Song of the sea

"The lapse of ages changes all things --time, language, the earth, the bounds of the sea, the stars of the sky, and every thing "about, around, and underneath"man, except man himself."

~George Byron~

The wind has been wailing & pounding our windows with rain & hail for weeks, & all the while the sea storms have been calling me....
The icy rain drops & the fresh salty sea air rushes past my face

The splash of the waves against old stone Harbour walls, with ancient secrets hidden in their hearts

Waves crash against cliff faces, booming...vibrating up through my feet

Snuffly black noses find grassy tufts, full of interesting seaweedy smells

The house on the cliff top silently waits for a moment of calm...before the pounding of the sea, & the howling of wind returns once more.

What do you dream?

'The Dreaming Place'

Watercolour

10.5 x 14.5"

*More detail HERE*

"I am the stars, the ocean, the smell of the rain on wet ground,

tears of joy & sorrow, lavender flowers, old incense, & brightly coloured paint swirling in a jar of water.

I am the translucent glint of a Dragonfly wing, the soft music of windchimes,

& a compassionate embrace.

I am the golden glow of a winter sunset, the worn & aged pages of a favourite book, & the soft firey glow of a candle in the dark of the night.

I am the small piece of driftwood, carved by the ocean waves, rose petals, ribbons, feathers & sage.

A big pot of tea, on a stormy day, Cosy jumpers & socks keeping the cold at bay."

~Julia Guthrie~

This painting is a self portrait...of sorts..I didn't aim for 'photo-realism' of course *chuckles*
But it does contain a lot of personal feelings & energy. It began as something quite different, & as the time passed it took on a life of it's own & I just painted her as she dictated.
However, I would like to leave this one to the viewer to see how it touches you...& perhaps you will even be able to tell me exactly what its meaning is.
I almost changed the name of this one at the last minute, when I realised that Charles De Lint actually has a book named 'The dreaming place'. But I guess it just shows that great minds think alike! :)

Facebook Fan page & Stormy seas

“I have seen the sea when it is stormy and wild; when it is quiet and serene; when it is dark and moody. And in all its moods, I see myself.”

~Martin Buxbaum~

Photographs I took at the beautiful & imposing, Mullion Cove a few weeks back. We drove down there for a Sunday afternoon walk & after what had been a week of grey, damp weather, a glimmer of sun showed itself just as the sun began to set. It is a magical place indeed :)

This past few days we have been hit by some seriously strong winds, torrential rain & thunder & lightening! It has been wild weather... sadly I didnt have a chance to get to the coast & photograph any impressive waves for you. However...it ain't over yet *grins* there may more....

In other news I now have a Facebook Fan page! http://facebook.com/Eastofthesunart

Please feel free to come visit! :)

I have also been given a blog award by the lovely 'Yarrow'. I think I might have to fullfill my obligations in another post tho....this one is pretty long already! LOL

A bit of Winter reading

While the wind rattles the window panes & makes far off booming noises, that actually make me think we are living next to the sea (oh what a wonderful thing that would be:) ), I am cosy in my art studio with plenty of things to occupy me. Art ideas, & books galore!

And my lovely Husband also gave me a pressie yesterday...for years I have wanted a Pestle & Mortar but never really had the money to hand when I saw one I liked. So while shopping I spied one & he just popped it in the basket! I squeeed & did a little dance..LOL Now when I am grinding my dried herbs I won't have to use the end of the rolling pin!

And funnily enough on a visit to my In-Laws this week, my MIL gave me a book she thought I might like... it's called "Hints & Tips from times past"...& oh yes, she knows me well! :)

It's full of lovely natural remedies for all sorts of things.... from headaches & colds....
to dry skin, or dull hair.
There are also sections on jam & chutney making, natural ways to do your washing, polish your shoes, restore furniture, cleaning carpets, making bread & cakes....

And then there is the gardening section... home made compost, how to feed plants (naturally), growing a herb garden, growing & pickling veg.. the list is endless!

My MIL also gave us big jars of her homemade chutney & jam to take home.... :) She was very impressed I think when I told her I'd made chutney for the first time ever, from our tomatoes that didn't ripen this year :)
So... lots of fun for me have with this book...

Also this week I recieved a lovely package in the mail. My Mum, who is not very big on gardening & homemade things, saw an offer in their newspaper a few months back for free seeds. She sent of for them in my name, as she knows I will make good use of them in my veg patch next spring :)

Very happy with those!! :) And I get to try growing Aubergines, chicory & spring onions this time!
Also on the subject of books... my MIL gave me these 2 to read...

The titles sound a bit grim, but they are set The Dark Ages, & I've not read anything set in that era before. Plus I do love things like the old 'Robin Of Sherwood' tv series from the 80's with Michael Praed! lol (I have the entire box set on DVD :) )

'The Owl Killers'

Deep in the heart of the countryside lies an isolated village governed by a sinister regime of Owl Masters. Theirs is a pagan world of terror & blackmail....

I shall let you know how I get on! lol It may send me running back to my Robin Hobb library, screaming! :)

EDIT*** My dog Nimh has finally updated her blog too :) Go friend her & she might share some of that scrummy roast pork she's just blogged about :) lol http://secretsofnimh.blogspot.com/

Messages from Merlin

Very happy to announce that my 'Merlin' painting is being put to good use :)
My friend Rose Vanden Eynden posted his picture along with her regular blog post 'Monday Message From Merlin'! http://vandeneynden.biz/blog/?p=642
I love Rose's blog & you should all definately check it out along with her main website.

Rose is a clairvoyant medium, Spiritualist minister, licensed massage therapist, author, teacher, and healer.
You can find her website here ... http://www.vandeneynden.biz/Welcome.html

In other news, I was suddenly inspired to do some designs for the 'backs' of my Oracle card deck today! lol
Yes, well, it has to be designed at some point...regardless of how much art there is still to be completed for the 'fronts'. :)

I am also working on some new sketches including a painting of the Irish princess 'Isolde'.
Morgan Le Fay is also lurking in the back of my mind too, but I think she will have to wait her turn! :)