Popular Poppies

My Poppy paintings seem to have struck a cord. Sold this one entitled ' Red Haze ' this week.


My Generation. Black Sabbath top charts. Oh Dear!

They should be dead but you have to hand it to ' My Generation ' they are still very much around! Who would have believed it? What's going on? Black Sabbath top after 30 years. The Rolling Stones headlining Glastonbury! Definitely not ' Fading Away ' Keith Richards may have fallen out of a coconut tree but how many men of his age would even be able to climb one, especially after his determined rebuttal of a healthy life style! Anybody a Ray Davis fan? Check out his last few releases, still the master of ironic social comment. Not sure if I will be buying Black Sabbath's latest as I was never a big fan. I prefered Deep Purple, Uriah Heep and other heavies. Hats of to these Gerry Active heroes and I shall continue to shuffle to the Rolling Stones.

A Night on the Tiles

This Ginger Cat is contemplating a busy and exciting night ahead.

My Acrylic Painting. 

' A Night on the Tiles '

The painting is on stretched canvas and measures 12" x !2" ( 30cm x 30cm )You can buy this on ebay if you like it.

www.stores.ebay.co.uk/Light-Water-Art



Walking Meditation, My Poem

On Saturdays I sometimes go to The Northern Lights Sangha for meditation. One of the meditation sessions is walking meditation in the very lovely original garden at The Findhorn Foundation. I love this slow walking while observing closely the wonderful flowers and birds. There is so much change week to week. A reminder that nothing is permanent and today's intensely yellow flowers will be fading next week only to be replaced by another beautiful colour. This week my mind went back 20 years or so to when I walked slowly with a dear friend through gorgeous parkland. Recovering from an operation my friend could only walk slowly with many pauses. Without realising it I was doing a walking meditation for the first time. The intensity of that day was such that I wrote a poem about it. The poem was called.

MOMENTS

Slowly, slowly we walk. Time to absorb. First past the old Chestnut trees. Pausing we wonder. The white fountain of flowers are examined as never before. Huge with delicate subdivisions topped by red stamens. Beautiful. Glowing against the backdrop of green leaves. We observe the lushness and exceptional greenness of late spring, the result of heavy winter rain.

Slowly, slowly we walk. Onto the ancient parkland. The hot sun drawing the vigorous grass upwards. Buttercups and blue flowers populate the grass. So dense in the middle distance the grass turns blue and yellow. Everything pulsates with, throbs with, life's unseen power. The delicate ethereal blue flowers radiate and channel this most strongly. It penetrates us joyfully. We sit and rest in the extensive shadow of an old oak. We admire the gnarled bark and the light and dark greens of it's sun dappled foliage. Further away a low boughed tree casts shadow of such intense blackness that the sunlit Cow Parsley stands out like a light on a dark night.

Slowly, slowly we walk. Into the woods. Enveloped by coolness we listen to the unbridled joy of birdsong. Undergrowth alive with sound and movement. Two squirrels dance the tango of life around a tree trunk. We look at the Bluebells, their full glory gone. A reminder of the changing changelessness of each perfect moment.

Slowly, slowly we walk. Retracing our steps. Past those wonderful aged oaks. Observers of so many seasons of change and renewal, of rain, sun, wind, and snow. In witness today of us, as we enjoy each other and this perfect moment.



Cat Stevens and Poppy Painting

I finished this painting while listening to Cat Stevens Greatest Hits. This shows my age of course. I hadn't listened to this CD for a very long time and what struck me most was that some of the lyrics were very spiritual. Previously I had merely thought them good catchy pop songs. Cat Stevens famously gave up being a pop star and converted to Islam. I now realise that this direction was evident in his song writing. I also realise that I continue to change and while superficially the same person as my younger self I am not. However I wonder if anyone can spot the difference between this finished painting and the unfinished one on a previous post and did the same person finish it?

Red Haze

More Poppies. This time in water colour. 40cm x 30cm. I was working on this one simultaneously with the large canvas poppy painting. Both very different. I think I prefer the watercolour to the big acrylic although that one is not finished yet.

 

 

 

 

 

Reach for the Sky.

POPPIES IN CLUNY GARDEN

This is my painting ( unfinished ) inspired by the lovely poppies in Cluny Garden at The Findhorn Foundation, Scotland.

 

I need to sit with this for a while before finishing.

 

It is on a big canvas 90cm x 60cm ( 3' x 2' ) and is all acrylic.

 

When finished it would compliment a spacious room. Any offers?

Ravishing Red Glow in Cluny Garden

POPPIES

These beautiful flowers glow with spirit. They are in Cluny Garden, Findhorn Foundation, where I work on Tuesdays.

I know everybody takes photos of and paints Poppies but I feel I want to paint them too.

It will be my next painting after I finish my current work, Two Kittens at Play.

 

New Trees Blessed by Guru

A few days ago I planted some Birch Trees outside my flat where I have my studio. They were looking rather sad having been dug up from a local wood and it is not the best time of year to transplant trees. As mentioned in a previous blog I have a little Sparrow who sits on the gutter in the same place every day. I call this cheerful little bird my Guru because he reminds me to be happy and positive as he chirps away and looks down at me. Yesterday he flew down and inspected my wilting trees, first one then the other. Today my trees were not wilting and are looking healthy. This means my trees have been blessed and accepted by my Guru.

For your Salvation

SALVATION

This painting was inspired by an unexpected sight. I came across this in the middle of the countryside in the Czech Republic. For no obvious reason a large wooden cross had been erected and an image of Christ fixed to it.It was made out of sheet metal and hand painted! The background was rolling green country but the striking image in my painting was painted over one of my semi abstract water colour backgrounds. The size is 40cm x 30cm and is for sale.

Two Giraffes hold up traffic

The decoration of Bryan's van continues. Alligators to go in below the Giraffes. Can't wait to see the Cheetah on the side!

Amoghasiddhi the Buddha of The North

AMOGHASIDDHI the Buddha of the North is perhaps the most mysterious and ungraspable of all the Buddha figures. Power and energy are his attributes but his activity is subtle and hidden. For some reason I am very drawn to this Buddha and this is my second painting of him. The first was not very good but this one, although far from perfect, is better. The painting is 40cm x 30cm and is for sale. It will come mounted, framed and ready to hang. If interested please contact me.