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

BALANCING ACT

OK START AGAIN 

Writing right along, halfway through the story....it erased?  

* "I find Complete Balance Within."

(Breathe)


Restart

Crystal Dish with Speckled Shell

** "Be Quick but not in a hurry,"  certainly fits in here....

Tai Chi and Yoga practices teach these principles, along with agility and careful thought to find physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional balance in our lives.  

Standing on one leg helps build confidence, focus, and pride of accomplishment.  How would I do that?  Slowly and over Time....  

Tai Chi:

"A little OK, a lot not OK," Jiong Gu, TCM, L.AC, "All in balance in Tai Chi and in Life."

I feel like a juggler, juggling slices of time, a balancing act.  I feel like the stonecutter or woodcarver, taking time to make the correct shapes and designs appear.  I have streamlined my everyday tasks and feel energized yet relaxed to enjoy a few creative moments near the end of my day to feel deep peace and relaxation before bedtime.  

Reflection:

Years ago, a solitary Sandhill Crane appeared in our back yard.  Stationary, alert, silent.  He stood like a statue as I watched.  I turned and circled, practicing Tai Chi.  Just as  my practice ended, he spread his giant wings and flew off to the northland.  The day was cloudy bright, the gray and green brought a sense of calm.  

I heard him calling from a distance.

Hear and Now

"Our purpose is not to imitate the crane but to become it."

Jiong Gu.

Blog Search Key Words:  Tai Chi, Crane

Related Post:

Universe Shadows of Cranes

Resources:

* "I find complete balance within," Deepak Chopra, M.D. Finding Your Inner Balance (segment day 15) part of 21 Day Meditation Experience with Deepak and Oprah Winfrey, Energize Your Life, Oct-Nov 2018.  Chopra Center Meditation, Meditations Online some free and also for purchase.

**" Be quick but not in a hurry," quote by John Wooden, UCLA basketball coach, 1960's. 

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

Images:

Crystal Dish with Speckled Shell, photo by Dahlis

Tai Chi at Sunset , photo by Rob

Sandhill Cane, "standing still in timeless time" oil painting by Dahlis

FIELDS OF VISIONS

The Great Harvest

Oak Leaf through sunlight sparks patterns in the imagination, twigs and branches and bark and wood fires....



Poetry is Science
Leaves of Grass:  Walt Whitman comes into mind....


Who Else?

Close Up of Maple Leaf:  PRIMAL

I am picking up some favorite books~ friends and references, memories and time rewound. Then I push fast forward.  Let's open pages at random:

Mont-Saint-Michel and Chartres by Henry Adams:

"The Archangel Loved Heights...."

"Science and Art are One...."

William Blake Selected Poems:

A Cradle Song,

"Sleep Sleep beauty bright

Dreaming o'er the joys of night...."

William Butler Yeats Poetry for Young People:

* The Lake Isle of Innisfree

"I shall arise and go now, and go to Innisfree
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made:
Nine bean-rows I will have there, a hive for the honey bee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade...."

Twinning~

Basking in the afterglow of books well lived and written....

Science is Poetry

Blog Search Key Words:  Autumn, Poetry, Creativity

Related Posts:

The Little Chessie that Could

The Great Harvest  

Resources:

Books:

Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman, a classic

Mont-Saint-Michele and Chartres by Henry Adams, 1905 by Henry Adams, 1933 by Charles Francis Adams, Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey

William Blake Selected Poems, Gramercy Books, New York, 1999 Random House Value Publishing

William Butler Yeats Poetry for Young People, ed. Jonathan Allison and Illustrated by Glenn Harrington, Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., New York, New York, 2002

* Notes about poem:  Innisfree: "the heathery island," a small island in Lough Gill, County Sligo. "Wattles" rods and branches interwoven.

Also an Irish folk song, The Isle of Innisfree (pronounced "Innish free")

Music:

Irish Folk Music, various

Roots, Leaves, Branches: Ben Cooper, Radical Face

Neil Diamond Greatest Hits: Holly Holy , Song Sung Blue, Stones, Sooliamon

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

Images: photos by Dahlis

Oak Leaf through Sunlight

Primal close up maple leaf

Twinning, maple leaves

INSPIRED BY DREAM

Healing the Earth (detail)

*  Recently my friend, Judy J. started painting again!  The magic of dreams and paint came effortlessly.  It feels so good to once again hold a brush in your hands, to mix colors and ideas with ease and joy....pride of accomplishment...

Judy:  "In my dream I saw an Angel....she was feather light and she reached out with multicolored lights and shapes of all kinds, gently touching and surrounding the Earth."  

Cosmic Concepts

Texture, Emotion, Light Rays, Night, Day:  I saw feathers and plants and insects and light and color and flowers and comets.  

Action and Tranquility Combine.... Rotating the picture, brings a non-directional "difference,"  a shift in perspective and sense of location.  

"Paint Your Dreams"

Key Words Blog Search:  Creativity, Painting, Dreams, Angels

Related Posts:
Feather Light
Painting the Earth
The Reel World
A Strong Clear Vision
Absolute Magic
Once and Forever

Resources:
The Yoga of Drawing, Uniting Body, Mind, and Spirit in the Art of Drawing, Jeanne Carbonetti

The Artist's Handbook, Angela Clair, drawing, water color, oil painting, use of materials and techniques  

The Artist's Way, A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron


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

Images: 
Art Work,
* Inspired by Dream, Healing the Earth, acrylic painting, by Judy J., published with permission

Photos by Dahlis, close up views of painting

THE WHITE TRIANGLE

Treasure Hunt: I  found a triangle canvas in my favorite store....of course it said, "buy me!"

Unwrapping the canvas at home I thought:  What will appear?  What will I paint?  Of course it has to be unique, a focused image... special....

While waiting for directions for the picture, I hung the blank canvas in my kitchen area where I could observe the changing light!  Was I surprised!  Shadows and reflections radiated around the triangle....ever changing day and night.  Looking at a plain surface is calming, free of clutter, meditative.

Subtle shades of pale color appeared...palest lavender here...  mist and very quiet energy rays emitting from the top.

Plan, sketch, what next?  Nothing I pictured seemed to fit into the triangle shape?  

I'm on your sides~

All angles on deck...chuckle, I thought back to plane ("plain") geometry class....

Plain and Simple:  

The Blank Page

One Page Away

A Plain Canvas


Images will come and colors too in good time....their own time

Patience

Process

Speed of Light and Quiet Stillness

New Beginnings!  What will appear?


* "Letting go of certainty and embracing curiosity...."


Related Posts:
The Blank Page
Peaceful Mountain
Book Bag

Resources:
*Neil DeGrasse Tyson, interview quote on Amanpour and Company, Oct 2018, PBS (USA)


Dahlis Roy:  Visionary Artist, Author and Tai Chi Instructor

Photos by Dahlis:
White Triangles and Angle View
Sacred Geometry