Self Portrait With War Paint- My Silent Battle

Self Portrait with War Paint
digital art

My Silent Battle

I have battled monsters too small to see.
I have wrestled with monsters larger than Goliath.
I have fought quiet voices without a face.
I have brawled with voices louder than my scream.

And yet all you see is my weakness.

I am a warrior, a fighter, a soldier, a hero.

I am a champion, even if no one can see.

My silent battle rages on.



Dedicated to all the warriors out there who fight a good fight every single day...no matter what that fight may be. Make it a great day today.
xo

Word for 2016

Minimize

Happy New Year, folks!  New Year's has never really been a big deal to me other than having to buy a new calendar and wrapping up end-of-year business dealings.  I usually don't do New Year's Eve parties and I (embarrassingly) am usually in bed before the ball drops. *Yawn*  I know, I am boring but the older I get the more I am totally fine with being boring.

Each year, instead of making a New Year's Resolution, I choose a word to anchor me in the coming year.  This year the word will be...

MINIMALISM.

I want to not only minimize my possessions, but also minimize the clutter in my brain with meditation and yoga, and minimize my time commitments to things that are not associated with my core values and beliefs. I want to start saying NO more to things that are time sucks, like social media.

So, that is my goal...get rid of stuff, minimize, reduce, and unclutter in all aspects of my world. I will post this word prominently in my office/studio to keep reminding myself for this year. What are y'all doing for the New Year?  Do you do resolutions, words, something else, or nothing at all?

I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful New Year...if you are a partier, then party safe!  See you soon in 2016!

Adventure of Perception

Imagine an eye unruled by man-made laws of perspective, an eye unprejudiced by compositional logic, an eye which does not respond to the name of everything, but which we must know each object encountered in life through an adventure of perception.

~Stan Brakhage

Sunset in the Puddle

Sometimes when you look down, God reflects your vision back up to the sky. A large puddle after a rainstorm caught my attention when I was out the other day and inspired this abstract digital creation...a reflection of a pine tree and the sky in a puddle. To ground the image, I made sure to include a portion of the asphalt in the upper right and along the top edge.

Keep looking up, even if you find yourself looking down.

Have a wonderful weekend, y'all.

xo

Phillips At the Inner Harbor- Abstract Digital Painting

Ugh.  Well, that is about how I feel. Despite my best efforts to rest yesterday, it all caught up with me.  The terrible pain of Lyme crept in slowly yesterday and shut me down.  Hoping today isn't as bad, but knowing this pattern, it could be a week or more of struggle. I should know better than to do this to myself, but what am I to do when so much is going on that needs me attention?  Blech.

This abstract piece is actually a painting of the restaurant Phillips Seafood  from a reflection in the Baltimore Inner Harbor water.  At the top of the image, you can begin to make out the red letters blurred in the water and to the right of that a red triangle that is the canopy over their deck area in front of the restaurant. As I was walking by the water, I noticed the wavy water from the wind creating a smear of beautiful colors.  I zoomed in, cropping out all other elements except the water and took the shot.  I fell in love with it and love the painting even more.  It was taken several years ago, but I am re-sharing it now because I found it in my archives and it makes me happy.

Today I have a few appointments to attend to and then I am hoping to squeeze in some art time if I am feeling up to it.  I really do get antsy when I am away too long from working on something.  I hope today is a beautiful blessing to all of you...the weather here is phenomenal...58 degrees as I type and the birds are singing gloriously.  At least there is that.  :)  Until tomorrow, my friends...

xo

Cure, Yes

Today I am thankful for the start of football season tomorrow!

I absolutely LOVE football (and photographing football)

and it gives me something to look forward to as fall comes ever closer.

Although I won't be photographing football this season, 

I can still watch it like nobody's business!

I am hoping my beloved Ravens do well this season and make us proud!

I belong to a Pickem' League so that will keep my brain working...

y'all know I have quite a competitive spirit.

The artwork above is something I created yesterday

that is a mix of paper collage and digital art.

Cure, Yes is a nod toward my desire for better understanding

in the public and also the government about the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.

Did you all know that when MS and ALS patients are tested for the Lyme bacteria

ALL of the patients have been positive...many researchers believe there a direct

correlation to MS, ALS, and possibly Alzheimer's diseases.

A lot of interesting research is taking place right now

and if the government would just get out of its own way,

we could get closer and closer to finding the answers to these devastating diseases.

xo