Magical Gum Trees

On New Year's Day we hiked in the Blue Mountains National Forest along a fantastic Red Hand Cave trail. We started out in a gentle rain and the gum trees surrounding the overgrown trail seemed almost to vibrate with color. Some were charred from bush fires that must have moved through the area some years ago and others were in the process of shedding their bark, creating fantastic patterns on the tree trunks.

I'm always inspired by trees in Australia, which seem so much more exotic than the usual (wonderful, of course) trees of the US Northeast. Some of those that I met on Friday filled me with inspiration and a mad desire to paint. I share of few of them with you.........

New Year Musings

Cynthia Emerlye: When one is terribly sick, it is impossible not to think about mortality. It's not that I imagine I am actually going to die from this pneumonia, although I have known people to die suddenly and from seemingly insignificant conditions. It is that illness reminds one that life is more fragile than we wish to believe.

That is what I imagined when I created "Carpe Diem" several years ago. Instead of an old man, death is an innocent yet wise girl. She is feminine because the female represents Nature and the cycle of life. Rather than an old wise woman, she is a child and represents purity, innocence and potential. Her familiar is an owl, a night predator. Death opens her cloak to reveal eternity and a morning sky full of hummingbirds (rebirth.)

Life, death, rebirth... each resides within the other. Carpe Diem. Live while you are alive because none of us knows the moment Death will spread its cloak over us.

Divine Child

May the Divine Child - that part of us which is innocent, teachable, generous, and full of wonder - reside in you always.

Merry Christmas!

Warm Wishes for the Holidays

With snow and cold air I offer this painting as a warm holiday image.

Merry Christmas!

Carol

Landed in Australia

I'm happily landed in Australia and finally quite settled in. I keep hearing about the wintry weather back home and find it hard to imagine, given the heat that has taken over here. With Christmas just a few days away it seems odd to contemplate celebrating the holiday feeling perhaps too warm!

But on the topic of art, I'm back in the studio. It was all waiting for me just as I left it eight months ago, everything neatly stacked away. It's been interesting to see the work that I did earlier in the year...I actually quite like some of it that I wasn't so sure about in April. Distance can help!

I know I won't have much time to work over the next couple of weeks with a houseful of family to play with, but at least I've taken out the paints and gotten a start! It definitely feels good and is quite a change with the windows wide open and the sunlight pouring in.

Here are a couple of photos of the studio....quite a change from the space in Vermont!

Bald Angel

Cynthia Emerlye:
Today I decorated my Christmas tree with two dozen angels I've collected over the years.
This image is meaningful to me, as a cancer survivor, so I thought you might enjoy it.


May you each enjoy a healthy, joyful holiday season or winter solstice celebration wherever you are.

Feeling Silly

-Carol