Showing posts with label animals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label animals. Show all posts

The Original Sun Worshiper; Ring Tailed Lemur






 I hope everyone had a brilliant midsummer and you're staying as cool as possible or splendidly sweaty upon your preference and locale. 
 If you didn't have time to celebrate or it slipped your mind, remember that midsummer was celebrated around July 5 before the Gregorian calendar was adopted. ;) Another reminder that  cultures have tried to track time for millennia, and it's all a human construct anyway, btw making numerology a largely culturally subjective and egoic practice. You can visit this site to see a list of some in descending accuracies, with the Persian calendar introduced in the 2 C. BCE being the most accurate.
 Sooooo, back to the star of the show; the Sun. Funny enough, the center of our solar system doesn't have an official name, according to the IAU. Solis is obviously the Latin for sun, from Sol, the Roman equivalent to Helios, Greek god of the Sun. For that matter, neither do any of the inner planets nor our moon. This is where culture and human anthropomorphizations get involved.

 One of my very first memories is of having one hand on a sturdy sapling, swinging my body weight around and around it as my hand slid over the smooth bark. I pivoted on one foot, looked up and swung. I let the brilliantly blinding gold light enter my eyes and what felt like my entire being, again and again. And I sang. I sang songs to the sun. I was barely three. Most of my early vivid memories are just this. The sun and me gazing on it. I didn't have a name for it, That feeling. Jubilation? Bliss? I guess I didn't need one. I think that feeling is what humanity chases and gives a personhood in a god. A warm stillness. On the solstice it is with us the longest.
 We love to name things. Our meat computers have adapted perfectly for this. The dance of visual cortex and frontal lobe to Broca's area is something we can't get enough of- if you're at all interested in the psych & neuroscience and want to dip your foot in this, read this article and then hit me up for more- as a RH artist with crossed aphasia during migraines, I love this topic! Not being able to communicate or place words during auras was a scary and frustrating thing for decades. Once I studied it more and began to release the need to label, riding out the waves of non-verbal time has been fairly enlightening.
 Amaterasu of Japanese mythology
(Amaterasu of Japan)
 The Sun, whatever you want to call it, him, or even her. Yes, her. In Japan, the sun goddess, Amaterasu Omikame was the queen of heaven and earth. In ancient Mesopotamia she was Arinna. This theme crosses into Anatolia, where Hecate has her origins as a sun goddess that mediates between the upper and underworlds. (With no mention by Hesiod in Theogony of all the witchy traits later attributed to her.)  It can be Ra or Helios, who eventually gives way to Apollo, then Sol, and today we come back to another son that has a birthday celebrated in December and I think you get the point. My point? Every. Culture. Is. Different. And. Evolves. (Buuuut really doesn't if it thinks it's the "correct" culture and there's nothing new under the ...)
Our constant across the globe? The sun! Need warmth? Need food? Need light? Vitamin D? Serotonin? Awesome, me too. There's a star for that! 
 According to each group of people and their location, climate, etc., the folklore and resulting pantheon therefore religious ritual is going to vary, but without it there will be no life. Period. 
  That's why I chose to honor the solstice by visiting the ring tailed lemurs on Friday. I had the opportunity to see them in the Safari Park lemur encounter a couple of years ago during their sun-worship and it was a very cool experience. So against my better judgement, I brought one bottle of ice water & my sketchbook out into the 100+ heat index of the Central Florida Zoo. What followed was sweaty, sad, highly entertaining, but worth it.
-I have an unpopular stance with some fellow animal lovers-
One- Zoos can make me sad. Like really sad. Two- I still support zoos by being a member. Conservation, endangered species breeding programs, and education can make all the difference for a young person. Environmental protections aren't in place to save our animal brothers and sisters, so someone has to be the "bad" guy. Deal with it and or get to fixin' their habitat, my friend.

  Next to the spider monkeys (omg, you guys, we saw an actual monkey in the wild this weekend by our house but that's a whole other story) the ring tailed lemurs exhibit was obviously the biggest in the primate section. I'm betting this is because they are "famous" due to the movie Madagascar. That's where they are from, the southern end of Madagascar, along with 60 other species of lemurs throughout the rest of the country. I haven't seen the movie, but I've seen clips. Idk. I have thoughts that I'll get to at the end. anyhow- All lemurs are endangered due to habitat destruction.
   
 Back to the ring tailed lemurs- I was hot and dragging by the time I got back to their area, but they were fairly active. Active to the point it was a little difficult to sketch them. They were jumping about and eating leaves, then trying to find a comfortable position to sit, squat, nap, nope, climb, sit, squat, nap, nope, jump, hop, sit, etc. I was enjoying observing them and sketching croquis when a couple walked up (and after peering over my shoulder to see what I was doing) began watching them with me.  
 The two lemurs had been engaged in a mutual grooming session, and one was now trying to move to the seat the other had held. A bit of roughhousing ensued which very quickly broke off with the two running to separate areas of the enclosure. One of the lemurs began stroking his very long striped tail between his hands repeatedly.  The woman beside me began to comment how much, "He just loves that pretty tail of his! Show it off!" Then she laughed, walked off, and it got me thinking about one of my favorite (here read triggering) topics anthropomorphization in animal symbology. 
 What this lemur was actually doing by caressing his luxurious, long, striped tail was prepping for a "stink fight". The scent glands located on his upper wrists (and chest) secrete a strong pheromone that is unique to him.

Instead of engaging in violent spats, ring tailed lemurs waft their tails toward opponents and mark areas they want to stake as their own claim. What we were witnessing wasn't just grooming, and certainly not vanity- a uniquely human trait. It was a behavior that helps enforce boundaries and keeps confrontation from escalating to dangerous levels by using your very unique essence, so to speak. More sciencey details on stink fighting here.  I think that's a behavior to meditate on, don't you?

 The woman's comments, along with the lemur's unique homeland made me wonder what would happen if I looked up "lemur spirit animal" just for kicks. I personally don't believe in catchall copy paste guidelines from self proclaimed spiritual gurus, because honestly most of them are full of more bullshit than the rhino exhibit and don't know much about the animals they are talking about. Go figure. When I did, I unfortunately wasn't surprised. Most sites seem to copy and paste from each other and were a hodge podge of wishful thinking that works well with the Barnum effect and other cognitive biases.
These two were oft repeated to people searching for meaning of their "totem" & got me the most-
 "Spirits (sometimes creature) of the night" - Yeah. Lemur species are varied and most are actually diurnal, like the sun-basking ring tail. :) 
"Superficiality...manipulative" . 

free download for patrons
 Again, these are human traits projected onto a prosimian primate. I'm wagering the tail stroking and grooming behavior along with characterizations from a certain animated movie sparked this judgement. Let's maybe not put human traits on animals. Learn the animals, then glean what you can from how they behave on a personal and introspective level. If we're going to mash meaning into everything (and we are, it's how we roll) just be informed. I doubt the Malagasy people of Madagascar who thought the lemur was their sacred ancestor and had a soul would think they were superficial manipulative creatures. Oh, unless it's the Aye-Aye , a tiny species of lemur that  they thought cursed them with death if it pointed its weird elongated middle finger at them so they hunted it almost to extinction. Just an observation.  (Daaaaaamn, humans. Stop that already.)

You know about stink fighting. Here are some other basic facts.
They greet the sun every day in lotus like position, exposing their bellies. This warms them from the chilly night, prepping them for a day of foraging leaves, small insects, socializing, hopping about, etc.
They are matriarchal. Holla.
free download for patrons here
Prosimian (strepsirrhines)
They can learn patterns, be taught tool use, and simple arithmetic. 
They are good swimmers and can travel by raft, i.e. floating debris & vegetation. This is probably how most lemurs got to Madagascar from Africa and proliferated so successfully due to the lack of other primates.
Their name is from a Latin word for a type of specter, or scary restless ghosts, lemures.  
"I call [the creatures in this genus] lemurs, because they go around mainly by night, in a certain way similar to humans, and roam with a slow pace." -Taxonomist Carl Linnaeus- When he had discovered small lemurs and also classified the loris as a lemur.
Ring tailed, Brown, Indris, etc. lemurs are diurnal, it is mostly the smaller lemurs that are nocturnal.


 Ok? Basics down? I recommend going to observe them if you can. Then you can decide what the lemur is to you. As humans, we will absolutely find meaning in any and everything. Life has the meaning you give it. Cookie cutter meanings make cookie cutter lives. Just like all animal guide meditation/intentions, the focus should be personal. 
 I sketched a few poses. I had a nice time observing them and thinking about how we think about them. By the way, the lemur didn't get his spot. He found a new one. I sketched him trying to nap on it before he moved.
 The watercolor artwork featured on this post is a ring tail in his sun worship pose, with a circumpunt for the sun, upward equilateral for fire, and various intersecting lines at points for my own as a reminder of balance, harmony, and flow.
 It is a reward for tier 3+ patrons. If you're not a patron but dig it, you can purchase a print here. 
 You'll see in the other reward downloads based on the lemur that my idea of sun worship and recharging isn't as fire as everyone goes on and on about. What I got from my meditative time after the lemur solstice; 
There are no formulas for something that hasn't been yet. No wrote ritual or pose. No expectations from others of what it should be. Breaks are goods, naps are even better. No need to oust another or compete. You don't ever need another to give you permission or direction.
 download on Patreon

 That perfect spot, your place in the sun, it will be yours and yours alone. 

That said- excuse any typos, s'il vous plait. It's hot af and I need a swim break. It's pretty hot.
All tiers of Lemur solstice rewards are up for supporters on Patreon, and the July moon phase calendar for Tier1 +will be up Sunday.
See you soon, 
~D. Renée

Why is the Pink Moon Pink?

Why the Pink Moon & Phase Calendar
  Rabbit, rabbit!
I'm sure at least some of you say this on the first (we will save the history for next month's Flower moon on Patreon- and in some traditions the Hare Moon) 
This month I'm working in the Hare early because of his ties with the Pink Moon and Easter's date, as well as the Trickster energy kicks off the entire month. (I hope you weren't fooled badly by anyone today, but if you were, Jistu was probably happy.)
Moon Phase Calendar

 If you can, listen to *this recording of award-winning Cherokee storyteller Robert Lewis telling a traditional Cherokee Jistu story. Trust me, his voice and delivery is beyond compare, and he has quick a bit of trickster energy himself. Me writing about it would not do the rich oral tradition a lick of justice.
 ( *Start at 8:00-13:45 for the first story about how Creator challenged rabbit & he got his long ears, and 17:48 to hear about rabbit's trouble outside the council meeting and what his true talent is if you don't have 20 minutes to hear the entire Lewis segment.)
Jistu is rabbit/hare in Cherokee, and he is the traditional trickster in most Eastern tribe mythologies. Coyote is the trickster for Western tribes, like Navaho and Apache.

 April Moon / Pink Moon : This month's moon is called so because moss phlox is one of the first flowers to bloom and spread color in the spring. Another name is the Sprouting Grass Moon, and the Cherokee called it the Kawoni or Flower Moon although many others use that name for May's moon. There are a multitude of names for every moon within various cultures. Pink is fairly widespread, and I'm guessing it's because phlox is native to most of the Americas.

 Phlox is in the Polemoniaceae family and there are 60 odd varieties of phlox. Phlox coming from the Greek for flame, its color is bright and vibrant against the new spring grasses.  
Traditional medicinal uses for phlox included steeping the whole plant in a tonic for indigestion and using dried leaves as a detox tea, as well as topical application of a root tea for skin ailments, eye washes, and even venereal diseases. (Again- I am not recommending these applications, especially for the STIs. See a health care professional.)
 In the language of flowers, phlox means; Our souls are united. or We think alike. 
Using phlox in your garden to foster those harmonious warm and fuzzies seems a no-brainer, pink is always good for that 4th chakra whirl. The phlox flowers are susceptible to spider mites, eelworms, phlox bug, and powdery mildew (so probably whiteflies, too- bane of my existence) but so goes it with growing. Circle of life, get some green lacewings or ladybugs and watch them feast.
More things to come soon- just wanted to get the calendar link up for you to mark your moons if you wanted it. A full size downloadable print & PNG of the Pink Moon artwork will be coming to Tier 4+ soon, and a downloadable print of Hey, Jupiter is coming to Tier 3+ with the next line art upload when it's ready to scan.
Thanks for swinging by,
May the Pink Moon shine on new growth for you and yours,
May your heart sing like Jitsu's, even in the face of the Eagle,
May you teach others to dance to their heart's song.
~D. Renée

Kidding Around

"Everyman can tell how many goats or sheep he possesses, but not how many friends." Marcus Tullius Cicero



Today I started celebrating my best friend's day of birth by whipping up a hand-painted card featuring a few of his favorite things in one; animals- namely goats, baby goats, & skepticism of others' motives through the side eye expression. 


There's some gorgeous, artisan crafted, goat shaped soap (from Oil Patch Farm on Etsy) to accompany this card, don't worry. My gag gift giving game is still en pointe. 

Farm Animals/Goat Soap by Oil Patch Farm
(I wish I could've shown you a better photo b/c this soap it so detailed and pretty, but I couldn't unwrap a gift, y'know. He also said won't be using it, because he likes it too much! )

I'm a lucky lady to be married to someone that can poke fun at things most ppl take seriously. To all the Virgos ♍️, you're an intelligent, caring, and incredibly hard working special lot. May this year bring you the amazing rewards you deserve. :)


Do you make your own birthday cards?
Are silly and fun gifts your thing? 

Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for stopping by,

D. Renée





Single & Ready to Flamingle



Are you a pinky fan?
Then you probably already know
June 23rd was National Flamingo Day.
I've been painting flamingos for several years, but I'm pretty thrilled that they have the spotlight right now. 
I don't know how anyone couldn't love them. 
The long lines, gorgeous and unique color, completely breathtaking flight, and truly fascinating social rituals and interactions are  just a few of the things that make these birds an absolute must 
for my wild Florida series.



While there were relatively very few wild flamingos in Florida the past century (since more and more people settled in Florida and their numbers dwindled due to feather and egg harvesting) the greater American beauties are making a comeback in certain spots of sofl.

                                                         Full flamingo watercolor study I

As I make small watercolor studies for larger pieces in the Wild FL series, I will place the small postcard sized paintings on DPW for auction.



Stay tuned for more birds as I list them online this summer!

What's your favorite thing about flamingos?

Let me know in the comments. :)


World Penguin Day!

Today looking a little black and white?

It better be.
Boom! It's World Penguin Day!
(Different from National Penguin Awareness Day, and still cool.)

"How adorably awesome",  you say!

I totally agree.

It's also not complete arbitrary nonsense.

World Penguin Day coincides with the northern migration of penguins. They start to waddle north  in March and April throughout the world. They can be found in Antartica, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Peru, the Falklands & Galapagos. 

Yay penguins!




May your World Penguin Day be awesome, and if it's not, may someone or something carry you through it.




Enough of my stories- what does this art say about you?


I actually started posting these images for a curator because these pieces, or reproductions of them, are going to be in a Nature themed/Earth Day showing here at a Central Florida venue.
I couldn't get my email to upload jpgs- so irritating- so I figured I'd post them here with links that I could email, but then I had an idea...

As an artist that happily lives out in the boonies, almost every painting I create is inspired by something I see in nature.
I usually share the stories behind them. 
(You'll find the link to a blog post or web page about the corresponding post if I posted one for that piece.)
But I'd really like to hear what these images inspire in you.


Get creative and let me know by 
posting a short story or poem in the comments.


What stories do these paintings tell you?



 :)
1.
 Birds of the Air
Birds of the Air

2.
 Dragonfly Druzy
Dragonfly Druzy

3.
Have a Ball

4.
Crow Moon

5.
Oleander Moth 

6.
Butterfly Fuchsia


7.
Spirit of the Fox

8.
Winter is Coming

9.
Wired
10.
True Blue Jay




What stories do these paintings tell you?

 Let me know!







The greatest gift...

One Christmas Eve
 a long time ago 
in a little house on a snowy night,

 three young girls each opened separate boxes from their mother.
Each box contained a single slip of paper. On each piece of paper was written a single letter.
One sister held the letter G.
The middle sister received the letter D.
The youngest had the letter O.
The oldest girl rolled her eyes and threw her head back. "God?"
 After antagonizing the indignant child for a few moments, the mother revealed that the sisters would be receiving a D-O-G that year.

And so simultaneously began my joyous obsession with gift wrapping pranks and pets.
Last night, my husband had me open a gift. It was wrapped in a prank box.
It wasn't a tangible gift, but it really was the best gift I've ever received in my entire life. 
(I'll fill you in later, trust me.)

 Anyway, I was crying and said "I don't deserve you." 
My sister was there (if you've read any other post about her,
 you know how awesome she is)
she immediately blurted out "Yes, you do!", which made me laugh, but then cry more.

 I was crying tears of relief, tears of laughter, tears of joy.
You see, I had been having a rough go lately. In my mind, some things were really not going so well. I really needed time with those two last night to put it all in perspective, to see that my life really is full awesome things, full of downright miracles, and that JOY is the best one.
 
 My wish for you this Christmas is that you get that same sort of magic;
To be surrounded by the people that love you, and love life enough,
to be completely silly and ridiculous.
People that will make you laugh until your sides hurt, and smile until your cheeks ache.

 It's nothing short of miraculous. 


And to everyone that purchased artwork this holiday season, a very special thank you!
Your support means more than you know.
May your holiday and New Year be merry and bright.






Pass the bamboo; My art has finally gone to crap.

And here it is...

I visited the giant pandas in San Diego this October and got some photos, video, and some of this VERY special paper in the gift shop.


It's a different texture than what I'm used to painting on, 
(it's almost like a very strong paper shop towel) but it's so much fun and really cool to use a repurposed material that supports the conservation of an endangered species. 

Here's my time lapse painting. :)


I learned a lot.
The giant panda eats 20-25lbs of bamboo every day. That's a LOT of fiber. 
Most of this bamboo is not digested, and it comes out looking almost the same as when it went down the hatch. Pandas poo between 30 and 50 times a day! The keepers at the San Diego Zoo save this scat after they clean the pandas' living areas, and it is recycled and turned into a beautiful bamboo paper;
poo paper! (Guess who stocked up.)
This paper is totally clean and does not smell. A valid question, but no, it's super clean and beautiful.

It was awesome to see the pandas, especially the baby Xiao Liwu a.k.a. Mr. Wu. 
I really did have tears of wonderment, and a bit of sadness, welling up in my eyes. 
There are 1,800 pandas left in the wild. Conservation and breeding programs are so important!
I was really excited to leave San Diego with an experience that I'll never forget, and some of this cool paper to help capture my memories and inspire me. 


If there's an animal you're passionate about, you can select the "Custom" drop down variation for a special sketch of your favorite animal on this unique paper.

Each poo paper painting will be hand painted to-order, and will not look exactly like the photo in the style variation. Those are just pose guidelines. The nature of this paper, watercolor, and free hand ink doodles is totally wild and free.
This means that each painting will be truly one-of-a-kind. :D



I just love this eco-friendly and animal aware paper.

How do you recycle or repurpose?

What's your favorite animal?

Let me know in the comments :)

Happy snacking,



Small Business Saturday, Turkey recap, & More



Wow. That flew by!
Use the code SHOPSMALL in my Etsy store to save 30% on orders $50&+. 

(Become a patron w/ a support pledge to get a 30% code with no minimum purchase.)
I can't believe it's Small Business Saturday already. I'm still all caught up in Thanksgiving. 
I don't eat turkeys, so I painted one.


This was the progress shot after a bit of wine made me decide it was time to take a break and kick off the holiday with cheesy television specials. 

(OMG, who saw Turkey Hollow?!!!! I adore all things Henson, and Steenburgen's character is pretty much me in 30 years.)
Image source.
This shot was from the trail Thanksgiving morning.
See the center of the photo? Look down slightly.
That's a large, wild turkey.
That tree is over 50ft tall.
Yup.
Turkeys fly. (It always irritates me when people mistakenly say they don't.) 
Domesticated, fattened, hormone pumped turkeys don't fly.
I am lucky to live in an area with lots of wild turkeys.
The Joe Hutto book Illumination in the Flatwoods and Nature documentary My Life as a Turkey was actually based in Florida. :)

Here's the finished watercolor. What would you title this turkey?
Swing by my Facebook page to give your suggestion, or let me know in the comments. :)



Oh! And here's the newest pattern coloring page for Patreon supporters.
I was somewhere in between thinking of slices of pie and snowflakes. This is what came out.
It's free for supporters, and it's as little as only $1 a month to pledge your support.

 Free Holiday Colring Printables for Patreon Patrons

Happy Small Biz Saturday!

How are you planning to support local and small business owners this holiday season?




A Halloween Tribute to the Florida Black Bears

So, okay, I procrastinated a bit this year. 
(It's been a little crazy this month.)
 We had to go to a couple of different stores to find a pumpkin. When we got home,
it rolled out and hit the driveway when we opened the gate to the truck, and it split! BUT I tried to make it work, and I wanted to honor our Florida black bears. 
I will not go into why (right now), but the science behind the "FWC" (the board of which was appointed by Governor Scott and is comprised not of biologist but of business men and woman) black bear cull was extremely bad, and basically sold over 3,000 hunting permits to kill an allotted 320 bears when there were only 3,000 bears in the state of FL at the last count. A state of almost 20 million humans. The fact that bear bile sells for half the price of gold... I'll save that for a later post, and hopefully you'll do some research on bears for yourself and see that many perpetuated myths just aren't true. 
My Cubs-O-Lantern
It was a challenge to carve around the split, and I do wish I had time to work on another. I think I'd probably carve a homage to our florida bats; another important species that humans are encroaching upon their habitat. 
Happy (almost!) Halloween, friends. Here's to remembering those that have gone, and to living peacefully with ALL those we still walk amongst. Man or "beast".

Here's the bear-o-lantern from all sides. 

Oh, and I almost forgot!

If you want a free coloring sheet download, just swing by my Facebook page and comment with your favorite Halloween candy.


Then, head over to my Patreon for the free download. 

What kind of jack-o-lantern are you carving?
Let me know in the comments. :)

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