Work in Progress

Started working on this painting early this morning as the rain came down in a steady rhythm against my studio windows. There is something magical about the early morning hours before the rest of the world wakes up. In those quiet, stolen moments before dawn there is a deep stillness and beauty. I love this time of day!

As I painted I thought about the forest in folklore and mythology and became inspired to create my own version of the lady of the forest. Ideas danced around in my head as I listened to our oak tree let loose an unbelievable amount of acorns on our roof. All the noise reminded me it was time to put the kettle on for tea.

Lady of the Forest – Acrylic/ Mixed Medium – 16 x 20 inches on canvas

“Have a deep respect for the source of life and also for the ocean, for the forest, for the stars and for the truth.” – Unknown

Computer Glitch

It has been an interesting weekend. I’ve been without a computer since Thursday, so I haven’t posted for awhile.

My hubby was able to repair it over the weekend and I am one happy camper to have my computer up and running again. The down time gave me a chance to clean my computer desk which really needed it, and I found a couple of watercolor tubes that have been missing for awhile.

This weekend I found two Mayan masks at a local thrift shop while we were thrifting on Saturday. I was hoping to find a jaguar statue, but there were none to be found. For the Maya the jaguar was a powerful symbol of authority, as well as an integral part of their religion and mythology.

The Maya revered jaguars and often gave their Gods jaguar attributes. They believed the jaguar had the ability to cross between worlds and for them daytime and nighttime represented two worlds. The daytime was associated with the living and the mother earth, and the nighttime was associated with the spirit world and the ancestors.

It has also been said that shamans regard the jaguar as a spirit companion or guardian which protects the shaman from evil spirits while they move between the earth and spirit realm.

As with so many other cultures, the Maya have a vast and rich history of folklore and mythology.

The Guardian – Combined Medium – 8 X 10 inches

“Into the House of the Tapir no one goes. Woven into its walls,
nightblack and amber motifs become anaconda gliding along a
branch of water, jaguar loping across the savannah. The shaman
waits at the entrance, in a dream or trance.” – The House of the Tapir – Jan Conn