Quiet Beauty

It is hard for me to believe the days
of April are coming to a close, another
month gone. It seems like just yesterday
when ice and snow covered the Plains,
and I was nestled, all warm and cozy,
in this studio of mine, ready to brave
the Winter moments of January and
February.

Now, there are abounding blooms and
abundant sprigs of green everywhere,
with a population explosion of Robins
in my neighborhood, as I ready myself
for another adventure, this time off to
the east coast and the great state of
Virginia.

I am excited about my upcoming trip,
as this is my second visit to Art & Soul,
Hampton, where I will be teaching two
incredible painting workshops, A
Painted Pendant, and Painted Nature.
I invite you to join me, as there are
a few spots still available.

Not only have I been preparing for classes,
but also for vending on Saturday night at
the fabulous artist market. I will have copies
of both of my little poetry books, which
make the perfect mother's day presents
or wonderful bits of inspiration for yourself,
several original paintings, and a few new
nest assemblages for sale.

I wanted to share these new assemblage
artworks with you because they are my
absolute favorites! Each one has such a
serene, quiet beauty about it that I
feel perfectly reflects the true essence
of nature.

I especially love the particular assemblage
with the bright spools of thread tangled
among the nest and branches. I can
simply imagine little birds carefully
weaving this burst of color into their
surroundings.










I thought I would end this post
with a quote I read on cnn.com
today. I think the journalist's
words are extraordinary food
for thought.

"There is grace, in being molded
by your own gifts. To allow yourself
to be molded by your own gifts takes
courage. You have to be willing to
stand there, exposed and authentic,
while the audience rolls their eyes at
you and sneers, expecting failure.
And then, of course, you have to fail,
laugh or cry, and keep going until,
one day, they stop laughing and
start clapping."

His words were in reference to the
newest singing sensation, Susan
Boyle, but oh how we all might apply
these same words to our own selves,
those extraordinary gifts or the quiet
beauty residing in each one of us...
waiting for applause.