorrisonsims.com

Perfect Imperfection?

Imperfection (plein air Tuscany)© Susan Morrison Sims

acrylic on paper (approx 6.5″ x 9″) click on image to enlarge

~~

Imperfection is beauty,

madness is genius,

and

it’s better to be

absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.

~Marilyn Monroe

~~

Hello darlings..so sorry I have been absent. Your comments and emails  to me were most appreciated, and your little nudges of

come back!

paint- paint- paint!

why aren’t you talking?

where the hell are you?

etc..

made me laugh (and you know I love a good laugh)!

Well, among lots of other things..I have been painting, and I will post a series of four soon. This piece Imperfection was quickly painted en plein air on a previous Tuscany trip. It was in the spring, so I thought this piece fitting for April.

It may surprise some of you that Marilyn Monroe made such a statement.  I’ve learned that guru’s come in all shapes and sizes. Actually, Marilyn was a very intelligent young woman, and who better to speak about beauty..eh?

What does it have to do with this painting though? Well, where I stayed in Tuscany (the Contessa’s) seemed pure perfection…especially the vineyards and olive groves. Of course I wondered off alone and I found this little olive grove full of random trees and it looked..hmmm…how shall I say it…well, it looked somewhat a mess. Yet, I thought it looked as if the little random trees were traveling to the soft light in the distance.

Now I probably should not say this for all to see, but

~I instantly felt a connection to the messy randomness~

so I had to paint it.  I found the imperfections metaphorically reassuring..does that make sense?   I also find this quote reassuring. Why?

because:

#1- I often think I am going a little mad (only randomly so…no need to worry)

#2- more often than not I dwell in the ridiculous (must be why I am never ever bored)

#3- last but not least I am forever an imperfect perfectionist. (which very well may be the reason for #1 and #2!)

Hell, all is not lost though because according to Marilyn…

I may be an interesting beautiful genius! hee, hee

thank god!

There is so much more I could and would say..alas time does not permit my lingering with you tonight. So I leave you now with this thought….

What if imperfection is perfection?

My, my wouldn’t that be

simply divine…

Love, light, and laughter to all you

Interesting beautiful genius souls out there!

~gypsy-he♥rt

Ps  Some of my realist friends may find the piece below, imperfect. :) I do not deny it is different. It is another one of my symbolic self portraits (my past self)..a collage (mixed media). Surprisingly, it was awarded first place in a St Augustine show. Here is a little event notice  “Out of Bounds” Before my dear perfectionist friends start emailing me..I know this is a terrible photo of the piece. I will have a better photo and tell you about it, after the show comes down on the 26 (I believe). As I often do I did a painting from this piece, and I’ll post both of them next time I post.

Here is the gallery site which is always behind on posting about the shows:  St Augustine Art Association (be forewarned of obnoxious music when you open their site). Both links have phone numbers, directions, and gallery hours, just in case you are in the area and wish to see the show. :) I haven’t seen it myself, but I plan to. If any of you are going let me know when and I’ll try to go at the same time. Maybe we can have a cup of coffee or lunch. St Augustine is one of my most favorite places in Florida.

Escape Series, III (symbolic self portrait) © Susan Morrison Sims

collage (mixed media) on paper

~♥~

susanmorrisonsims.com

gypsy-heart, I am

gypsy-heart, I am

The Language of Eyes

Whiskers, of 2 © Susan Morrison Sims

24″ x 32″ acrylic on canvas (click on image to enlarge :)

~~

An animal’s eyes have the power

to speak a great language.

~Martin Buber

~~

Hello you darling “human things” how are all of you…yes, I am still alive.  Soooo much going on. :O Thank you for you wonderful comments and emails! I did finish those commissioned pieces, and the client is happy. So needless to say, that makes me happy. I hope to have a tad bit more time after this weekend…though my “to do list” is already filling up. You are all on my list though. :)

I loved this quote, and I so agree. I would only add..’tis a universal language. All creatures speak with their eyes..including us.  What do our eyes reveal to others? Do they speak of love and compassion?

I apologize again for this image (I am looking into a new camera before I go to France). Anyway, I had this piece on here some time ago..and said I would finish it someday. He was was recently in a figurative show, and I thought it finished, but now I am thinking I may not be quite done.  I painted it from a picture I took in Rome. For some reason I felt drawn to this gentleman…something about his eyes. I wondered what his story was…why was he shaving outside sitting on a curb. I think I told you before that I decided I could not leave him trapped in the canvas alone without a companion forever, thus the cat. Besides, you know I am an animal lover!

There are two black hearts in this piece did you see them?  I imagine some of you are thinking…black hearts..that’s not happy, gypsy-heart. Well, did you know that according to physics black is the perfect absorber of light. So I find the color black beautiful! I never use black straight out of a tube..my blacks are always a combination of two or three colors. Like a crow..have you noticed they appear black, but they are far from just black. Hmm…I wonder if they are absorbing all the colors around them. I want to be like that…

I want to absorb all the colors and light around me that I possibly can!

Otherwise,  how can I return what I don’t have? We must not forgot that we are all reflections of one another. I’ll leave you with that thought.

Sending love and light BACK to you,

~gypsy-he♥rt

Ps  Here is the picture I took of Whiskers before cropping it…

I didn’t even notice before I wrote the post, but you can see my crow (The Thief) looking down at Whiskers. I think the crow just weaseled his way into this post..you know they say they are very smart. hee, hee I had fun signing the Whiskers piece..bet you didn’t see that!

~♥~

susanmorrisonsims.com

Blackberry Magic

Blackberry Magic ©Susan Morrison Sims

14″ x 11″ acrylic on canvas

(click on image to enlarge, twice to touch the briars. sorry it is a little fuzzy..I’ll re-shoot it when I get the painting back).

~~

When our eyes see our hands doing the work of our hearts,

a circle of creation is completed inside us.

The doors of our soul open

and love steps forth

to heal

everything in sight.

~Anne Jones

~~

Happy March to everyone..I hope all is good in your world. My, my it has been a long time since we chatted. It has been cold here (well, cold for Florida), but we have 80 degree weather coming this weekend.  I have been working on commissioned pieces a lot. :O Now first let me say,  I am very appreciative to have the commissions. I say that to tell you this…

I was feeling like a bird in a very little cage.

I thought I would be finished with the pieces (there are four of them) by now, but I felt stifled…as if trapped in the canvas.

As I told you in our last chat..the earth is already warming here and signs of new life are everywhere. I confess, that could be some of my problem..I long to be outside. I was outside rinsing out some of my paint buckets, and my eyes landed on something just beyond the fence. The wild blackberry bushes have awakened! The brown and tangled, and what some call wicked briars, are once again filled with green leaves and divine little white flowers!

Of course, I wandered over to see the flowers…already discovered by the bees.  Hmmm...I thought..you have the prefect little canvas just waiting for brushes. I reasoned that it would be okay to slip one little blackberry painting in  amongst the four large Tuscany pieces…so I did.  :)

and

working from my heart

I felt free again.

Guess what…now I am almost finished with the four large pieces! The little painting came to be quickly and is  in a  show called “Up Close” in St Augustine now. In the meantime, I am bewitched..under the spell of blackberry magic! I plan to do a large blackberry painting zooming into that world of  briars and berries. Soon the hot sun will summon the berries from within the blossoms. Of course, I will share them with the birds..but I may have to take just a few extra to go into blackberry tarts. More blackberry magic! :)

What a sweet, sweet circle life is…

My heart is full tonight…sending you love and light,

~gypsy-he♥rt

Ps March is Women’s History Month, and these pieces, that most of you have seen, are a show that is about expressing the beauty and uniqueness of our environment. I changed the name of the first one..it was Earth’s Mysteries.

Swamp Moon

(click on images to enlarge)

Muscadines…wine on the vine.

The show opened yesterday. If you haven’t read the posts about the pieces and wish to do so..just click on the titles.

I am not going to chatter about the pieces again, but I do want to tell you a little about the show.  It is sponsored by the The Women’s Center of Jacksonville. I have mentioned this program before, and it is among my links on my sidebar. They help improve the lives of women and children..nearly 10,000 a year. This show is in celebration of Women’s History Month. It is in the beautiful Bank of America Tower  downtown Jacksonville. I think it is one of the most beautiful sky scrappers there…outside and in.  The work selected is wonderful..so I am honored to “be there.”  It is a cause I believe in, and 40% of sales go to the center (originals and giclee’s).

I will be around to see all of you soon!

~♥~

susanmorrisonsims.com

From Dreams to Memories

Tuscan Memory ©Susan Morrison Sims

acrylic on paper (click on the image to enlarge. Click again to zoom and walk the paths with me :)

~~

Memory is the diary

that we all carry about with us.

~Oscar Wilde

~~

Hello dear hearts, how are all of you? Spring is tiptoeing in here, and I say I welcome, welcome!  I am finding little messages of her arrival. Winged friends are happily singing while busily working preparing nests, and tiny splashes of green are sprouting from sleeping plants and trees. So it appears

Our beautiful earth is awakening from winter!

If you are not already seeing signs of spring, I  hope you will soon!

Wilde’s words summed up my thoughts today, and this little painting. This place was in Tuscany near the village of Vagliagli, and I was there with painters, photographers, and writers from all over the world.  I often painted alone from the cliff in the forefront or down in the valley, and I walked the road and little paths you see..by sun and by moon. I slept in two other farm houses down the road to the right beyond this image, but I ate many breakfasts and suppers in this farm house. It was there, seated at a long table among friends of old and new, that I learned to love a good glass of wine and many other things that traveling outside your usual world can bring!

Here is a little picture of one of those meals (some of you have probably seen this on my web site).

Dinner in Tuscany

(that’s me in the black top, looking at you)

It was in this time and space that my world and my soul expanded to places I had only dreamt of before. Memory entries (and paintings) now, forever etched within my heart.  Often deep into the night when all is quiet and still, I return there to walk it in my mind. When all is quiet and still do you ever re-walk places in your mind?  The good thing is we can choose the path we wish to walk…I finally learned that

I am the navigator of my dreams!

and…

so are you, dear ones!

Well, I’ll leave you for now. I have “dropped by” to check on some of you, and I hope to make it around to everyone in time. If it seems a very long time since I’ve left you a note..then please tell me! As I said last time I assure you, it is not intentional. Thank you again for all of your wonderful notes and emails!

I’ve grown quite fond of all of you, and  may each you travel ….

From Dreams to Memories,

memories filled with…

Love, Light, and Laughter!

~gypsy-he♥rt

Ps This piece and Tuscan Mist (in my last post) will be among the art in a show in Soho, New York  March 3-15. Here is the link to the actual show invitation:  Shades of Italy (Just in case you happen to be in the area). I will not be flying there from Florida, so I would love some feed back. One of my new and dear blogging friends is planning to go, so I’ll tell you about his observations.   :)

Also here is a link to:  Il Chiostro Art work shops across Italy. I highly recommend them, and it is not simply for painters it is photography, writers, opera, cooking, jewelry, etc.  These pieces and a few others came to be from my experience in that world.  :)

I have more shows and such going on..another one next month coincides with Women’s History Month and I am very exicted and honored to have been invited. I’ll save that  and other things for our next chat! So ta, ta for now.

~♥~

susanmorrisonsims.com

♥ Through the Veil of the Mist

Tuscan Mist, Plein Air ©Susan Morrison Sims

9″ x 12″ acrylic on paper (click on image to enlarge; twice to walk through the mist :)

~~

Were I called, very briefly, to define art,

I should call it

“the reproduction of what the senses perceive in nature

through the veil of the mist. “

~Edgar Allan Poe

~~

Goodness, can it possibly be that I was last on here chatting with you on January 17!!  I hope all of you are well..I know some of you are still dealing with extremely cold weather. ‘Tis going to be cold again here..well for Florida that is..in the high 20’s. I am wishing us all sun and warmth!

Besides the normal busy life things..I have been painting a lot and helping our new family member adjust.  I now have two precious studio dogs, because I adopted another one from the Safe Animal Shelter!! So Ringo has been joined by the exotic and beautiful Ava, and I’ll tell you more about Ava soon. You knew there would be story about her..didn’t you!  hee, hee

This is one of the pieces that will be traveling to the juried show in Soho, New York in March. I’ll probably post the other one next time. This one was painted plein air in Tuscany. I’ll never forget watching the mist dancing in the valley that morning. If you decide to double click on the image you may be able to see the energies I felt while alone at that time and place. It was as if the earth was breathing, and I was allowed to witness it.  Caught up in the dance…trying to capture it on canvas. I’ve told you how I love to wander off alone to paint.  It isn’t that I don’t enjoy my fellow artists…I assure you, I do.  If I am to hear and feel the earth speak I need to go off alone..for like a child, I am easily distracted. :O

I like Poe’s definition. Don’t you think life is much like art..it is what we perceive through the veil of the mist. Hmmm…what happens when the veil of mist dissipates? I’ll leave you with that thought as I must hush for now.

Just remember LOVE is the WAY.

Love, Light, and Laughter to all,

~ gypsy-he♥rt

Ps I  have been by some of your sites, and I plan to visit more of you soon. I thank all of you SO MUCH for your kind and inspiring comments and for your wonderful emails. If I neglected to respond to anyone..please forgive me. It is never my intention to ignore you…lately I seem to have too many irons in the fire and too many fires going.

~♥~

susanmorrisonsims.com

Sunlight and another Cappuccino Moon

Flames of Dusk ©Susan Morrison Sims

24″ x 32″ acrylic on canvas (click on the image to enlarge twice to zoom)

~~

Pour down your warmth great sun!

~Walt Whitman

~~

I am just stepping in for a minute or two (you knew I couldn’t stay away too long). :)  A lot of us are experiencing very cold weather (even here in Florida in the US). :O  So I wanted to send some warmth out to all of you.

Those of you that have been with me from the beginning of gypsy-heart may remember that I posted this image some time back.  Still, I thought it appropriate on this cold wintry day. This piece is another of what I call my memory landscapes, and this one happens to be of Tuscany.  I guess you could say, I am in a Tuscan zone right now. I just found out I will be shipping a couple of pieces to SoHo New York for a “Shades of Italy” show in March.  I have two figurative pieces related to Tuscany that I am going to work on this afternoon. You’ve seen one of them, but not the other.  Also, I have four large Tuscany pieces that are in the VERY beginning stage that I must get back to.  I’ll tell you about the pieces and their journeys soon. :)

Back to the cold.  I am very much a warm weather person, and so I do love the sun, but ….

I am madly in love with the moon.

So I just had to slip something in here about my beloved moon too.  tee, hee

SO, I’m sending you a cappuccino moon.

Cappuccino Moon

©Susan Morrison Sims Photography

click on image to see the crescent moon..twice to touch her face.

You’ve received these from me in the past, and I am sending you another one today..hopefully, to warm your heart and spirit.

Well, I’ve managed to stop by to see some of you, and I plan to see more of you soon! You know I have to see what is going on in your worlds! I’ve enjoyed your sweet emails too…you always inspire me! I leave you with a cappuccino toast: Here’s to ~~sun and moon energies~~

Sending ALL of you

warmth, light, and peace of heart,

Mwah,

~ gypsy-he♥rt

Ps I am working on Tuscan pieces, but ’tis France (the Luberon Valley region) that I will visit in May.  I told you in the post  ♥Dreams..miracles in waiting♥ that I love to fly now…yet I must confess, I am getting nervous about it again. Any advice from my traveling friends?

~♥~

susanmorrisonsims.com

Reflections of a Dreamer and Little Interludes

Reflections of a Dreamer-self portrait ©Susan Morrison Sims

(digital photo) click on the image to enlarge..click twice to fall into the sky. :)

~~

I’m thinking about all the things

I’d like to do in my life

I’m a dreamer, a distant dreamer

dreaming far away from today

I’m a dreamer, a distant dreamer

Dreaming far away from today

Yeah, I’m a dreamer…

~Duffy

~~

I adore Duffy…to listen to her song (my theme song..hee, hee) just click on the title:

Distant Dreamer by Duffy

~~

Hello everyone, seems a long time..eh?   I hope things have been pleasant for all of you since our last chat.  Hmmm…my goodness, was that back on December 23??? :O  My, my..how time is slipping away. Now I am officially a year older, and we’ve said goodbye to 2008.  2009 is finally here, and for the first time in many years, no new year resolutions for me.

no resolutions, but reflections

I found this quote and photo a good fit with my thoughts today. This photo has been here before on “falling into the sky”, a post I wrote way back when I was pretty much alone here on gypsy-heart.  So here it is again, full circle.

When I started this blog I had no idea where it would go, and it has been a pleasant surprise. Meeting all you was the best surprise of all, and I am grateful for the whole experience.  We’ve shared a lot, you’ve been here through my many moods. Happy, sad, silly, frustrated, ecstatic, …  you endured my dreams and my drama .  You have often touched my heart, taught me lessons, encouraged and inspired me, consoled me, and made me laugh! All at times when I needed it! You were…

Divinely sent, I do believe.  :)

Of course, I have tried to visit all of you..wanting to read every post, see every image, and leave a word or two. I’ve tried to respond to all the sweet and thoughtful emails too. Alas, over the year and a half our “talking circle” has grown, and it has become more and more of a challenge for me to keep up. Some of you may remember a few posts I did about feeling pressure about it all.

and so ……

This year you will see less of me. I will post and visit when I can, but for the most part..only quick little posts. Just to share a quote, new paintings, a photo, or a few words. I’ll drop by your sites from time to time to say hello. At times I may just check on you without saying a word, but you will know I’ve been there. I know what you are thinking..gypsy-he♥rt not saying a word…NO WAY!  eh, eh, eh  Well, we shall see won’t we? :)

I am aware in the blog society one should be consistent, but what will be, will be. I just know that I am in dire need of life beyond the technical world.  Often I found myself struggling for something to say…just “talking to be talking” and that was of no benefit to you or me.  Haven’t I confessed many, many times (it’s always been at the top, in my heading) …

~I paint, what I struggle to say~

Alas, dear Hearts, for months my hermit world, of woods and river, has been beckoning my return. That is where I feed my soul. ‘Tis where matters of heart and dreams are revealed to me so my brushes and paints can capture them on canvas.

I’ll be in and around our little blog circle… so this is not goodbye, only little interludes. I hope you aren’t too disappointed in me. I cannot help it for I have always been a distant dreamer…it’s how I survive. :)

Never forget that we are all reflections of one another and what I see is your…

Love and Light

and

Don’t forget to

DREAM ON!!!

~ gypsy-he♥rt

Ps I am always just a click away…my email door is always open!

~♥~

susanmorrisonsims.com