March 06th, 2022

​“Nature Spirits”
 
Nature Spirits are my beloved Friends.  They are everywhere; in frosty snowflakes, raindrops resting on branches, in the center of a lupine leaf or wherever the imagination leads.  They are visible when the sun shines through a flower petal or on a dog’s cold wet snout.  Garden insects know them well and interact continually. Nature Spirits laugh in the wind, play in the surf and dance with apple blossoms.  With lightning speed they impart their magic asking nothing in return.  When one is conscious of One’s surroundings, their presence can be felt.  The wonder of the natural world is renewed.
This painting is my response to the wonder I feel for and from the natural world.  The figures (or are they branches?) are dancing to some mystical silent symphony heard with the inner-ears of the soul.
I remember as a child watching dandelions blowing their fairy dust into the wind. Mud pies, made in the afternoon, had shiny “icing” on top the next morning.  And do you remember how the tiniest of creatures were really fairies and elves rather than mere insects?  I wrote a poem that helps describe this even more:

Oh look who came in the night and covered the lawn with diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires.
They waited for the Beloved to come – to awaken them.
The soul is enriched.
Then they leave the stage
United with the Love that created them
To come another day to bless the earth
 
Perceiving Nature Spirits takes practice.  Expanded dimensions open up to those who search for them.  St. Frances of Assisi knew this. We are told he preached to the birds. Tibetan monks won’t even kill insects. A pet rock becomes a talisman imbued with the energy of the one carrying it.
Creating images using paint and paper is not unlike the talisman’s rock. It, too, becomes infused with the mystical Presence of Nature’s spiritual domain.  A transformation has taken place. Paper and paint convey natures hidden secrets for all to see………….for all of those who want to.