Year Of The Horse (Day 30)

I was born in the

"Year Of The Horse" 

with a fascination in them

which predated every other 

single thing I remember. 

Before I knew the facts of life, 

way before I was in school, 

before I learned to read or draw, 

I wanted a horse so badly 

that I was certain one day 

I would have them.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Year Of The Horse~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alcohol Inks and Watercolor on Yupo paper

See painting specifications and price here.

I bought my first horse at the age of 14, after saving up two whole years of babysitting money. My parents said I could have a horse if I paid for it myself and I think they were very surprised when I actually accomplished it. I always worked to support my horse and except for a few short years when I was in college, I have had horses as part of my family ever since. This is an album of photos on facebook of some of the horses I have owned and loved.

Today, another 30 paintings in 30 Days Challenge has come to an end! Now that it's over, I have mixed emotions. While I welcome the break and a slower pace, I will also miss the discipline and connection to the sisterhood of participating artist friends.

I am enjoying a visit from my parents now, along with getting ready for my 2nd Annual Sales Event, so you can be sure I will remain very busy this coming month! My studio show and sale is open to online collectors and actual local visitors. I've got an exciting line-up of recent works and older classic paintings and prints, all on sale at up to 55% off! Last year's show was a huge success. Be sure to mark your calendars and check out the details of this year's show here!

X ♥  O

Innocence (Day 29)

“Marvelous are the innocent.” 

~ Virginia Woolf

~~~~~~~~~~~~Dear Baby Deer~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alcohol Inks and Watercolor on Yupo paper

See painting specifications and price here.

"The great man is he who 

does not lose his child's-heart."

~ Mencius 

X ♥  O

Wisdom (Day 28)

"Be Happy.

It's one way of being wise.”  

~ Colette

~~~~~~~~Rich Counsels in the Trees~~~~~~~~

Alcohol Inks and Watercolor on Yupo paper

See painting specifications and price here.

"Never does nature say one thing and wisdom another." 

~ Juvenal Satires

"Mothers, teach your children this. Teach your children that Wisdom is everywhere. In pieces. Some of the Wisdom is in the trees, some of the Wisdom is with the animals. Some of the Wisdom is with the planets and the stars and the moons and the sun. Some of the Wisdom flows with the waters. Some of the Wisdom was with our ancestors. Some of the Wisdom is in our minds. All of the Wisdom is from the Spirit of God." ~ Esther Davis-Thompson

To sum it up, wisdom is everywhere. The important thing is being able to learn something valuable, while letting go of the things that have no worth in our lives. True Wisdom is knowing the difference.

X ♥  O

A Dragon's Tale (Day 27)

“The dragon turned on 

the children and unicorns, 

his mouth open. For a brief moment, 

they could see his eyes change from 

blue to a deep red, like coals in a fire." 

~  Bronwen Webb

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Friendship Feather~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alcohol Ink on Yupo paper

See painting specifications and price here.

I believe the idea of flying foes started a long time ago, when dragon-like dinosaurs roamed the earth and mankind was very young. Ingrained in our original memory, winged creatures of the sky were the nightmares and reality of prehistoric times. Humans have never forgotten the terror and helplessness of being pursued by a giant Pterodactyl type creature. That may be the reason why dragons have appeared in so many cultures and their stories are still popular in legends and folktales today throughout the world. Do you also think this is a plausible scenario?

X ♥  O

Concentrated Sunbeams (Day 26)

"The juice of the grape is 

the liquid quintessence 

of concentrated sunbeams.” 

~ Thomas Love Peacock 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Glorious Grapes~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alcohol Inks on Yupo paper

See painting specifications and price here.

“Give me wine to wash me clean 

of the weather-stains of cares.” 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

“In the abstract art of cooking, 

ingredients trump appliances,

passion supersedes expertise,

creativity triumphs over technique,

spontaneity inspires invention,

and wine makes even the worst 

culinary disaster taste delicious.” 

~ Bob Blumer

X ♥  O

Tolerance (Day 25)

“Resolve to be tender with the young, 

compassionate with the aged, 

sympathetic with the striving and 

tolerant with the weak and wrong. 

Sometime in your life, 

you will have been all of these.” 

~ Gautama Buddha

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Enchanted Garden~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alcohol Inks on Yupo paper

See painting specifications and price here.

What a great Buddha quote this is! It would be a much better world if we could all remember and practice this sentiment. I know my tolerance level can be low at times. Especially if it involves a pet peeve or two. Sometimes it takes a kick in the butt to show me my bullheadedness, but once realized, the bruised derrière and ego are usually better off for the lesson. Both are quick to heal and I am a little more open-minded and understanding of other people's opinions and behaviors afterwards.

This month has sped by, even faster than usual. There are only five more days of the 4th  30 paintings in 30 days challenge! I must admit, this one was mostly a piece of cake for me, as I was well prepared and approached the tasks of painting and posting everyday with more of a factory/ assembly line  state of mind. See my post on Art As A Factory here. Included in that post are John Cage's "Rules for Students and Teachers.":

1 Find a place you trust, and then try trusting it for awhile.

2 General duties of a student--pull everything out of your teacher; pull everything out of your fellow students.

3 General duties of a teacher--pull everything out of your students.

4 Consider everything an experiment.

5 Be self-disciplined--this means finding someone wise or smart and choosing to follow them. To be disciplined is to follow in a good way. To be self-disciplined is to follow in a better way.

6 Nothing is a mistake. There's no win and no fail, there's only make.

7 The only rule is work. If you work it will lead to something. It's the people who do all of the work all of the time who eventually catch on to things.

8 Don't try to create and analyze at the same time. They're different processes.

9 Be happy whenever you can manage it. Enjoy yourself. It's lighter than you think.

10 Break rules. Even your own rules. Leave plenty of room for X quantities.

Congratulations to all the dedicated, hard working creatives who stepped up to the plate and accomplished the work of painting and posting everyday! 

X ♥  O

Dragon of the Pines (Day 24)

“I believe in everything until it's disproved. 

So I believe in fairies, the myths, dragons. 

It all exists, even if it's in your mind. 

Who's to say that dreams and nightmares 

aren't as real as the here and now?” 

~ John Lennon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Dragon of the Pines~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alcohol Ink on Yupo paper

See painting specifications and price here.

Without a doubt, the Jersey Devil is by far, the most popular folklore legend in New Jersey. The earliest accounts of the creature go back to stories told by Native Americans prior to the White man's settlement here. The Lenape Indians called my home, the NJ Pine Barrens, "Popuessing", meaning "place of the dragon". The pines can be a very eerie place at night indeed. Years ago, a friend and I had a very strange and terrifying encounter which we believe was the Jersey Devil. It's a long story, so I will elaborate on the subject at a later date. Many stories about the Jersey Devil, dragon of the pines, and the strange experience I had makes it hard for me to imagine that there is no truth to it.

X ♥  O

Dreams (Day 23)

“To understand the heart 
and mind of a person, 

look not at what he 
has already achieved, 

but at what he aspires to.”  

~ Khalil Gibran

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Dream Hawk~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alcohol Inks and Watercolor on Yupo paper

See painting specifications and price here.

What are your dreams? I'm not talking about the kind that occur during sleep. What ambitions or ideals do you aspire to? Are your dreams attainable or are they merely unrealistic, self-deluding fantasies? Are your childhood dreams the same as the ones you have now? What dreams have you attained and which ones have evolved or been set free over time? James Allen said; " Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so you shall become. Your vision is the promise of what you shall one day be." I had this quote posted to my bulletin board for many years and I choose to believe in its truth. Do you believe that our thought processes can have a direct impact and shape the outcome of our dreams? What else may be at play in the accomplishment of our desires?

X ♥  O