Moving in Silence…

dream~scape (escape)

(acrylic on canvas) (click on image to enlarge)

See how nature~~trees, flowers, grass..grow in silence

see the stars, the moon, and the sun how they move in silence

we need silence …

to touch souls.

~Mother Teresa

Dear hearts forgive me for I have been remiss in writing. I hope all is good in your worlds. Not much to say tonight. I am mulling over things…we have some things going on in my family. Serious life and death things.

Life is so precious…this life as we know it. I feel like this painting…sort of sparse and bare like the trees in it. Reaching for the light though…trying to understand…the mystery of it all.

I have been silent..walking around within my own heart…does that make sense? All of you coming here have touched this gypsy heart of mine..it has made me smile at times..and at others times I found myself nodding my head in agreement. I am sorry I did not come to read your words..I just felt “I needed to move in silence” for a while. I wish I could say I have been painting..I have not. :O

I will though….I will paint and paint and paint…and I will live and laugh….

My message to you tonight is one of love and light, NOT sadness….don’t hesitate…seize the moment…in love, life, and laughter!

I’ll be around to see all of you soon! In the meantime, I hold up my glass of wine to toast all of you..

for you have all touched my soul!

So here’s to you…Wishing you love, light, and laughter!

~gypsy-he♥rt

Ps A butterfly came by today

and

she whispered

“all will be okay”

(butterfly wisdom..eh?)

UP DATE: (Monday May 12)  GOOD NEWS!! All is fine with my sister!! What an emotional roller coaster! I am so relieved …she was my first best friend in this life time!  Thank all of you for the good thoughts, prayers, and candles of light! Now I can get back to my crazy gypsy-heart self!!  hee, hee

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Looking Out From Within

Looking Out From Within (click on image to enlarge)

symbolic self portrait (oil/canvas)

“A single event can awaken within us

a stranger totally unknown to us.

To live is to be slowly born.”

~from The Little Prince by Antione de Saint-Expuery

Hello dear hearts seems a while since we had a chat…though you were in my thoughts. We all have our busy things we must or wish to do..right? As I mentioned in the past I had some things to do with the business side. :O Also, I am preparing to paint a new series..possibly a sunflower series. I do love sunflowers!

I realized that I have never posted this piece, other than on “about”, and it is my avatar. Funny, I did not know what avatar meant before this blog….

…”a virtual image representing a person.”

Hmmm…my avatar fits then. Even as a child NO MATTER WHAT was going on in my world it was as if I was looking out from within…through a VERY large key hole within my mind. I managed to dwell in happiness….the thorny HEART vines and wasp nest have their own meanings (I’ll leave that up to your imagination..hee, hee).

I think I have always been an old soul.

Do you ever feel that way?

I love the Little Prince quote..especially this line:

to live is to be slowly born.

Live….love…my darlings…and remember every breath is rebirth!

Well, I know I have not said much of anything tonight and I apologize, but I am at Drayton Island. As usual it is a challenge to do anything on the computer here so this will be it for tonight. I am in a strange sort of mood anyway maybe ’tis the canvas world calling me again, and I can’t wait to pick up the brushes. Besides, sometimes it is best to just look out without speaking…eh? :)

My heart is full tonight!

Love, light, and laughter to all,

~gypsy-he♥rt

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Contemplation of Heart

contemplation of heart (pastel on black paper)

In prayer it is better to have a heart without words….

than words without a heart.

~Mahatma Gandhi

 

Dear ones…I have few words today, to write would only be empty words. I do have things in my heart, but sometimes words are best left to themselves until there is understanding. Does that make any sense? The title to this piece came to me, and when I looked up the actual definition of contemplation I understood why the title.

Contemplation:

1 a : concentration on spiritual things as a form of private devotion b : a state of mystical awareness of God’s being
2 : an act of considering with attention : STUDY
3 : the act of regarding steadily
4 : INTENTION , EXPECTATION

So many times we talk to just talk (myself included)..I’ll spare you that now. Forgive me for being remiss about visiting your wonderful posts. I will be around soon to read your words….who knows maybe my understanding is waiting within your words. :) Leaving you now from…

~~~~a state of mystical awareness of God’s being~~~~

Sending all of you Love and Peace of Heart,

~gypsy-he♥rt

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bearing the fruit in your soul….

(click on image to enlarge)

Fruits of Labor (no more) acrylic on canvas

“Let me say to you and to myself in one breath……

cultivate the tree which you have found to bear the fruit in your soul.”

~Henry David Thoreau

Good afternoon “my little pretties”…I hope all had a pleasant weekend. I promise this will not be a long post today.

I love this quote, and after I selected it I realized I often return to Thoreau. Quite possibly I feel a connection to his hermit life..his deep love of nature. As I have said, nature is my temple..my sacred place of worship. I can tell you if I could select a few people from the past to share a cup of tea or a woodland walk Thoreau would most certainly be on my list! :) Can you imagine…I can!

This piece no longer exists…only in the photo and in my mind for it is beneath another painting now. Strange but I like it better now than when it existed. Hmmm…for me, that can be so in life too. :)

Some may view Fruits of Labor (no more) and see only the darkness and others only the light. I see feel both…’tis as, I am. Those of you that have been coming here for a while know that about me. A lot of my work is about the stark contrast of darkness and light (that art term chiaroscuro again). It is also about reflections..did you notice how each fruit bears reflections of others. Such is life too…eh?

I promised this would be short so I leave you with a couple of pondering questions…

What are you cultivating..what bears the fruit in your soul? What reflections?

As for me…In the garden of my being, art is one of the trees that bears the fruit in my soul…both the darkness and the light.

Love to all, and ta ta for now,

…..forever seeking the light,

~gypsy-he♥rt

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The Journey again..(you may need tissues).

Hello darlings! I hope all of you had a good week. I wasn’t sure what I was going to post about tonight, but it was provided for me. :)

Thursday I drove to St Augustine to pick up a piece from a show that ended. I stopped at my friend Michelle’s house for a cup of tea and a chat. I wrote a post about her in the past. if you didn’t read it and care to do so here is the link: Cutting edge. She is a wonderful artist and her cottage is magical. If I remember right it is a long post, so if you are in a hurry skip it.

Do you remember the recent post about the painting I entered in a tactile show. Here is the link to it: The Journey..the story of a painting. In case you forgot it was the story about the tactile show and the students from the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind.

Anyway, in conversation I told Michelle about “the energy” of that painting and what is happening with the image of it from here and the art site. When I returned home I emailed her the link to the post about The Journey. Apparently, she forwarded it to one of the ladies involved with the show…the one I talked about in the post that told me about the children and the painting and we both ended up getting teary eyed. Her name is Patty and she emailed Michelle the photos from the show, and Michelle forwarded them to me. Now I want to share them with all of you because from all of your comments on the post..you were just as touched as I!

First…I am putting a thumbnail of the painting (in case you forgot), but most importantly two pictures that Patty sent of the blind students feeling / “seeing” the painting at the show. Be prepared to get teary eyed because I sure did!

The Journey

A young man…feeling the moon’s face in the Journey

children feeling the moon’s face in The Journey

“The Most beautiful world is always entered through imagination.” ~~~Helen Keller 1908

One can only wonder what the children were imagining! I will say if you have not read the post about the journey you probably will not truly understand how beautiful these pictures were to me. Needless to say, I cried again. I am still looking forward to meeting the family that “adopted” the painting. That may happen soon… I’ll keep you updated. :)

That is all from me tonight. I am on Drayton Island and as I told you it is a challenge to do anything on the computer here…slow, slow, slow! I can’t wait to tell you about the fireflies and other things we saw here on this full moon night!! A night of moon shadow magic!

I will be around to see everyone soon…I haven’t even had time to respond to all of your comments, but I promise I will! I keep all of you tucked in a special place in my heart!!

Ta Ta for now dear hearts..may we all forward a loving kindness, even if only a needed smile!

Love and light to all of you,

~gypsy-he♥rt

Post Note: I’ve had several ask if the work here is mine. ‘Tis all mine, good and bad…which I understand is totally subjective . :) I guess I need to note that on my home page.

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Refilling the Empty Vessel

 Empty Vessel (acrylic/canvas)                    

                         

“To refill the empty vessel of my soul with wonder at the miracle of each morning.” ~Gerald M. Levin, ceo/aol time/warner

    Well, here it is Monday again. I hope everyone had a nice weekend. My weekend consisted of work at Drayton Island on Saturday and rest back here on Sunday.  A nice balance, I think. :)

    Our work on Saturday was moving a small building (12′ x 24′), because island life means doing a lot of things yourself. So my job was pretty much the one woman ground crew, though I did drive the gehl tractor once. I do like to drive the tractors! One is a john deere tractor, and I am pretty familiar with it. The other one is a gehl and I am still in the learning phase, because it is a lot more complicated .  So sometimes I go backward instead of forward or up instead of down…I think you get the picture. :( Needless to say, I do not drive the ghel often, and when I do it’s usually in wide open areas. hee, hee. 

   I did have a little mishap last weekend. I jumped on the golf cart (not used for golf by the way) to quickly retrieve my camera so I could take some shots of a flock of beautiful birds. Well, somehow I drove into the sparkling new air conditioning unit and knocked it sideways!! Unfortunately, the unit is attached to the old house we’re renovating. Yikes!  Thank goodness, my husband was able to pull it back around and no permanent damage was done. We did agree that I would no longer take that little short cut..I mean it is a little difficult to explain how you crash into a huge unit when you have acres to drive on. Hmmm..is it possible that I was looking back at the birds and not where I was driving. :O Maybe it’s best if we just move on from my escapades!

    How ’bout we ”talk” about the quote and the painting. Apparently, Gerald M. Levin said this concerning his wishes after his retirement. Do we have to wait for retirement or some other event to wish the same…of course not! We can choose to do this every day. Does it have to be major miracles to refill our souls…no. Quite the contrary, the key is the miracles around us all the time..day and night.  Sometimes we overlook the little miracles that are unfolding every second. I know it can be a challenge especially when you feel worried, stressed, or burdened. I promise if you embrace this you will “see and feel” the affects.

    It can be something as simple as a single flower or looking up at the moon and stars. You may even see a shooting star…remember the Shooting Stars  post. I know some of you may be thinking I am in la la land..and I may well be. I can only speak from my own journey here. I have been in the depths of despair, and it wasn’t material things that soothed my soul…it was the little miracles unfolding all around me.  I won’t go into a long story about those times, but trust me at times I thought my heart was irreversibly shattered. Until finally, I awoke to find…morning itself the miracle!!  

    As for the painting it’s a still life that came before I found the quote, but I see the quote in it. I often paint and the message remains hidden to me too..until the painting reveals it’s meaning. The meaning can be different for each viewer. That is why I usually do not like to say what a painting means to me.  

     I will share this about this piece…pomegranates have symbolically been linked to the emergence of spring (beginnings/rebirth). some familiar subjects of mine…a sliver of a musical instrument, the tin box (aka magic box) again, and an earthen bowl. I’ll leave their meanings up to you..if none at all that’s okay too. After all ’tis only paint.   

    Well, dear hearts enough of my ramblings today. I confess I debate on writing these little messages. I hope you do not find me condescending for writing such things. Sometimes I think I am the one that needs to hear the messages…so please forgive my thinking out loud. 

May we keep refilling our souls!

  Right now my heart is filled with love and…

 it is spilling over, 

~gypsy-he♥rt

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blank canvases…we are!

Waiting Brushes (acrylic on canvas)

“ Life is a great big canvas….

and you should throw all the paint you can on it!”

~Danny Kaye

Hello darlings…so another week is coming to a close. I hope all of you had a happy and productive one. :) Mine has been a good one, but I dare say another toad’s wild ride. At least I am crossing off my list. I confess, I have been procrastinating…not due to laziness, but just a little hesitant and prolonging decisions.

One thing on the list was meeting with a new print maker. I had to make about three trips across the river (which means city traffic and high bridges..yikes). One return trip was due to my forgetfulness, because I forgot to sign one of my pieces. :( Anyway, I’m not complaining, because I am happy to say the prints are in process! I am so excited about the quality! Remember I told you I love Stephanie, my framer…well now I love Ron, my printer too! I can’t wait to show you the prints. :)

I still have things to cross off this particular list, but at least I am finally in the right mode! So here’s a coffee toast to crossing off lists (no wine until evening for me). Speaking of lists…that brings me to the this piece and the quote.

Waiting paint brushes and a tin box (see reminder note about magic boxes at the bottom). Paint brushes patiently waiting for the artist…I often say I am a blank canvas. I can’t begin to tell you how many life canvases I have painted….let’s just say numerous! If you only knew..my sweet friends. eh, eh, eh!

Have you ever thought of yourself that way..as a blank canvas? If not..why not??? Not only are you a blank canvas dear hearts..you are the “soul” artist…no one else. So pick up those waiting brushes and dip into your pallet of choice.

I so agree with guru, Danny Kaye….Life is a great big canvas…..’tis all up to you…just start painting!!!

Until later then…ta, ta! :)

I can’t help myself, I am madly in love with life,

and…..

I am a blank canvas,

~gypsy-he♥rt

Reminder Note: Remember the Magic Box  post!

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Stepping into the light.

Come into the light

yeah, be the one you’re born to be

come into the light

wake up from your lonely sleep

the shadows can conceal what the heart longs to heal

come into the light…

    ~Alice Peacock singer (song: Who Am I)

    This arcylic (24 X 32) was a fun quick study of glass bottles with lights and shadows. The bottles reminded me of people stepping forward from the crowd out of the shadows..can you imagine it? I thought the lyrics were a good fit…even the title of the song.  :)  

     I hope all of you had a good week. I had a good one…but a very busy one! Soon, I’ll tell some of the “goings on” (as my Grandmother says)…sort of toads wild ride this week. hee, hee.

     Well, enough from me tonight.  I know this is short, but it is late and really storming here on Drayton Island. :O  Besides, all of you are busy too, so no need for me to be long winded…right?  I think I mentioned before that I will post twice a week for a while (more if I can). That will give all of us more time. I know some blogs post every day and that is wonderful, but I simply can’t right now. I finally realized I can only do what I can do. I know that sounds so unoriginal, but I don’t know how else to say it. :(   I still hope to get around to see you most every day. If I can’t please know I am there in spirit, because I really do think all of you are just grand!!  :)    

         May we all step into the light..our light from within (often hidden within our own shadows)…that is my prayer tonight!

          My heart is filled with love for the whole world…

                             ~gypsy-he♥rt

Ps I hope I can figure out our new format here on wordpress. I know it will be nice, but I am just a wee bit technically challenged (that’s an understatement!). I just starting mastering the old one. :O 

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Mystery of the Woods

After Rain I  (6″ X 8″ acrylic on canvas)

“In some mysterious way woods have never seemed to me to be static things. In physical terms, I move through them; yet in metaphysical ones, they seem to move through me.”     ~John Fowles  

Hello darlings, I hope all is good in your worlds.  Have you had a moment to walk outside to tell winter goodbye? Touches of spring are in my world already. We are to have a week of little showers here and there, so I thought this little painting appropriate. :) 

     I painted this last spring from a series of photos I took one day after a rain. I may have posted it on here with one of the little paintings series, but I wanted to post it alone today.  I have several reasons for wanting to do so. Soon it will be shipped to a new home in Canada leaving only prints behind, and I always have mixed feelings about such. I also wanted to post it to honor spring and the little showers that help her unfold. 

     I found so many beautiful quotes on the subject, but I kept coming back to this one. Fowle’s words resonate with my heart. As far back as my memory takes me, a connection to nature is there.  Even during some of the difficulties of childhood, nature was there and alive for me …teaching, amazing,  and comforting me.  Somehow, I was no longer afraid or sad…it was as if the energies there did “move through me.” Does that make sense to you? Have you experienced the same?    

    Hmmm….do you suppose this is why I am an island dwelling hermit? Though I do not need thirty acres to experience the connection…in the past, one little tree has sufficed.  So much I could say about it, but ’tis enough for today.  The showers have ceased now so I think I’ll take Ringo, dog guru, out for a woodland walk…for I am certain there is much ”to learn” and some magical mysteries waiting for us! 

     I’ll leave you with another beautiful quote:

 “Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher” 

                         ~William Wordsworth

    I so hope you find the time to take a walk, sit under a tree, or simply smell a flower.  Just let the energy move through you, and if you listen closely you will hear the voice of Nature, God, Allah, Universe..or whatever name you chose. 

    Better yet, dear one look into a rain puddle, and in your reflection you will see the reflection of the Divine.  :) 

       Well, ta ta for now…. 

              I am off and into the light of things,

                                 ~gypsy-he♥rt

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Presence..every wave..each moment.

Ocean Waves (acrylic on canvas)

     “You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.”   ~Henry David Thoreau

     Hello everyone I hope your days of late have been pleasant ones. I am still muddling around in my world and in my mind. Muddling…for some reason I like that word, sounds kind of earthy to me.  :)  

      Once again, I find myself struggling with keeping up with my blog. :O    Do you suppose it is the unfolding of spring that is causing my fickleness?  Could it be the seductive aroma of wisteria, roses, black berries, orange blossoms, and wild flowers or the hypnotic songs of all my very busy feathered friends? I am not sure. I only know spring has cast her spell upon me, and I am bewitched!! 

     So I’ll spare us all….no ”long-winded” post from me today. :)  Once again the painting and the quote say enough. 

    My wish for us all is that we live in the present…ride every wave….find eternity in every moment.  Alas, I feel an urgency to do so, and my heart is wide open!!  

                       Still muddling in the light,

                                                  ~gypsy-he♥rt

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