Being One with Nature

Marge constantly badgered her husband to be "one with nature" for the sake of his health. Always wanting to keep the peace in their marriage, Harry made sure he obeyed.

Full Circle

Happy March 1st!  

It's been snowing since last night.  Snow on top of snow.  It feels warmer, though, and the snow is gentle.  I feel hope that Mother Nature is about to turn a corner.  Nonetheless, I don't think She wants us to forget that all seasons are favored, and She isn't about to short shrift the current one.

I thought I had finished this last night, but ended up putting more contrast into it this a.m.  I was listening to Led Zeppelin's, "Rain Song" while doing so--it's gentle, beautiful strings and gradual crescendoing underscored the cyclic nature of the piece (or at least it did in my mind.)

My husband said on his phone, he initially couldn't see the face in the roots.  I darkened it a little below to enhance it.  I used circles because of their symbolism:

The circle is a universal symbol with extensive meaning. It represents the notions of totality, wholeness, original perfection, the Self, the infinite, eternity, timelessness, all cyclic movement... (Hermes Trismegistus)). 

In any event, I'm very happy with this one...took a long time, but I was in a meditative state so it didn't matter.

Here are a few other pictures of what I woke up to this Sunday morning.   Pussy willows wearing a coat of snow.  March, I'm glad you're here.

Led Zeppelin's  "The Rain Song"

Three Deer

Driving home a new way tonight, I saw a wondrous sight.  Three deer crossing the road in front of me.  Such a beautiful gift from nature set against Her less generous gift of cold winds and swirling snow.

Watercolor, Acrylic, and Ink

140 lb. Arches Watercolor

Day 309. Mighty Skoal

The Background Story

Here's the Cliff Notes version:
I found that squished metal SKOAL cap in the alley not this past August, but in August of 2012.  I walked past it (with Ebert in tow) for a week, looking at it day after day.  And I would think, I should pick that up--I could probably use it in a painting somehow.  Finally, as my mind wandered during these doggie walks, I came up with, "My girlfriend said I should give up chewing..."  I picked up the lid, and kept it for over a year in a drawer in my studio.  Every once in awhile I'd run across it, but I never wanted to paint three faces of the same dude.  I finally did one half of it earlier this month and finally completed it today.  A lot of hours went into this one, but I do really love how it turned out.

Here's the flushed-out novel:
Ohhhh, people.  I was up until the wee hours of the morning finishing up this one.  I had started it two weeks ago, and then abandoned it.  After I finished my watercolor painting yesterday fairly early, I was all proud of myself and was ready to relax.  Then at around 9:30 p.m. I sat and stared at this painting.  I've got to get it to a gallery on Saturday, and I thought, "Jill, do you think this is magically going to get done?  You can't wait any longer, finish it."  OMG.  An hour and a half later, my husband comes in and tells me he's going to bed.  Nice.  Here's our conversation:

Me:  "I'm overwhelmed.  I'm never going to get this done."
The Man:  "It's already done.  You don't need to do another thing to it."
Me:  "What?! There's a ton I need to do!  And there's about 7 more paintings I had ideas for and wanted to do and now I'm not going to be able to do them."
The Man:  "Well, at least you're not running out of ideas."
Me:  "Well, that's definitely not the problem.  Ugh.  If I get this painting done it will be a miracle."
The Man:  "O.K., nighty-night."

This scene ends with me staring at my closed door in disbelief.  Ah, the sleep of babes--or men who are not painting.  Meanwhile, I return to YouTube cuing up/cueing up (both are correct) Bowie, Led Zeppelin, and replaying The Who's "Eminence Front" over and over again.  Lenny Kravitz's, "Sister" kicks in later.  You need a slower jam at 2 a.m.

Hours later into today (Wednesday), I am done.  I did it!  I finished it. But when I go to bed, I can't sleep, because I'm still on the high of finishing it.  Did I say I finished it?  Ha!  So, I get up, eat something, watch an episode of the Kardashians, think to myself that I have to be up for my work day in 4 hours, and also think, I hope I don't have a heart attack.

Here it is.  And then off to the World Series I go--Boston may clinch it tonight--David Ortiz is on fire! (-:

"Eminence Front" - The Who (3:36--"Drinks Flow"...love it!)

"Sister" - Lenny Kravitz

Day 245. Hummingbird Surprise (SOLD)

Sunday I made my husband sit out on our front steps, eat breakfast, and soak up the lazy summer day.  We were talking, and all of a sudden, a moment of magic!  I could barely believe what I was seeing.  Just a few feet from our heads flitted a hummingbird.  And, it just stopped right there in the air, furiously pumping its little wings, but levitating perfectly in place like a toy helicopter.  I could only utter one word, it almost catching in my throat, "Hummingbird," as I simultaneously pointed my finger.  We both stared at it in disbelief.  It then zipped over to some half-opened blossoms of our magnolia tree, again, hung briefly in place, and then zoomed off into nowhere.

I felt sprinkled with stardust or a glittering of day dust.  What an enchanting gift from nature, unasked for, unsuspected, but given anyway.