Winter Brights

Beech Tree Leaves Illuminated by the Sun

Brightened Garden Greenery 

Montage of  Sunlit Vegetation

Sunshine on the Tree Limbs

Winter Sun Begins to Set

Trees and Shrubbery Basking in Sunlight 

Winter Grays

Blue-Gray Skies

Slate-Gray Junco

Gray Tree Bark

Touch of Color Against Gray Background

Remembering a True Leader

Illustration Based on Photo By Charles Kelly/Associated Press

Martin Luther King Jr.

1929-1968

Winter ... Where Are You?

January is usually the coldest, snowiest month of the year in our area. Not so this year! We've had many a day lately with temps up in the 50s and 60s. I like winter to feel like winter, and these warm days, though pleasant, are so atypical. Hopefully, the tide will turn and we will still experience some more cold, snowy days this winter. One of my favorite sights to see, at this time of year, is our resident deer out in the snow. My painting below is a mini representation of what I've been missing (with a Northern Lights sky for fun … we don't see the aurora borealis here!)

Doe & Fawn on a Winter's Day

Compassionate Living

Sometimes it can feel like the whole world is in turmoil, especially with what we see and hear in the news and read in the newspaper. These truly are troubling times in our world for so many reasons, not the least of which is that many don't see eye to eye or truly seem to care about the horrible divisiveness that has permeated and taken hold among people everywhere. Our environment is being ransacked and exploited, and so many in the animal kingdom are suffering due to mans' abuse of land, air, and sea. The list goes on ...

I can't escape these depressing realities in our world, but, as an artist, I can, in a sense, create my own world of perpetual beauty and peace. I've always found great joy in drawing and painting, and my favorite subject matter has always been nature ~ plants and animals. When I create my miniature paintings, I can create any scene I want to create and express any mood I want to express. I enjoy painting most when I feel at peace and feel happy, because my artwork becomes infused with positive energy that I can send out into the world. Over the years, many of my customers have been kind enough to tell me that my little paintings bring them great happiness or a sense of peace...and their reactions to my artwork, in turn, brings me great joy.

 We all need to think about how we interact and affect others, but few people actually do that on a regular basis, being too focused on their own wants and needs, instead. Our world desperately needs a lot more genuine kindness and active compassion if we ever want to turn our issues around and survive as a species on a healthy, thriving planet. Is it too late? I don't think so, but each of us need to put our best selves forward and truly start caring about our friends and neighbors, and people who do not look or think as we may. And, we all need to discover ways to be more caring and compassionate right now.

For a long time, my blog posts have consisted mostly of photographs with very little writing. It's not that I haven't had anything to say and not that I don't ponder about many different things. My hope has been that by sharing what I find to be beautiful through photographs and artwork, that, if only for the brief time someone spends looking at a blog page, I might provide a temporary respite for the weary and brighten someone's day.

You don't have to be an artist who paints uplifting paintings or a photographer who takes pretty pictures to spread a little joy. Next time you are out in a public place, try looking others in the eye and smiling at several strangers you pass. Before you know it, you will find many people who are receptive to your gesture and automatically smile back. Then, they will smile at someone else, and so on and so on. It's a very simple thing to do that brings a bit of joy to anyone who participates by reciprocating a smile, and, then, in turn, smiles at someone else, starting a chain reaction of smiles and spreading a little bit of joy. A frivolous exercise with little meaning, you may think? My answer to that question is to try it and see how something so small can not only make you feel a little better, but anyone who reciprocates and spreads the smile on, feels a little better, too. A simple thing to do, yes … but it's the little things we do, the positive ways we choose to regularly interact, that can be the building blocks to living a compassionate life in which we all matter and all matter to one another.

First Snow of 2020

Today, for the first time in 2020, and the second time this winter season, our world was blanketed in white. The snow won't be around for long, since by this weekend it may reach 60 degrees outside, but it is a beautiful sight to see when it's here. The photos below were taken with a color camera, but the very nature of the day makes them look like they were taken in black and white.

Happy New Year to You!!!

Today, a whole flock of bluebirds stopped in our yard, alighting on tree branches and feeding on berries. They were here for a short time and then flew on, just migrating through with the woods and our yard a stop-off to snack and rest and then be on their way. We'd never seen bluebirds here in our yard before today, so it was very exciting. The one little guy below sat still long enough for me to get a hurried photograph of this beautiful bird said to be a harbinger of happiness. May this be a year of change for the better for all and a year of much happiness for you!!!

One of many bluebirds seen today!