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| "Blue-Gray Morning" watercolor, 11"x15", VClaff, 2017 |
Here I am, on a quiet Sunday afternoon, after so many months.
Spring is coming, some flowers are up, especially in the woodland garden.
Today it is damp and raw and rainy, cold enough for a morning fire.
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| "Afternoon" watercolor, 5"x10", VClaff, 2017 |
I've been busy this year, tending to my inner world that was rocked by the
outer world and the new reality here in the United States. There is a lot to process.
My studio has been a sanctuary, and the act of creating a refuge. I've been quiet,
and my work - or myself inside my work - has emerged a bit from the deep forest to
stand at the edges. Open spaces beyond the trees are visible - distant ridges, fields
and ponds. I've been spending a lot of time with the reflections of trees and skies in
water, and experimenting a bit with white watercolors.
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| "At the Edge of the Woods" watercolor, 10"x10", VClaff, 2017 |
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| "Birches" watercolor, 5"x10", VClaff, 2017 |
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| "Snow on Pond" watercolor, 8" x10", VClaff, 2017 |
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| "Marsh Sunrise" watercolor, 7.5" x11", VClaff, 2017 |
March marked Rhu's third circle around the sun... he's been great company,
as mischievous as ever, keeping me on me on my toes.
We had a day-long visit from a barred owl, as friendly as ever.
She watched the day unfold with one cracked eye as she snoozed on her perch.
I hope to be here more often as my days will soon open up when classes end
tomorrow and I won't be off three days a week to teach. I appreciate
a few followers who reached out to let me know they missed my posts
and to check to see that I was ok. In a world gone slightly mad, acts of
kindness swell the heart.
38 comments:
your beautiful birch tree paintings remind me of my grandmother's house in Quebec!
Lovely to see a new post! Your work is lovely.
Mary
Thank you, Mary. Good to be back, hope I keep it up!
Such gorgeous work! Those birch trees are really something. Amazing.
Thanks :)
So good to hear from you, Valerianna! And to see that you and Rhu are well and at peace. Happy Beltane to you! xo
Yes! Happy Beltane to you as well! The bloodroot is blooming in the medicine garden just in time.
A sense of quiet joy to see you back here Valerianna. Your art is such a counterpoint and wonderful balance to the tilting state of affairs in this country... "Marsh Sunrise" has an illuminating quality that soothes; especially needed in the aftermath of a freaky weekend here in New Mexico of fierce winds, gray skies, rain and spots of snow...Looking forward to more glimpses of your forest, your art and your travels with Rhu, you have been missed.
Than you so much, Marti. Its nice to be missed! And, yes, I've been needing my own art as an antidote for these intense times.
That's cool. :)
Lovely to see this post! I wasn't sure if anyone was using Blogger anymore. Such beautiful paintings. Wishing you peace and inspiration. x
Thanks. Are people fizzling out of blogger? I still follow a few and they seem quite active.
Lynn Hanson• 2h ago
It was good for my soul to find your post today. I am surely drawn to your gentle words, the quiet and soft mood of your paintings. They are so beautiful, all hanging up together in your studio. I love your cat, and the view of the woods from your porch. You are lucky to open your door and see just that. Owl visiting must have lifted your spirits! I've got a pair of great horned owls singing to me outside my house, too. No doubt there are lots and lots of folks who are feeling what you feel, about the destruction and devastation that's upon us. I know it's weighing heavy on my heart and mind. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and art today!
(I originally posted this comment on Bloglovin.. )
Thanks, Lynn. Yes, owl visits are always a welcome gift. And, sadly, most of the people in my world are feeling heavy hearted... such an intense moment.
beautiful work.
The Outside World has gone mad, we must keep sense and reality going in our work.
Hi VA - gorgeous imagery - edges and standing at the edges - fragile fragments and moments and good to be feeling more alive in spring. Go well. B
Yes, gz... making is a MUST more than ever now!
HI Barry, thanks and I seem to have a thing for being at the edge. It has both its gifts and its challenges.
une belle création ...une année après--- biz
Thanks, Elfi!
Wow, I love your blog! Your paintings a magical.
Thank you for sharing.
Love ♥
Hi VA - there are times when it is so important to tend to the inner needs and balance - glad you have been able to do that. Love the delicateness and the light coming through your water colours. Go well. B
Well, it looks like blogger has once again deigned to allow me to make comments; guess I better do it quick before it changes its mind! I really love the atmospheric quality of your new paintings. Blue-gray morning is stunning; I feel I could walk right into it. The birches look like ghost trees, which is a really interesting concept to me. Looks like you've been hard at work, and it's paid off with wonderful results!
Thanks, Sharmon! I have been hard at work, and possibly a little obsessed, too. Now that I have time this summer, I need to work on getting some more gallery representation to get this work out in the world.
it's been a long time since I last stopped by...but it's all still beautiful . and that warms my heart.
Barry - this new commenting format I've put on here confuses me. Anyway, yes, tending to one's inner world is curcial!
Hi India, I've not been so great at keeping things up here! Glad you stopped by and thanks for the feedback. :)
I really love your website.. Great colors & theme.
Did you create this site yourself? Please reply
back as I’m wanting to create my own personal blog and would love
to find out where you got this from or just what the theme is called.
Thanks!
Thanks for the feedback on the blog - I made the blog by using the blogger templates and colors.
my old blog was lost. recently I found it but cannot use it. Hah.
Rhu is splendid she fits.
still loving your art.
hope all is well. . . . .
The "birches" painting is just wonderful. It reminded me of my mind's scenery while reading The Mists of Avalon.
An interesting effect you managed with the trees, ghostlike!
Thanks, Tiffany! Yes, folks have used the words, "ghostly trees" to describe those, and, I had a bit of a different landscape in my imagination when I read The Mists of Avalon :)
Hey there! Someone in my Facebook group shared this site with us so I came to take a look.
I'm definitely loving the information. I'm bookmarking and will be tweeting this to my followers!
Terrific blog and terrific design.
heaven to rest here
love Valerianna
Wow - white watercolours! I haven't seen them used like that - eerie, but in such an exquisite way. I love them! I want them BIG on my bedroom wall!
Love to you and yes please more art for our lucky eyes and hearts :).
Thanks, Yvette! And, Lunar, ha, interesting idea to have the white watercolors big on your wall. I've been so long gone from here, it's good people visit to remind me of this place and the desire to come back and share here again, I intend to, I will try again!
bookmarked!!, I really like your website!
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