However, I have been managing to stay nice and cool with a fan blowing, tucked away in my studio working. Here are a couple of projects I’ve been working on lately.

This ~ . . .

Then followed that beautiful season ~ Summer. Filled was the air with a
dreamy and magical light; and the landscape lay as if new created in all the
freshness of childhood.” ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

And This . . .

Now it is time to put away the mess on my table and clean my dirty brushes. I have finished dipping my brush into a soup in which bits of inspiration have been simmering for months or maybe years. The perfect word for today ~ Unfurling . . .

Here is one of my favorite poems by Mary Oliver

Something whispered something

that was not even a word.

It was more like a silence

that was understandable.

I was standing

at the edge of the pond.

Nothing living, what we call living,

was in sight.

And yet, the voice entered me,

my body-life,

with so much happiness.

And there was nothing there

but the water, the sky, the grass.

Spring is here! The season of renewal & rebirth is upon us.

I love everything about spring, especially watching mother nature constantly rearranging and changing the landscape. Splashes of vibrant color here and there mixed in with shades of varying green.

Even though Spring has arrived it’s still very cold and blustery. I  found myself puttering around the studio, drinking hot chocolate and day dreaming about the warm days ahead.

What I have been working on Lately

The Lady of Spring ~ sketch #1

I scanned it and used Painter 9 to develop the painting.

A work in progress . . .

Still working . . . . and  working . . .

quote for the day;

Spring ~ the birthday of the world

‘Tis like the birthday of the world,
When earth was born in bloom;
The light is made of many dyes,
The air is all perfume:
There’s crimson buds, and white and blue,
The very rainbow showers
Have turned to blossoms where they fell,
And sown the earth with flowers.

~Thomas Hood

This . . .

Golden Bamboo & Kwan Yin ~ 16 X 20 inches ~ Mixed Media on Canvas

and this . . .

Gathering ideas for my next collage project ~

and this sketch of a dream I had  . . .

I am going to sit with this for a while, before deciding whether to create a painting or just leave it in my journal. The dream was strange and I want to process the imagery more fully.

The sun has returned for a couple of days along with warmer weather, and I’m feeling the sap rise ~ as the sun kisses my face. A perfect day for a walk by my beloved creek . . .  xo

thought for the day:

“Participating in the creation of art is like being one element in a process of improvisation, where a brushstroke responds to a color, and a shape evokes a texture.” Eileen Ross

I have recorded these dreams in journals along with sketches and key words so as to help me recapture the essence, feelings and characters who show up in my dreams. Dreams have always been a rich resource for my writing and paintings and the image below is representative of one such dream.

Here is a peek at what I’m currently working on.

Nocturnal Journey ~ Digital Painting ~ 5 x7 inches. Digital Painting ~ using Corel Painter 7 ~ soft charcoal variant of dry media.

Nocturnal Journey in progress #4

The inspiration for this painting came from several recurring dreams that I have been having over the past few weeks. Strange landscapes and a woman’s face which keeps hovering at the edges of my vision. She is always there as if waiting just beyond the bend of my awareness…waiting… waiting there just long enough  for me to capture a glimpse or a scent of her essence. I never see her whole face because half of her face is always hidden or lost in shadow. However, there is always an overwhelming sense of peace when she enters the dream.

“Dreams are illustrations… from the book your soul is writing about you.” ~ Marsha Norman

I would love to spend a few months living there, sketching, painting and mostly drinking in the sheer beauty of this forest, but for now I am satisfied with the inspiration and burst of creativity the video stirred up in me.

From a dream;  A young woman walking in the forest with a crescent moon suspended in the sky where trees dream and owls fly overhead. She loved the play of moonlight on the leaves ~ shadow and light. The wind playing with her hair ~ the sweet smell of the damp earth beneath her feet, Mother Earth whispered “Child of the forest reach out and touch your wild nature for therein lies your power.” To be continued….

Forest Spirit ~ Digital Painting ~ 11 x 15 inches

This is as far as I got on the painting today. I’m not sure about the background. The crescent moon will stay but the rest may change. The forest floor in my dream sparkled with shades of purple, muted greens and browns with silver moonbeams thrown in. The forest  bejeweled in moonlight.

I was able to capture the forest floor part of the dream in a necklace that I created last week. I have only three of these ceramic goddesses left ~ one of a kind ~ each one different from the other.

I chose this Goddess pendant because it reminds me of  an ancient goddess relic with the soft muted moss colored glaze and rich earth colors sprinkled about. The piece is signed and will soon be available at http://www.rosearizmendi.com/shop/

To learn more about Puzzlewood located  in the Forest Dean click here

If you love owls ~ You will love this beautiful Video!