The Wonder of Summer

I am honored to be Artists in Blogland's monthly challenge winner for July.  Thank you!  I love being part of the AIB community.

One of the things I love most about summer is watching my garden.  In the Phantom Tollbooth (one of my favorite books), a conductor leads an orchestra each morning at daybreak and twilight.  But instead of music, the musicians and their instruments play the colors of the sunrise and sunset.   Each season, as first my irises, then my roses, and then my black eyed susans bloom, it is as if somewhere, a conductor, is calling them forth.  It is pure magic, and each season, I marvel in wonder at the beauty of nature.

Coming back to New Jersey from Pine Lake yesterday, the sight of my garden lessened the sadness of leaving the lake.  Here's what greeted me:

 

In honor of summer, and my garden, I painted this canvas.  The words say:  I look in wonder at the magic of everyday life.

 

It's funny -- yesterday I felt so blue.  Perhaps it was knowing I'd be leaving the lake for a while and my vacation was over.  Yesterday, the weather was pristine -- the sky was blue and clear, the humidity low and the sun shining.  And yet, I felt dull and flat. The beauty of the world contrasted sharply with the sourness and impatience I felt inside.  No matter how much I tried to remind myself of the charmed life I lead, I did not feel blessed.  I felt adrift and without purpose.  (I hadn't painted in 3 days...hmm....)  The best I could do was stay quiet and remind myself that things change -- this too shall pass.  Thankfully, it did.  I swam some laps in the lake before leaving, and then was greeted by my beautiful garden upon returning to New Jersey.  Nature has such a way of lifting the spirits.  All was right again!

Artists in Blogland Challenge for August is "Wonder."  Anything Goes' current challenge is "Summer Days."  And Try It On Tuesday's challenge is "Anything Goes."  So I'll be linking up there.  This piece was made with 5 elements:  canvas, acrylic paint, a stencil, stamps and stickers, so I'll also be linking up with The Second Floor Challenge and Out of the Journal.

Here's a tangle for the Diva's challenge this week, which was to use Shelley Beauch's tangle "Brayd."  Zentangle is the name of the game at Inspiration Avenue this week, so linking up there as well.

 

UPDATE:  I had so much fun with Brayd, that I did another.  Again, I couldn't resist using "paradox" inside the triangles -- my pen just wants to go there...  Thanks Shelley for such a versatile tangle!

Thank you for visiting! If you are so moved, please leave a comment. Hearing from you means the world to me.

Keeping Peace

I am so proud to be the featured artist on Paint Party Friday this week!  Thank you for the great interview and shout out!  Each week, amazing artists link up to PPF -- please check them out and link up your work as well!

My mom is an artist.  She doesn't paint with acrylics or watercolors, but with the flowers in her garden, and with her cooking.  She made the most gorgeous and tasty vegetarian meal last night.  I asked her to pose with it -- she is the Julia Childs of Pine Lake Park!  Thanks Mom!

Why Is It So Hard To Keep My Peace? 
All the great spiritual traditions teach techniques for maintaining peace of mind.  But putting these techniques into practice -- to keep my peace and equanimity no matter what -- is very difficult.  Here in Pine Lake, I feel so at peace.  But on Wednesday, during a one day visit home, I felt the stress and pressure of ordinary life creep up around me as soon as I got off the highway.  And then, yesterday, as a difficult relative arrived into the mix, I again felt that tightness in my chest.  This morning in meditation, as I tried to "find" the feeling, it dissipated into thin air and I felt a wash of peace.  But then I heard his voice, and had to start from square one!  Practice, practice, practice.  If I can't keep my peace, I will keep my distance and I will keep my tongue!

I have felt a swell of creativity here, and it is where I will go for refuge today.  Here are two pieces I recently completed, both of which relate to the practice of keeping peace.  The first is a reminder to start every day anew.  Don't drag the past forward.  Cleanse the slate and be open to the possibility of pleasant change.  The person who irked me yesterday might bring me joy today! 

For Everyday Anew, I started with a layer of collage on a long thin piece of birch, and then drew a rough of the design with black oil pastel.  The collage informed me of the design.  Then I scraped paint around the design, further defining it.

And here it is, emerged from the collage!

This little birdie is going to fly over to the Anything Goes challenge blog; the current prompt is "anything but square."

It's not enough to begin anew; It is also so important to begin with love.  If we can meet difficult people and difficult situations with loving kindness, at least we won't exacerbate them.    Here is "Start From Love" in it's embryonic stage, and then completed.  

 

I have to thank my husband for urging me to add the red flowers in the foreground.  I think it was a great suggestion!

Here is a video that gave me some good perspective this morning.

 

Do you have techniques for dealing with difficult people and situations that work for you?  I thank you for visiting! If you are so moved, please leave a comment. Hearing from you means the world to me.