Sharing His Song

"In spite of everything, I shall rise again; 

I will take up my pencil, which I have
forsaken in my great discouragement, 

and I will go on with my drawing."
~ Vincent van Gogh

This drawing is from my Sketching Everyday Blog. It is from a photo taken at Cedar Run, a local wildlife refuge.The owl in the scene is a beloved male barred owl named Squam.

From the CedarRunWildlife Instagram post;

cedarrunwildlife "It is with heavy hearts we share the news of the passing of our great friend, beloved teacher, and loyal ambassador, Squam. For many of the tens of thousands of people who know Cedar Run, chances are, they know Squam. Squam was a true ambassador and educator. He engaged tens of thousands of our members, neighbors, school children, visitors, volunteers, staff and community members with his sense of calm and endearing looks. It was hard not to feel love when looking upon Squam. A true teacher to the end, his lessons will continue on far into the future. Squam first came to us in 2002, when he was about two years old, he packed a lot of living in his 18 years on this earth. He lived a grand life with us, and will be missed by many. One of his favorite things to do was to share his song with us. He loved to sing in auditoriums, where his song would soar and fill the space, or he would sing to the female barred owls in the wild and try to call them to him, sometimes he would sing to the passing fire engine or to the music he heard on the radio. Sometimes it seemed he would sing simply to share his song."

This is a drawing by student and friend, Judy Scott, who worked at the wildlife center
rehabilitating birds and other animals for many years.

 Judy wrote; "  I have access to Squam and I combined two pictures. This is a sketch of Squam and a fledgling Barred Owl. In 2007 Squam was a foster parent to a young Barred Owl that came into the refuge. Although Squam is a male, he was a great surrogate, teaching the young one to eat and fly. Eventually the fledgling was released back into the wild. Thanks for all your support of Cedar Run."

“When the owl sings, the night is silent.” 
 ~ Charles de Leusse

May your spirit continue to soar dear Squamie.

Please add your own recollections about this awesome wildlife ambassador in the comments.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great week.

X ♥  O

 

Teach Your Children

"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 t

he 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, Mother Love~ "Spiritual Nourishment"

~~~~~~~~~

Wisdom Is Everywhere

"Knowledge is learning something every day.
Wisdom is letting go of something every day."
 ~Zen Proverb

See This Month's Black Tiles Here

"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better."
 ~ Albert Einstein

  
Go here to see more about painting number twenty-five of my January 2016, 30 Paintings in 30 Days Collection; alcohol ink paintings on black ceramic tiles.

Thanks so much for your friendship and support!

X ♥  O

Inexplicable Connectedness

“I do believe in an everyday sort of magic; 

that inexplicable connectedness

that we sometimes experience with places, 

people, works of art and the like; 

the eerie appropriateness in moments of synchronicity; 

the whispered voice, the hidden presence, 

just when we think we're all alone.” ~ Charles de Lint

~~~~~~~~~

Everyday Magic

 "Spinoza is the greatest of modern philosophers,

because he is the first philosopher who deals with

the soul and the body as one, not as two separate things.”

~ Albert Einstein

See This Month's Black Tiles Here

"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better."
 ~ Albert Einstein

  
Go here to see more about painting number twenty-four of my January 2016, 30 Paintings in 30 Days Collection; alcohol ink paintings on black tiles.

Thanks for your friendship and support!

X ♥  O

Look Into Nature

"Nature is my medicine."  

~ Sara Moss-Wolfe

~~~~~~~~  

Spirit Medicine

See This Month's Black Tiles Here

"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better."
 ~ Albert Einstein

  
Go here to see more about painting number twenty-three of my January 2016, 30 Paintings in 30 Days Collection; alcohol ink paintings on black tiles.

Thanks for your friendship and support!

X ♥  O

The Ultimate Teacher

"Nature is man's teacher.  She unfolds her treasures 

to his search, unseals his eye, illuminates his mind, 

and purifies his heart.  An influence breathes from 

all the sights and sounds of her existence." 

~ Alfred Billings Street

Nature's Magnetism

With Black Backing

With Beige Backing

With White Backing

Go here to see more about painting number twenty-two of my January 2016, 30 Paintings in 30 Days Collection; alcohol ink paintings on black tiles.

Thanks for your friendship and support!

X ♥  O

Follow Your Intuition

“Our bodies have five senses: 

touch, smell, taste, sight, hearing. 

But not to be overlooked are the senses of our souls;
 intuition, peace, foresight, trust, empathy. 

The differences between people lie 

in their use of these senses; 

most people don't know anything 

about the inner senses while a few

rely on them just as they rely on their physical senses 

 and in fact probably even more.”
~ C. JoyBell

~~~~~~~~  

Seeing With Your Soul

with Black Backing

with White Backing

with Beige Backing

We are now more than 2/3 of the way through the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge.
Here are my paintings so far. Remember the price goes up on Feb. 3rd.
Order your favorites now.

See This Month's Black Tiles Here

 “Intuition is seeing with the soul.” ~ Dean Koontz

  
Go here to see more about painting number twenty-one of my January 2016, 30 Paintings in 30 Days Collection; alcohol ink paintings on black tiles.

Thanks for your friendship and support!

X ♥  O

Owl ~ Symbol of Clairaudience and Clairvoyance

"The owl teaches us how to tap into intuition

and to understand and trust subtle perceptions."

Owl Spirit ~ Feminine Mysteries Day 17 Magic ~ Wisdom ~ Illumination  ~ Healing See painting price and specifications here.

Owl Spirit ~ Feminine Mysteries

Day 17

Magic ~ Wisdom ~ Illumination  ~ Healing

See painting price and specifications here.

Below are some progression shots of my painting process today. I can't believe I actually remembered to stop a couple of times and take pictures! 

First Step

One of my goals for the 30/30 was to get more proficient at painting eyes. I like to start my animal with their eyes. The eye can make or break a portrait. And if painted first, it's easy to wipe off on Yupo paper if not satisfied with it. Yesterday, I left the fox's eyes for later, which was a mistake. I was not 100% sold and was forced to keep them because it would have been a real hassle to wipe them back at that point. After some fiddling, I decided to keep them, especially since I didn't hate it.

Second Step - Put in mid-tones.

Third, the background was added with thick dark pigments.

Owl Spirit -  Full frame/ Uncropped

Fourth, the painting is refined and detailed, mainly by taking pigment away with a damp brush.

I am really thrilled with all the new friends I've been meeting online.

All your awesome work has been inspiring me through the 30/30! 

Your friendship, comments and feedback are keeping me pumped!!

I hope the magic is with you today.

Thanks for stopping by!

X ♥  O

Whooo Doesn't Love Halloween?

Night Hawk

Northern Spotted Owl

5.5" x 7.5" original watercolor on Yupo paper, matted - $85.

acid free, white core mat with a foam core backing in an acetate sleeve

ready to fit into a standard 8" x 10" frame.

SO, Whooo  doesn't love Halloween?

Because of Hurricane Sandy, today is "officially" Halloween here in NJ, according to our governor.

My car is still decorated.

I took all this stuff, plus costumes, down to Virginia with me for our Sandy Family Reunion.

(More about that to come.)

We put up the many decorations in our condo right away, but because of Superstorm Sandy, my sister, Denise, and I had to leave a day early, without having our full blown Halloween Pirate Party.

ARRRRRRRRRRR!!

To me, (and the whole Sandy family), Halloween just isn't a whole lot of fun without costumes! Our family has had some really GREAT Halloween masquerade parties over the years! They continue to be topics of conversation at many of our gatherings.

So, all ya landlubbin, scallywag scoundrels got 'til next year an' ye better be ready! 

Talkin' the talk be dandy, but ye better be walkin' the walk too!! Or ye'll all be visitin' me plank, beggin' fer me mercy. Listen up wenches; don't be actin' phony, like scurvy bilge rat dogs, ya hear?!

ERRRRRRRRRRRRR!!