The Old Woman of the Forest

(You can read part one from last week here.)

Just then there was a knock at the cottage door.

The Woodsman opened the door and an old woman entered. She was as ancient as the trees with her leathery skin, and stood just three feet tall. As she came in the room her dark, green cloak trailed bits of branches and tree roots behind her. She smelled of earth and moss and had a long dirty tail.

The old woman gazed around the cottage until her small, beady eyes rested on the sleeping Rose.

“The forest folk will mind your roses, but on one condition. You must promise me your daughter when she turns thirteen."

The Woodsman was at a loss without his wife and in anguish he thought to himself, “I cannot look after her. She will be better off without me.” And so he agreed.

With that the old woman disappeared into the forest as quickly as she came.

Soon it was Spring. The Woodsman went off to the forest every day to do his work, while the fairies and other forest folk minded the baby and tended to the cottage and garden. When summer arrived the red, yellow and white roses blossomed around the cottage once again and little Rose played happily in the garden alongside the animals, birds and flower fairies of the forest.

The Woodsman and his daughter lived happily in their cottage in the woods and the years passed by until one day Rose turned thirteen...

(continue reading...)

The Woodsman and His Wife

Sometimes I don’t know what comes first, the painting or the painter.

One day, while in my forest painting, I realized the painting was painting me…

Somewhere along the way, my painting became it’s own creation, with it’s own purpose and reason for being...

So I stepped back and let it speak to me.

It was telling me a story...

Once upon a time there was a Woodsman and his wife who lived in a tidy, little cottage in the woods. Surrounding the cottage were beautiful red, yellow and white roses that filled the air with their scent every summer.

But winters in the cottage were bleak and cold. From morning until night the Woodsman would be gone, hunting in the forest and chopping wood for the fire. The Woodsman’s wife stayed home, weaving rose patterned tapestries and minding the cottage. They were long, lonely days and she would count the days until spring buds would once again appear in the garden.

One particularly cold and dark winter day a baby daughter was born to the Woodsman and his wife. She had lips as red as rubies, hair as yellow as the sun, and skin as white as snow drops. They named her Rose so the wife would always be reminded of her summer roses whenever she looked at her.

But the Woodsman’s wife was not a strong woman and after the birth of their child she became ill and shortly thereafter she died.

In his grief the Woodsman cried out in distress, “Who will mind the roses? They will surely die!"

Just then there was a knock at the cottage door. The Woodsman opened the door and an old woman entered...

(Continue reading...)

What do you love?

Roses   48" x 48"  Oil on Canvas

What we love tells us about who we are at the very core of our being.

What we love is an expression of our essence and how our spirit wants to experience the world.

When we do what we love we are connecting with our essence and it’s from this place that our greatest dreams are born.

Every so often I make a "Love List". I write down everything I love... And it makes me realize how much I do love!  

And everything I'm grateful for.

So in honour of Valentine's Day, I'm writing out my Love List...

‘In our life there is a single colour, as on an artist’s palette, which provides the meaning of life and art. It is the colour of love.’ ~ Marc Chagall

What do you love?

I heard the Spring bird...

It's only January but the birds are singing...

And they're saying ~ ♫ Spring is on it's way ♬♪

It's time to plant seeds and begin a new Dream Journey...

21 Day Dream Journey

Beginning Sunday, January 19th and ending on Saturday February 8th I'll be doing the 21 Day Dream Journey and posting an excerpt from my book each day on my Facebook Page.

You can follow along Here, and if you 'Like and Share' my page, you could win a copy of my book along with a custom designed journal notebook.

https://www.facebook.com/YourEssenceArt 

The Dream

One day I woke up and realized I was living my dream...

In this busy world with all of life's responsibilities and obligations, it's easy to lose yourself along the way... Do you still have The Dream? Do you wonder if you will ever live the life you imagined?

I always wanted to be an artist when I grew up. From a very young age I loved to draw and create. As a child I lived in the magical world of my imagination and was inspired by the beauty in the natural world around me.

And then I went to school...

Click Here to read the story.

In the Void

'Home is where you can go and rest and be nothing.' ~ Marty Rubin

It's January and I have no desire to start anything new. It feels right to just Be.

I'm in the void.

The void is an in-between place. It's the slack water before the tide changes... The pause between the in-breath and the out-breath...

'The type of nothing from which something can arise is truly something.' ~ John K. Brown

I know change is coming. I'm just going to enjoy drifting at sea... I wonder which way the wind will blow?..

Angels Among Us

This time between Christmas and the New Year feels like a big pause on the wheel of life. It is the perfect time for reflection.

And so, before I begin my next Big Dream, I’m thinking of all that I am grateful for...

'These things I warmly wish for you: Someone to love, some work to do, a bit o' sun, a bit o' cheer, and a guardian angel always near.' ~ Irish Blessings

My Guardian Angels c.1960-something

I believe in angels. 

In fact, I know two of them personally...

Angels aren't always what we think. They don't always have wings, or noticeable halos...

'Ever feel an angel's breath in the gentle breeze? A teardrop in the falling rain? Hear a whisper amongst the rustle of leaves? Or been kissed by a lone snowflake? Nature is an angel's favourite hiding place.' ~ Carrie Latat

Yes, there are angels among us... But you have to pay close attention to life to know when you see one.

Your North Star

For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream. ~ Vincent Van Gogh

A long time ago I had a secret life. It was real on one level of existence, but I was the only one that knew about it. And I didn’t dare tell anyone… it was my dream and it needed protecting.

But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams. ~ W.B. Yeats 

So I lived my life and kept it to myself.

A flickering flame inside me...

But like a true North Star, my dream was always there; a constant light that kept me on my path.

From “Ethereal to Real”, the Little Book of Big Dreams describes the seven steps in the creative process and walks you on the path to living your dreams. 

Our dreams come from our inner truth and express the essence of who we are. When we live our dreams we live an inspired life of deeper meaning, purpose and happiness.   

Part One of this book provides an overview of the seven steps in the creative process.

Part Two takes you deeper into the creative process as you embark on a 21 Day Dream Journey to bring your own dreams to life.

For a peek at what's inside, you can click here to Read the Introduction

Order a Copy

Life is a Tapestry

Tapestry weaves the stories of her life and transforms them into new ways of being. She is the forest floor... a blanket nurturing Mother Earth as she settles into stillness.

Tapestry   oil on canvas  30" x 40"

The days are long and dark and cold... And it feels as if life goes underground for awhile.

In Life's Cycle of Creativity, winter is a time of drawing inward; to heal, nurture, and process what has already been created.

It is a time of transformation... letting go of the old to make way for the new.

After much activity it's time to rest into Being. 

My life has been a tapestry
of rich and royal hue,
an everlasting vision
of the ever changing view. ~ Carole King

Where are you in Life's Cycle of Creativity? 

Take the Quiz

A sneak peek...

The 'Little Book of Big Dreams' is almost Real!

Final edits are done and it's off to the printers...

For a peek at what's inside, you can click here and read the introduction.