Turtle Moon - The Creation of the Sky

I am intrigued by the Sky. Every element of it brings me joy and wonderment. I sometimes sit in the evenings gazing at the Moon and the Stars and my imagination will wander. Fragments of stories will flow on how things could possibly "be" in that realm. I often drift away from the science part of it and entertain stories of how things might exist there otherwise. That is how my painting, "Turtle Moon" came to be.

One evening the Moon was as large as it could possibly be. The child-like part of me started thinking about how heavy it was and how it could just hang in the sky as it does. Surely it was being held by something. A vision of a very large turtle came. 

I could see Mother Turtle walking along the edge of the Earth. Her shell was translucent and you could see the stars twinkling through each section. As her feet slowly stepped along the Earth, the tip of the Moon was resting on her back. I thought "My goodness, Mother Turtle, isn't the Moon too heavy for you to be carrying?"  She replied "No, certainly not. The Moon needs help glowing her magical shine on the Earth. I'm happy to help." 

Then I thought about the portrait of the sky scene and how that could possibly be hanging for all of us to see. Mother Turtle whispered to me "Look closer,dear. All will be revealed". As I squinted to look harder, I saw her children helping her. Her son and daughter, one in front and one behind, were holding large bundles of black balloons and the stars were inside them. Again I exclaimed, "Oh my, don't they get tired holding all of those balloons in their mouths while walking through the night?" Mother Turtle said "No, they don't get tired. It brings them joy and they are happy to help." 

I closed my eyes and thought about all of the beings who's unseen actions go unnoticed while they do their part to create our World. They continue to do so everyday, because they are happy to help.

And so it is.

Thank you for letting me share my story with you.

This painting has been sold.

The Great Horned Owl Symbolic Meaning - Under the Terracotta Moon

I was recently inspired while camping at a mountainous state park to create "Under the Terracotta Moon". I sat and listened one evening to the call of an owl. There were five syllables in his call, a common trait of the Great Horned Owl. I had my painting satchel with me and some wood canvases, and soon began to paint.

It was dusk when I began, and under the light of the lantern I brought forth a blue purple sky to give it a spiritual mystical backdrop. I meditated on the Great Horned and visualized him sitting regal on a branch, the Strong Warrior that he is. I could imagine him as a "warrior" because of his great strength and skill at hunting. Even though he is a Winged One associated with the Sky, he has an important connection with the Earth allowing him to hunt such a wide array of prey.

This Earth Connection was related in the painting by the color scheme used in his feathers - of terracotta, raw sienna, and shades of brown. The moon that shone above him was adorned with four of his feathers. The silhouette of a dream catcher was painted over the moon, accented with pieces of turquoise, symbolic for keeping the sleeping mind focused on positive adventures. 

I wanted him to represent being comfortable in his space, as the Great Horned Owls become permanent residents of their territories once they have mated. 

The following morning I continued with the painting, working on the detail in his feathers and his insightful eyes.

The Great Horned Owl is a beautiful animal totem to work with for those that desire the wisdom needed to become a Master of their own life, to obtain that which they seek, and to have a balanced confidence in doing so. The tufts that are on top of his head are not ears nor horns, but are feather tufts. Still they are symbolic for being able to "hear" what is not being said. This makes one more successful in their seeking by being aware of their environment physically and spiritually.

Not Everything is Black and White - Original Symbolic Tree of Life Painting

Each one of us are here to walk our Path in Life, and the road is different  for each person. We have a lot of conditions and expectations put on us: by society, our communities, our politicians, our families, our friends, and even ourselves. What others think we "should of " or "could of" done isn't always possible, for they're not aware of all the steps that led up to this space on our path called Now. 

Wouldn't Life be easy if there were an instruction booklet that was passed out on our arrival. It's all a Learning Curve, and we try to do the best we can with what we've got. 

Some think that the Directions are so simple, as if the map has been written out in black and white, "This is the way you are supposed to go". While we are all heading to the same destination, we all have to find our Own path. Some may have a straight flat road to journey, while others may have to navigate rocky terrain. We're going to get lost, we're going to make mistakes, and sometimes we may have to back track to get on the right road. 

We're Humans, and while our journey might be messy and difficult at times, we also have those times when it is joyful and sweet. Not Everything is Black and White.

When I created this painting I wanted to symbolically portray colors of our human existence amidst the starkness of the literal black and white. I used the Tree of Life to bring our emotional colors out in its leaves. Within the center of the Tree the shadow of a Face can be found. Abstract direction is given with the black and white, while as you get closer to the Tree you will find shades of greys and beige and alternate movement - our own personal navigation on the path.