A TALE OF TWO WINTERS

Recently we marveled at our good fortune:

"It looks like March out there, sky and all....It feels like early April...."  'What Luck!"  Cats played in the yard~

And then the Polar Vortex descended like a silent Great Snowy Owl in the night.  Stealthy wings of diamond dust snow crystals danced in the frigid air.  Snowy diamond sparkles dotted our porch steps and beyond.  Cats gazed in silent wonder and fear at a world turned white before their eyes.  A Winter Wonderland turned into a fantasy gone haywire.  

"What if our power goes out?"

Our furnace quit working....  

Thankfully the lights stayed on.  The furnace escapade has happened before...we knew what to do for a temporary fix.  Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't.. Coats and sweaters came out of the woodwork and blankets at the ready.  Oven went on to warm the kitchen, and water in large pots were set to simmering as needed for moisture and warmth. 

Patterns of Light and Shade  

*"All my pictures turned to black and white...."

I lost track of "Time"

Days and nights melted together....

Redefine: 

Schedule

Agenda

Cold

Sleep

Point of Reference

Uncertainty

* "Run the field you play alone...."

52 hours below zero....

And Now: 

** Some Light Returning:

Blog Search Key Words:  Winter, Snow

Related Posts

Weather or Not

Ice Patterns

Aftermath

A Strong Clear Vision

Resources:
Music

* Elton John quotes from song Someone Saved my Life Tonight, music and lyrics by Elton John and Bernie Taupin

Dr. Zen, Gymnopedia, music originally by Erik Satie,  MCNS Music Choice Nature Sounds, Direct TV 

Cats Purr Cd by Chet Day, Lucy, a real cat owned by Chet purrs along with nature sounds and musical melody, Gymnopedia by Erik Satie, for relaxation and meditation.

A Winter's "Tail"  Ruff rests in the cat tree~

Dahlis Roy Visionary Artist, Author, and Tai Chi Instructor



Photos by Dahlis
Cup with rainbow light
It's Snow Joke
Light and Time
Flower Color, Cards by Linda, reprinted with permission
A Winter's Tail, Ruff Cat hangin' out in cat tree

MAGIC MOUNTAIN

Into the Light

I think I'll paint a triangle!  It'll be easy!  

Think Again 


For several months a plain canvas greeted me on the wall, a new adventure, painting the triangle!  How easy can it get?  I daydreamed, I sketched, I saw "mountain."  So easy!  So simple~ so pure without conscious thought.  

The sketches didn't work~ the daydreams kept changing colors, when I placed a sketch over the triangle shape, no dice, nothing "fit" into a wholeness.

And so I waited and waited....

One evening, I just picked up the canvas and several assorted colors....took a plain tissue (yes a tissue) and gently brushed in a sky.  Nice and restful....

Now What?

I'll have fun so I picked up a handful of clean Q tips.  These are handy for blocking in basic shapes and lines with paint to set the stage for the brush work to come.  Easy, and no extra brush clean up.



Spirit Bear Appears

In full speed now, I got out my small chisel brush!  Thick and thin lines fueled with power and grace, mountain and trees painted themselves.  Fun!  Smile! 

I stepped back and noticed a shape of a White Bear, head and shoulders, had painted herself in the upper left corner....How did this happen?  I took a brush and went ahead and brushed in te eyes and shaped the ears.  Sometimes, the bear looks like she is wearing a dark blue hat, depending on how the light shifts across the painting.  


Surprise!  

Daybreaker 

Ancient scrips fascinate me.  Recently I noticed a symbol that looks like a butterfly and added it into right side of painting up about 1/4" and straight to your left. Of course I painted it blue, an X with sides connected.  This symbol can be found in various countries and cultures, sometimes carved into rocks or painted or written.  

The  "butterfly" can connote "the light of day," "dawn," "going within," or "reaching beyond" and "breakthrough."  In ancient times it also meant accepting into what the day had in store, not so much past or future as may be true in today's world.  

"Right Here Right Now"

Also, just for fun check out the mysterious animals and birds in the above close up, cat, horse, monkey, goat, rabbit, green butterfly and more~ open your imagination!


Blog Search Key Words:  Mountain, Creativity

Related Posts:
Peaceful Mountain
The White Triangle
The Painted Word

Resources:
Spirit Bear, (2016) Wild Kratts, PBS cartoons for kids of all ages.  A White Bear Appears.

Music:  
Here Comes the Sun King, the Beatles, Abbey Road, classic....gently edgy.
Neil Diamond:  Song Sung Blue, Holly Holy, and Stones from Neil Diamond's Greatest Hits
Ben Cooper, Radical Face, Roots, Leaves, Branches

Languages and Art:
Heiroglyphs from Egypt,  Petroglyphs, scripts and symbols Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, South Africa, and Etruscan paintings and carvings, cave paintings, Chauvet in S. France: 

 "The Earliest Communication was Art"

Dahlis Roy:  Visionary Artist, Author, and Tai Chi Instructor

Oil Painting by Dahlis:  Spirit Bear with Mountain
Completed Painting
The White Triangle ("plain" geometry)
At an Angle, light emerging, shifting colors
Daybreaker Symbol Butterly in Flight (detail of painting)

HAPPINESS IS

SMILES!

HAPPY NEW YEAR  2019!

What's your favorite Happy Picture?

Zoe:  "When you feel blue, get out the sweater in your photo, wear it, or wrap yourself in it~ or drape it in your room and all happy times will come right back "Instantly!"

Family, Friends, Food, Pets, Vacations, and more "step in time" and parade before us in endless formats....

*Happy Photo Album (a few real print-outs) in a small album can bring instant happy memories for a relative or friend, or you..  Digital is good, ethereal and instant, but hands on photos, even faded or black and white, have an energy all their own.  

Happy Music, chosen for the moment, what music or song do I need right now?  Upbeat?  Dance, Sing Along, or quiet and calming?  That's a good question...turning on the music now.

Meditation, Relaxation  instant calm, even 1-2 minutes of reset makes a difference


Symbols:  Butterfly, twigs and branches, stars, clouds, think of them, draw or paint, bright color~ Imagine~

"Simple" One Liners...dancing tree

Pen on Paper...one minute~ carefree


Enter Winter Wolf

"A long time ago" I started a wolf painting, he went nowhere, I brought him to Michigan where he received a new life, slowly.  In painting him, I realized wolf was becoming our Collie pictured above....alert eyes, energy, watchfulness, intelligence, silence....

Every winter the painting comes into our living room.  This year, instead of being on a stone ledge high on our mantel, he is near the floor on a ledge.  He likes it there!  The light is softer, and his eyes light up when the winter sun filters over him bringing a new feeling of depth and dimension.  Natural sunlight brings artwork to a life of its own.   

Paint Your Dreams


Seeing the Wolf Star  CMA

CMA, "Canis Major" constellation appeared the other night on a moonless night filled with winter stars.  We went out to view in awe and wonder.  The air crisp, the night windless.  Perfect.  When I looked up to view Orion, the Hunter, and Sirius, The Wolf Star, I imagined the same glee my dad and I had when we first saw these constellations, years ago, with the red covered booklet and flashlight in hand in hand to guide us through the maps of stars and legends. 

The above painting, Our Christmas Puppy was made with two colors: cerulean blue and titanium white, no brushes....just Q-tips!  Quick Clean Up.  One afternoon, the winter sunlight filtered across the painting....and lit up Sirius The Wolf Star!  Quickly I captured the fleeting light beam.  Sirius, viewed in the night sky, is a beacon of blue white light, like a diamond sparkling on black velvet.


Tonight Jan 6, we celebrate our Epiphany Kitten, who appeared freezing on our doorstep in a blizzard four years ago....We coaxed him inside for warmth and food.  Today Ruff is "our mane event."   He is our Collie/Sheltie personality in a Cat Body.  Just like our Collie, Sky, Ruff closes his eyes in contentment when I brush him.....we both smile,

The Mane Event

Write Your Name on an Invisible Page

Create with Invisible Co-Stars

There is no Difference between the Visible and the Invisible....Space Time and Light~

Blog Search Key Words:  Collie, dog, wolf, cat, memory, creativity


Related Posts:
Mind Games: I dreamed my Collies into life~
Rocky's Road
Stars and Snow Spirit of Phoebe
A Strong Clear Vision
Winter Wolf
All Eyes
Sirius Blue
Our Christmas Puppy
By An Unfaltering Trust
All Alone in the Universe
Chasing Shadows
Epiphany

Resources:
*Happiness Enhancers:
Feel Better Fast and Make it Last, book, suggestions by Daniel G. Amen, M.D.

Animation:
Fantasia, The Lion King and more animated features.   Mary Poppins original and remake, animated characters interact, with actors.  So Dear to My Heart, Walt Disney Productions

Kids Cartoons for all ages:
Wild Kratts, Peg + Cat, on PBS.org  My Little Pony (Hasbro Allspark Entertainment) on DFCH and other sources

Music:
Song of the Day:  Cherry Tree Carol, Hose Feliciano, Sony-BMG Music Entertainment, 2008

Dahlis Roy:  Visionary Artist, Author, and Tai Chi Instructor


Photos:
Sky and Dahlis in Iowa, Happy Times, photo by Rob
One Liners, Dancing Tree, ink on paper by Dahlis
Winter Wolf, oil painting by Dahlis
Our Christmas Puppy, oil painting by Dahlis, The Wolf Star
The Mane Event, Ruff, photo by Dahlis

ROCKY'S ROAD

Chiquito!  Dear Small Boy

Dog Donut~ Cuddling with Rocky


Rocky is a whippet terrier mix.  He didn't sell at the breeder's so he was put into a shelter with many other dogs.  

Zoe was looking for an animal friend, a companion and helper.  She looked at petfinder.com and saw Rocky's picture!  Instantly Zoe knew Rocky was the one for her!  When they met, they felt and instant bond of love.

 "Instant Recognition!"

Later, when I met Rocky, I was stunned.  "I know you," I said out loud....I noticed Rocky had one blue eye and one brown eye, "You remind me of my Collie, Sky.  Rocky and Sky, are blue merle color and both are very silver in hue...shimmering!  Blue merle is a tricky color to breed, a white factor may be introduced to make the merle color "stand out" and be a very clear silver, not muddy or dull.  



And so it came to be that I would paint Rocky's portrait....

I sketched and sketched....nothing appeared that looked like Rocky at all....I pictured him....zero inspiration came in.  Then, one night at 2 AM, yes I was still up that night, imagined Rocky's face and got out my sketch pad and he "came right out!"  Imagine...I could even picture the completed painting in full living color and close detail.  I settled into a happy sleep...."vision to achievement…."  Backgrounds and placement of colors and shades danced in my imagination.

Choosing the canvas was easy, a small and portable size of 8" X 10".  How am I going to do it?  I have never painted a portrait that small?  I can do it!  A head and shoulders....of course.  A bit of pink appears, Rocky's favorite blanket.


I stopped and watched a show about Whippets on Dogs 101, Animal Planet and studied the whippet face and eyes and ears.  That show helped me to set the stage for Rocky's expression!  The whippets pictured also sported blue merle patches and cuddled under blankets.  Very active alert dogs, yet they can also be quiet and resting and bonding with their owners, "Just like Rocky."

I chose the background, soft lavenders and lilacs with a luminous pink blanket to add light and shadow.  Once I stepped back....surprise!  The "Z," Zoe's initial, had painted itself into the background along with the triangles and V shapes.

What next?  I gathered up my courage and began, carefully painting Rocky's ears, so soft and silky, with a tiny chisel shaped brush, for thick and thin lines and textures.  Next the eyes, deep and soulful, a tiny brush for this.   The nose and hint of a smile on the mouth emerged.  



All Eyes and Ears:

Details of the white coat with merle patch were added with a blend of four colors.  Top of head and face with contours came later.  White and black blends formed the facial merle patches.  Depth appeared slowly and carefully on the head.  I used Q Tips cotton swabs for the "silver" look on the tiny hairs on the top of Rocky's head.  The silver "shine" appeared as bits of light caught on the grain of the canvas.  Even a tiny brush would have dulled the effect. Tan points for eyebrows and sides of cheeks completed the picture!

Stopping between each step to pause for reflection and corrections. Whispers of Whiskers,     * "Always put whiskers on last."   And then: 

There he is!  Living Art~

 "As if by Magic"  

"Imagine!"




Blogger Search Key Words:  dogs, painting, animal painting

Related Posts:
Once and Forever
Absolute Magic
Stars and Snow, Spirit of Poebe

Resources:
Walter Foster Art Series:  Drawing and Painting Animals, Horses, Dogs, Cats

petfinder.com, your next best friend

Dogs 102 and Cats 101, Animal Planet, learn about breeds, Too Cute, Kitten and puppy stories, coming of age, relaxing, informative.

Music:
Rain by the Beatles, song of the day
Ben Cooper, Radical Face, Roots, Leaves, Branches

Dahlis Roy: Visionary Artist, Author, and Tai Chi Instructor

Photos by Dahlis:
Zoe Holds Rocky, Dog Donut
Sketches and Backgrounds
All Eyes and Ears
Rocky's Portrait!

MIND GAMES

A Strong Clear Vision

* "I wish I had a little window into my mind, to see how it works, and I could unlock it anytime to find creativity," paraphrase of David Gilmour, singer songwriter, Wider Horizons, documentary.

Unlock Creativity?  What a great idea!  

Energetic yet relaxed plus motivated and focused?  How?

Meditation? Visions? Sudden Ideas unleashed by dreams, guided meditations, hypnotherapy (with a qualified therapist), integrative exercises like Tai Chi and Yoga....

 "All of the Above?"

"Alpha Brain Wave State" may unlock revelations, ideas, linking bits together to create unified whole "new" creative concepts.  Alpha Waves are generated by Tai Chi, Yoga, Drumming, synchronious exercises or dances, chanting, and certain states of meditation.

Mind-Full-Ness:  "overwhelming data, facts, fiction, movies, music, online and off ...."  All that and more~  The Overthinker....

True Fiction:   Games?  Fiction/Fact?  Reality/Real or Imagined? 

One Track Pony:  Repeating a single track of music over and over and over...."white noise" clears my mind and brings focus, to others irritation may occur....

Mind Games? Truth or Dare?  Fiction writers with plot and character development, like  **J.K. Rowling, show personal and visual creativity with detailed sketches, notes and symbols as triggers for writing. The History of Magic, Fantastic Beasts, Mythology of all cultures and other sources appear as if by magic.  Shape shifting and fantasy with multi layered awareness writes itself.  Children's books often display mystical lands and games for their readers.  Springboards for unlimited possibilities of all ages.

Where does inspiration come from? 

Dream On 
*** Dolly Parton, began to write "my little songs" at age 7.  "Dream Songs, they're pretty good~ I always keep a notepad by my bed."

**** Paul Simon, singer songwriter, related that his Sounds of Silence song "was like a conduit came through, I don't know why or where."  Sometimes lyrics first, or melodies, or both at once, fully formed or in bits and pieces.  "Music is the Universal Language." 

Bits and Pieces:
I think of the quilter and knitter, working with visions, patterns, bits of fabric or yarn and color with planned or random stitches and needles.  "Patchwork Dance" activates.  Picture living colors in quilt patterns done up in flower and herb beds in a beautiful quiet park.  Now watch outdoor cooking done with colorful fresh vegetable mixes and plated with designs made of beets, radishes and peppers.  Quilter's' Catalogue by Meg Cox, Dinner and a Book program, virtual fun and relaxing to watch.

Waking Visions:  Images  Silver Butterfly and Blue Butterfly inspire writings, paintings and this blog  

Wide awake? Or not?

                      Colored Lights through Stained Glass, butterfly wings opening



Mind Fields
Imagine if you could be in several dimensions at once. "You could be conducting a symphony in an alternative universe right now!" Brian Green, physicist, String Theory.

I had imaginary dimension experiences as a child.  After reading Albert Payson Terhune's Collie stories,  in my waking dreams I "owned" many Collies, all colors of Collies on a large farm. in "Iowa." The Collies had names, pedigrees, personalities, and life stories.  I had a farm layout in my attic.  I hand painted each animal, breeds of horses, cattle and sheep and a Collie kennel too. Each animal figure had unique markings.  I had a green bed sheet spread out for "summer' and a white sheet for winter snow. I practiced drawing and painting animals, especially horses and Collies.  Learning to draw and create art from pure imagination became joy.  "The Great Escape"  trained me for my current curiosity and ongoing creative life.


Mile-a-minute mind is racing at the speed of thought~Like a laser beam, it picks up random information, chants, music and tones then shuffles the mix into a jumbled creative whole.  A written piece or painting, maybe even years later, downloads into solid form with light and color.  

Cosmic:  order out of chaos.  

Then thoughts slow down and focus on order and detail, like "finishing" a painted piece, light and shade, action and rest.

 "Take Your Time~"  



Synesthesia:  A World of Your Own

"I was born on a Wednesday and Wednesday's are always blue," Daniel Tammet

Colors: days of week, emotions, letters, and music notes. 

When I saw a 60  Minutes CBS, program in 2015, imagine the people interviewed!  One man created a basketball team in his head, a fiction team, like my imaginary friend collies, kind of like having a movie running in your imagination, separate from your "real" life of school or work.  Marilu Henner was also interviewed, she has a form of eidetic  memory that can identify "date time and place" of events in her life, what the weather was like, what she was wearing, who she was with and more.  This program opened my eyes wide and spoke of synesthesia experiences. These may vary with the individual.  

"Write Music With Color"
Some people see unique colors for each letter or musical note..  Lang Lang, piano musician from China writes music from pictures in his head, moving or still life, "landscapes painted with sound."


Synesthesia with Words?   Better yet "taste words!"  That's me~ "Thurs" tastes like a grilled cheese sandwich.  The word "Joy" is crispy whole wheat toast with plenty of concord grape jelly and butter.

"I feel your pain."
The Doctor Oz Show, ABC TV on Nov 30, 2018 interviewed a young neurologist, Joel Salinas, M.D, who can "feel the pain" or "conditions" of his patients in his own physical experience, thus helping with empathy and diagnosis.  Are you overly "sympathetic" or cringe when you see a news show or hear sadness?  Do you absorb others' feelings and experiences with your whole body, mind, and spirit?  "Hypersensitive Personality" may take in too much data and emotion.

"I thought everybody was like me!" 

Dr. Salinas and some other people may also receive "mirror images" when they process information in pictures or feelings.  

Painted Synesthesia I remembered receiving a clear mirror image of Phoebe, a white Norwegian Forest Cat.  I was commissioned to paint Phoebe.  During a phone conversation about Phoebe's portrait, I mentally received a color "picture" of Phoebe out of nowhere and quickly sketched her out in pencil.  

When the owner came to show me pictures of Phoebe, I was stunned to see a color photo of Phoebe on her blue quilt.  The white snow dot design on the quilt, like stars sprinkled on the sky were exactly as I had pictured them. 

"This is the photo!"  Except Phoebe's head and body were in the opposite direction of the image I had received.  

I went to the refrigerator to retrieve the tiny mirror image pencil sketch, less than 1" in size


This is the painting:

Stars and Snow:  Spirit of phoebe

++"Memories are made of this~ "

Blogger Search Key Words:  Color, Creativity, Music, Art, Poetry, Writing, Meditation

Related Posts:
Stars and Snow:  Spirit of Phoebe
Tonal Vision
A Strong Clear Vision
Pilgrimage to Sunnybank (home of author Albert Payson Terhune, Collie stories and history)


Resources:
Music all kinds:  
What do you need "right now" for focus, energy, or relaxation, even sleep? You can always switch the song/medley to fit your needs of the moment. 

For now I have Hakuna Metata, Jimmy Cliff and Lebo M., Rhythm of the Pride Lands, Cd (music based on The Lion King Motion Picture), Walt Disney Productions 1995 switching to Cat's Purr by Chet Day, Lucy (Chet's Cat) plus nature sounds bring calming.

++ Memories Are Made of This, song (lyrics mid 1950's) sung by Perry Como and others

Music Books
Don Campbell, The Mozart Effect, "seeing sound"

Oliver Sacks,M.D.  Musicophelia, hear, see, and perceive music.

TV: 
*  quote paraphrased from VHIC, 2016 Documentary, Wilder Horizons, David Gilmour, singer-songwriter, former member of Pink Floyd

*** Dolly Parton, Good Morning America, ABC TV, Dec 6, 2018 combined interview with Jennifer Anniston, movie Dumplin'

****  Paul Simon, singer-songwriter, quoted on Amanpour and Company, Nov 14, 2018, PBS.org

Quilter's Catalogue by Meg Cox, Dinner and a Book with Gail Martin and co-hosts, WNIT South Bend, IN, PBS.org 

Plastic Ville USA, houses and farm with figures, can be used with electric train sets or under the Christmas Tree many years ago

Bryer Animal Models in plastic, horses, dogs and more. I learned to draw in detail from these models. I still have them here!

60 Minutes, CBS news, April 2015
HSAM: "Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory," interview: with Marilu Henner and others

Bloomburg TV Interview with Lang Lang, pianist and composer.

The Doctor Oz Show, Nov 30, 2018, Joel Salinas, M.D., a Dr. feels "pain and symptoms" in his patients, helping with diagnosis and treatment. Book Mirror Touch (2018).  Are you too sensitive to light, noise, emotions?  Can you taste words?  "See colored emotions, "red with anger," "blue with sadness" and others.  Synesthesia described.

Brian Green, physicist, string theory and more, various sources, Science and Discovery channels

Books:
Albert Payson Terhune:  investigative journalist, reporter, author of Collie Stories such as Lad a Dog, Grey Dawn, Bruce, and others.  Terhune inspired many a child and adult to become Collie Lovers!  The Master of Sunnybank biography by Irving Litvag 

** J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter Series, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and more, British Library Exhibit (2018)

Mirror Touch, 2018, book by Joel Salinas, M.D. Mirror Image reception and more

Feel Better Fast and Make it Last, 2018, Daniel G. Amen, M.D. Program PBS.org

Help for ADD/ADHD:  Daniel Amen, M.D., Edward Hallowell, M.D., Totally ADD with Rick Green

Born on a Blue Day, Daniel Tammet, every day is a different color.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, by Mark Haddon

Proof of Heaven, Eben Alexander, M.D. life changing experiences, shifts in consciousness

Total Memory Makeover, Marilu Henner, sort and store your memories

Meditation and Exercise
Deepak Chopra, M.D. chopracentermeditation  21 Day Meditation Experiences with Oprah Winfrey, recently, The Energy of Attraction and Energize Your Life 2018. Some free and some for purchase, seminars, free lifestyle newsletter.  Book Healing the Self with Rudi Tanzi

Yoga:  Yoga Journal,  Giam, Rodney Yee, Peggy Cappy creates Yoga for Older Adults

Tai Chi and Qigong:
Paul Lam, M.D. Tai Chi for Health Worldwide
YMAA.com Dr. Yang Jwing-ming, Taiji and Qigong and more


Dahlis Roy:  Visionary Artist, Author, and Tai Chi Instructor

Images by Dahlis
Rainbow Light, photo 
Light Reflection Light, Circles on Ceiling, photo
Stained Glass Color, Butterfly Opens Wings, photo
Stars and Snow Spirit of Phoebe, oil portrait of Phoebe
Shadows of Blue and Silver, photo