CHASING FEATHERS
Hello, friends!
I know it’s been much too long since I made a blog post. It’s hard to believe I haven’t posted since November, but here I am. And I couldn’t be more delighted to be with you once again.
You can click on the link above to listen to Larghetto by G.F. Handel while you read the blog today. This version was found on YouTube and is played by Daniel Shafran on the cello. I think it’s an exquisite piece. I find it quite soothing and peaceful, which are both vibes I wish to send to you today.
I suppose you might be curious why I chose the title “Chasing Feathers.” The idea came to me as I was changing the pillowcases on my bed one day. I have feather pillows, and the feathers went dancing across my white sheets and flew into the air.
I found myself chasing feathers. As I attempted to catch the elusive feathers, I realized that this experience, however mundane, was a perfect metaphor for what I was experiencing in life. I was mesmerized by their beauty as they danced and swirled like dust motes in the air, but I was also thinking about how mysterious life is. My life has felt like it was dancing and swirling in beautiful and yet, at the same time, unexpected ways that seem just out of reach of my understanding and grasp.
Since last November I have been very busy. The holidays were very full of family, travel and creativity in different ways. There wasn’t any time to paint, and in truth my creativity had dried up. It was a time to rebuild my soul in different ways.
During these periods of quiet, I’ve learned to just allow myself to float with the tide. At this time in my life, I know now that I cannot fight the currents. It’s a time for quieting the mind and choosing to relax, to lean into life’s realities and rest in the ride.
It has been a time of different creativity. Yesterday, as I was cutting up the butternut squash for our soup, I was taken with the beauty of the bright orange of the squash next to the cobalt blue of the pan. These complimentary colors made my spirit sing. I grabbed for my camera, and it felt good to know that my senses were once again alive to the world around me.
“One evening,
I sat by the ocean and questioned the moon about my destiny.
I revealed to it that I was beginning to feel smaller compared to others,
Because the more secrets of the universe I would unlock,
The smaller in size I became.
I didn’t understand why I wasn’t feeling larger instead of smaller.
I thought that seeking Truth was what was required of us all –
To show us the way, not to make us feel lost,
Up against the odds,
In a devilish game partitioned by
An invisible wall.
Then the next morning,
A bird appeared at my window, just as the sun began
Spreading its yolk over the horizon.
It remained perched for a long time,
Gazing at me intently, to make sure I knew I wasn’t dreaming.
Then its words gently echoed throughout my mind,
Telling me:
The world you are in –
Is the true hell.
The journey to Truth itself
Is what quickens the heart to become lighter.
The lighter the heart, the purer it is.
The purer the heart, the closer to light it becomes.
And the heavier the heart,
The more chained to this hell
It will remain.
And just like that, it flew off towards the sun,
Leaving behind a tiny feather.
So I picked it up,
And fastened it to a toothpick,
To dip into ink
And write my name.”
Today I want to share with you a painting that I began in November. It’s been sitting in my studio, and I glance at it as I work or walk by. I will often do this with a painting at some stage. This allows my mind to look with fresh eyes at the work and to evaluate it objectively.
I was delighted to find that I woke up with the painting in my mind. I was clear on the elements that needed to be addressed, and the motivation had returned to not only finish the painting but to share it with you.
The specific elements of the painting that I needed to address were the drama of the painting and the intimacy of the painting. It felt so good to want to pick up the brush once more, and I felt the joy of painting once again course through my veins.
This is the original motivating scene for the painting.
Aren’t these geraniums just exquisite? To me they are a symbol of domestic bliss.
Welcome to my studio. It’s good to be here with you.
Thanks so much for joining me again on my watercolor journey. It feels so very good to have managed to pull together a blog once again. As always, my desire is to encourage you on your own journey through life. By sharing my ups and downs, maybe you will be encouraged to find your own voice in this adventure called life.
“We are all cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.”
