Rain and Renewal

My collaboration with "Q" a few weeks ago, see the post here,

was a fun change of pace for me. 

As it's been gray and rainy all day, I'm sharing another piece and poem created with the award winning writer, actor, film-maker, and now poet extraordinaire.

I won't go into details, but it's been a rough month. 

Her poem for this piece was especially poignant, and we had quite a bit to say and commiserate on regarding personal tribulations and the sometimes rocky paths an artist's life presents.

Excuse the use of a trite phrase, but we truly are soul surfers.

There can be a deluge of overwhelm, pain or loneliness at times, but for an artist there isn't really an alternative. Our vulnerability and openness, our fiery and sometimes easily bruised hearts, are what help us to flow with the emotional current we are supposed to ride. 

For eons the emotions have been tied to water.

It is also what heals and renews us.

Tears from the sky. Pouring. Pain. Sadness. Despair.

Water splashes. Diluting. Lifting. Giving life.

Mend your reflection; flourish.

~Quirine Dongelmans

Wow.

She really boiled it all down, didn't she?

I love her writing.

Visit Q's website to learn more about her & her art.

If you like my Rain Break painting, you can click here to see details without the text, 

or add it to your collection while it's in my DPW gallery. 

Thanks for stopping by to see the collab. 

Subscribe to the newsletter and send an email with your links if you're a writer that would like to submit to collaborate on the project.

What do you do when you're in the doldrums?

Here's to the rain & her renewal,

~D. Renée

National I Love My Feet Day & a Haiku Collaboration

Today is National I Love My Feet Day!

I created a piece that fits today's theme and am very excited to share the first in a collaborative series with poets and writers.

But first...

If there's one thing I'll never understand, it's those people that can't go barefoot.

You know the ones. They hate feet. They hate their own feet. They always wear socks. 

They turn their noses up at other people's feet. 

I don't have a foot fetish, but I seriously love feet. 

What's not to love about a mechanism that houses over 7,000 nerve endings?!

28 bones, 30 joints, and more than 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments working together to support the rest of the amazing machine that is my body.

I don't even have "pretty" feet. My second toe is much longer than my big toe. 

(Seriously, sometimes it scrapes under on the sidewalk.) 

My feet are long with really high arches, and big, bony ankles.

 I wear a 9 1/2 to a 10 depending on the shoe, and I'm short of 5' 6" on my best posture days. 

Unless I'm somewhere that requires shoes, I go barefoot most of the time.

Therefore, I don't have the softest of soles. 

I also run and walk long distances, which leaves me with callouses and blisters.

But you know what? Those long, rough feet carry me for miles and miles.

They root me down into balancing yoga postures, and they bring me much needed joy when a rough day calls for a dance break.

I created this piece to remind me to take more time to honor my feet, but also of the connection our feet gives us to the Earth and its energy.

I am very honored to share with you my watercolor and ink illustration and the haiku it inspired, written by award winning writer and director, Quirine "Q" Dongelmans.

Rooted are the feet
To Mother Earth, universe
Show them loving care

Thank you so much to Quirine for collaborating with me on this project.

I absolutely love her writing, and I hope you do, too.

You can visit "Q's" page and read about her and her work by  clicking here.

If you like the illustration Grounding you can visit my DPW gallery to see a detailed view without the text. The unframed original will be in a low bid auction this month.

Okay then, I'm going spend some qt with my infrared foot spa. 

Thanks for stopping by, and I really hope you give your feet some extra love today.

They deserve it, and so do you.

XOXO,

The Universe Supports You; Wordless Wednesday

This summer's got me like...

Take it off to put it on.

Click here to order reproductions.

To add the original ink & watercolor sketch to your collection,

visit my Daily Paintworks or click the Bid button below.

Flamingo Friday

I've obviously been on a flamingo roll lately.

I'm a bird lover, but these tropical beauties are unique, and I really like unique.

They stand out. They are elegant and really specialized for their environment.

The printable July rewards for my Patreon Patrons followed suit.

You can get them by pledging support on my Patreon page, or swing by my Etsy shop and get an instant  download, easy peasy.

Speaking of Etsy, 

I put together a lil' flock of fabulous pink things for Flamingo Friday. 

I've also listed another of the small watercolor flamingo studies on Daily Paintworks.

These auctions give collectors and artists a chance to add a small originals to their collections at an affordable price. :)
Click to see more or Bid

Thanks for stopping by the blog.

Don't be afraid to stand out.
Stay flamboyant,
stay weird,

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. :)

Full flamingo watercolor study II

Diving Deep with Pelican; Animal Guides Woo Woo or True?

This summer has been a lot busier than I was planning it to be.
There hasn't been time to do many of the summer things that I was so looking forward to enjoying.
I was able to carve some space out last week to capture reference photos at a gorgeous aviary.
 (checkout my Instagram to see a very cool video)

I'm hoping to continue my flamingo paintings very soon.
(Stayed tuned for my small studies from the Brevard Zoo.)

But that really hasn't seemed like enough...
Do you know what I mean?
When pushing through makes things bubble up.
Hmmmmmmmm.

Today I want to post these guys because they have a special meaning I'm not sure many people know about.
Pelicans are amazing birds, and they are all over the shore no matter where you are.
They live on every continent except Antartica!
The brown pelican, like the ones pictured here at Cape Canaveral, are the smallest of the pelicans.
They might be the slightest, but their wingspan can still reach up to 8 feet.
Pretty impressive, if you ask me.
They are also protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.
I won't go on and on with bird facts (I'll save it for another post) but I will tell you what their behaviors have come to mean in lore and symbology.


As I've written before, the root of "animal guide" or animal totem is all based on the animals' natural behaviors and physical traits. It's pretty much all projection on man's part.
I think modern people aren't as close to nature and animals as they once were and now don't like to hear about their boring scientific behaviors and then process them in a way that requires quiet reflection-
but wrote superstitions and old wives' tales are easier to remember.
However, I'm definitely not one to poo poo signs and belief.
There is even growing evidence that the Universe could be a hologram.
I don't know that I believe in coincidences anymore. What you believe shapes your reality.
What you expect to happen most likely will. We are all self-fulfilling prophets.


And the Pelican...

 A water bird that flies high & dives deep,
this bird has significance on intellectual, spiritual, and emotional levels.


If a pelican flies across your path, it can mean that things are off kilter and you need to take time for yourself to figure some things out.

A pelican quietly swimming or floating means a reminder to find balance.

A pelican sitting with a full bill (gular pouch) is a reminder to pay attention to what abundance you have and use it wisely.
A large group of pelicans beating the water with their wings (hunting & feeding) together is a sign to look toward cooperation and support from those that can help you.

Throughout history, mystics and alchemists have linked the pelican to soul forces, spiritual sacrifice, and inner nourishment.

Source: Marie-Louise von Franz, Alchemy: An Introduction to the Symbolism and the Psychology

There are other reasons mystics project man's psyche onto traits attributed to the pelican, but it ultimately helps that they live at the ocean.
I mean, every time I'm on the edge of the sea, I seem to get a better perspective and the crud is washed away from my spirit.

With that being said-

I think I'm gonna take a little re-route and get some more beach time A.S.A.P.

In the meantime, I painted a pelican study and

made a little beachy treasury.

Click here to open the treasury & see my picks for this week.


You can visit my gallery on DPW to see a larger view
or .

Thanks for stopping by.


What does the pelican say to you?



~D. Renée

Auld Lang Syne; lyrics to the song that makes me weep for no good reason

Last sketch of 2015 (probably);
 Life drawing, quick charcoal & pastel sketch on mi-teintes, Auld Lang Syne,
click through to read sketch narrative.

The Scots have given us many wonderful things, 

and tonight we will sing a tune that is perhaps one of their most far reaching creations.

Penned by poet Robert Burns, this song stirs my soul like no other.

It's one of the most beautiful songs in the world, and it is sung all over the globe.

It doesn't matter if I'm having a blast, this song starts and I'm all choked up.

Seriously. It's like this song embodies all the melancholy I could ever possibly feel in the span of five minutes.

Literally translated, auld lang syne means "old long since", or long, long ago, days gone by, etcetera..

For the record, it's basically a song about remembering people and times gone by, 

not about forgetting them, but you do what you gotta do on New Year's Eve.

(But My God, the line about the "seas between us broad have roared"...*blinks back tears*)

And taking a cup of kindness is raising a glass and toasting to times gone by. 

Below are the modern lyrics, because Scottish is hard. 

(Visit Scotland.org to learn more about Burns and the original Scottish dialect lyrics.)

Auld Lang Syne

Should old acquaintance be forgot,

And never brought to mind?

Should old acquaintance be forgot,

And auld lang syne!

Chorus:

For auld lang syne, my dear*, 

For auld lang syne,

We'll take a cup o' kindness yet,

For auld lang syne,

(this "my dear" is sometimes "my jo" or love)

We two have run about the hills

And pulled the daisies fine;

But we've wandered many the weary foot

Since auld lang syne.

Chorus

We two have paddled in the stream,

From noon till dinner time;

But the seas between us broad have roared,

Since auld lang syne.

Chorus

And there's a hand, my trusty friend!

And give a hand o' thine!

And we'll take a right good willy waught, (goodwill drink of ale)

For auld lang syne.

Chorus

And surely you will buy your *cup (*pint)

And surely I'll buy mine!

And we'll take a cup of kindness yet,

For auld lang syne.

Chorus

 (yes, again)

Stay safe out there tonight.

May you look back with love, 

release what you don't need, 

and take a cup o'kindness~

Always

Art inspired by a collector

To add the original drawing to your collection, contact me,

or click here.

This line drawing portrait was inspired by a very special art collector of mine.

It is a personality, or soul, portrait of sorts. This woman has not only shown tremendous transformation and grace through many hardships and trials, but she is also a source of continuous inspiration and compassion for others. 

She is a very hard working and loving mother, runner, and hospice nurse, among many other things. 

 I hoped to seamlessly interweave the beauty of the butterflies and flowers around her kind smile in this drawing.

I created this ink drawing with the intent of making it also available as a coloring page, because this particular collector is also a supporter of my Patreon project.

Visit my Patreon page to learn more about the perks of becoming a patron,

like free downloads for coloring printables, discounts in my Etsy shop and on custom artwork, giveaways, and more.

If you'd like a coloring page printable of Butterfly Runner today, you can visit my Etsy shop. 

I'm still taking a few more holiday orders, so get yours in if you'd like to commission a 

coloring page portrait of your own.

You can contact me today about custom artwork

by clicking HERE.

P.S.

To get some daily motivation and inspiration, I suggest you checkout 

Butterfly Runner on Facebook!

The Yearling; Fawn Rising

If you follow my work at all, you know the ‘trail’ is a very important part of my artwork and play. I take to it almost daily to get exercise, find inspiration, recharge, and just occasionally zone out. It was during one of these zone out moments that the fawn found me.

I have come across many deer in this particular area of the trail. They usually bound in front of me when I’m racing home against an oncoming storm (leaving me standing in awe for several minutes and giggling with delight only to get soaked in the rain).

This deer crossed the trail and then came back out onto the path to watch me. It was small, and therefore was hard to tell if it was a large yearling or a small doe. However, it’s usually a buck yearling that enters a clearing alone first, and antler sheds would have just been starting to occur in the last two months as daylight hours grow. At a few points, he/ she was close, but not close enough for me to see an exact gender. 

I was soon fairly convinced that this was a fawn rather than a doe, due to its curiosity and lack of wariness an older doe would have had. I adjusted my pace accordingly, letting the fawn stay a comfortable distance while he examined me. This lasted for several minutes before I decided it had to be documented. Try as I might, the velcro sound from my armband may as well have been firecrackers. The fawn ran down the trail and into the trees as I took my cell phone out to get a photo. I made my way down the trail, trying to focus the iPhone camera, and the fawn popped back into view.  I also got a video after this shot, but somehow managed to delete it. (I’m ultra tech clumsy like that.)

All in all, these moments left me with a great sense of peace and wonder. The innocent curiosity of the fawn was energizing and brought me such joy, yet a slight sense of sadness. I knew the other deer had always been around before. I hoped they were just too wary to step onto the trail while a human was near. This encounter was very meaningful to me. I had to paint it.

 I thought I would work on Yupo paper to continue the look of my latest pieces like True Blue Jay andCardinal Direction, but keep it small.

Boy, was I in for a lesson. It was actually really quite appropriate.

If you’ve ever painted on yupo paper, you’ll know what I mean. It’s a non-porous surface, meaning the paint isn’t just absorbed into the paper if applied in a fluid manner. It pools and flows, makingreally cool and visually interesting marks. The paint doesn’t just sit on top and dry as such. It has a mind of its own. If you are wanting your subject to be representational, or recognizable to the viewer, this requires much patience and vigilance. However, I really like the look of this medium, and it’s worth the sometimes arduous adventure that comes with the territory.

Fawn Rising

 When the drips ran down from the legs, I grabbed my paper towel to dab it up, but stopped myself.

Not only did the watercolor runs resemble a reflection in water, but they symbolized growth.

What is this pool of paint doing? How is this pigment interacting with that one?

The fawn would grow into a deer that knew when to be curious and trust and when to dart away from predators before they could even be heard. 

 The deer teaches us to be keenly aware at all times.

What’s going on around us? How can we be gentle and graceful while protecting ourselves?

The slightest breeze or movement could signify a change.

The fawn is curious and playful, exploring and trusting;

and the deer is ready to change course at a footfall.

The fawn is rising.

Bid on the original Fawn Rising and add it to your collection, click here.

Click here to customize your own print.

Thanks for joining me in my artwork & play!

Happy trails,

Leaf Peeping

Once again, we see my autumn obsession peeping through.

This piece is another version of my test sheet transformations.

I often have pieces of Yupo paper test or scrap sheets that call out to be transformed into pieces of their own.

I noticed some textures and forms that were asking to be shaped into a leaf peeper's vision.

I achieved this by lifting sections out with alcohol and a scrubber.

Click here for a larger view or to add this original to your collection.

So, that's what I saw!

What do you do with your art "scraps"?

Size Doesn't Matter

tbd (help me title him on my Facebook page!)

5"x7" Watercolor on Aquabord

Click here to see a larger photo of the painting.

 If you know me or are fairly familiar with my art, you know I love animals, especially dogs.
All dogs are great. Allow me to explain and get Seuss-esque for only a moment;

Fluffy or sleek, loud or meek,
Agile and spry, or just happy to lie,
I love dogs, the great and the small.
I love the dogs, I do love them all.
Yes, breeds A to Z,  their pups I adore,
Except that I love,
Small ones a bit more.

  WAIT! Don't get me wrong, and don't sic your  Staffie on me. I've loved my fair share of medium and large dogs. My first dog was a chow chow and my 2nd, 3rd, and 4th were Aussie mixes. (Super smart and loving dogs!) Neapolitan Mastiffs simply melt my butter. If we ever live in a colder climate and have the acreage, Husboo will certainly be in search of a Russian Caucasian before we unpack. I'm also in love with Irish Wolfhounds. But when you've had the experience of being rescued by a teeny tiny canine and her becoming your companion, it's hard not to project those same feelings onto similar sized pups.

 I may like small dogs, but guess what;

I hate painting small.

For my second September painting (I'm not even going to say it's the 2nd of 30, because that's just insane) I attempted my first teeny tiny watercolor portrait.
For me, watercolor is so nice because it flows and has a mind of it's own. You think you know what will happen, then the paint laughs in your face and you either readjust or go with the flow and see where it takes the painting. This aspect of the medium is also what can be ultra annoying if you have a specific end in mind. Couple that with a 5"x7" portrait on aquabord and quite a bit of strife can ensue. By no means was this a fast, whip it out in under an hour, quickie painting.
I struggled to retain a wet-on-wet technique and still have the detail I wanted for this piece.
(A couple of paper towels were harmed in the making of this painting.)

I have a new found respect for the daily painters that crank out small works all the live long.

It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of fight in the dog. And this one  gave me a pretty good round, now to give him a name...

Look at the birds of the air...

  September is upon us and another challenge has been posed. However, this month is pretty busy for me. I have a few prior commitments, so I don't think I can realistically crank out 30 paintings and get anything else done. (One painting usually takes me 2-7 non-consecutive days to complete.)
I've been a bit anxious lately with all I have to get done. Most of those things are self-imposed, but sometimes that's even more pressure. I'm resolving to at least try to post weekly (and daily if I'm lucky) the smaller paintings I do finish, here on my blog.
  Yesterday was a somewhat stressful, worrisome, and overall blah day. 
I took a walk to clear my mind and look to nature for some respite. I set the intention to see something that would bring me clarity and peace.

Birds of the Air

 Watercolor on cold press

Total size 15" x 17.5" including frame.

Click here for limited edition prints.

 As soon as I rounded the corner, I saw an unbelievable sight. Several dozen sparrows were flying around a churchyard field. They were diving, soaring, and circling at a frenetic pace.
In awe, I stopped to watch them for a bit. By the time I realized I really needed to take a photo of the birds, they were flying away. 

 This painting is inspired by that brief and beautiful encounter. It had an unexpectedly profound effect on me. Sparrows are a symbol for many things, among them freedom, creativity, and Love.
It was just the lift I needed.


  Birds of the Air cheered me. Marvin Gaye cheers me, too. I'll leave you with this Marvin version of a sparrow themed song. An oldie, but a goodie. 

Fly high, my friends.

~D. Renée

Apple A Day Challenge #1 - Apple Picking and Overthinking with Robert Frost

 After Apple Picking, 8"x10", ink & pastel on 138 lb Canson

For the Apple A Day art challenge I'm participating in, I decided to start off a little heavy by creating a handwritten calligram using the words from one of my favorite poems,
"After Apple Picking"
By Robert Frost

My long two-pointed ladder's sticking through a tree

Toward heaven still,

And there's a barrel that I didn't fill

Beside it, and there may be two or three

Apples I didn't pick upon some bough.

But I am done with apple-picking now.

Essence of winter sleep is on the night,

The scent of apples: I am drowsing off.

I cannot rub the strangeness from my sight

I got from looking through a pane of glass

I skimmed this morning from the drinking trough

And held against the world of hoary grass.

It melted, and I let it fall and break.

But I was well

Upon my way to sleep before it fell,

And I could tell

What form my dreaming was about to take.

Magnified apples appear and disappear,

Stem end and blossom end,

And every fleck of russet showing clear.

My instep arch not only keeps the ache,

It keeps the pressure of a ladder-round.

I feel the ladder sway as the boughs bend.

And I keep hearing from the cellar bin

The rumbling sound

Of load on load of apples coming in.

For I have had too much

Of apple-picking: I am overtired

Of the great harvest I myself desired.

There were ten thousand thousand fruit to touch,

Cherish in hand, lift down, and not let fall.

For all

That struck the earth,

No matter if not bruised or spiked with stubble,

Went surely to the cider-apple heap

As of no worth.

One can see what will trouble

This sleep of mine, whatever sleep it is.

Were he not gone,

The woodchuck could say whether it's like his

Long sleep, as I describe its coming on,

Or just some human sleep.

  I chose to depict the apple core to represent the theme of hunger and endings.
"...Of the great harvest I myself desired."  
  The ladder, apples, and sleep can be metaphor for many things and an analysis post is a whole other ballgame. Personally speaking, here are just a few applications that ring particularly clear presently-

•  Accumulation of knowledge and climbing toward truth.
  
  "My long two-pointed ladder's sticking through a tree
  Toward heaven still,"
• Chasing ambitions and saving material wealth throughout life.
  
  "There were ten thousand thousand fruit to touch,
  Cherish in hand, lift down, and not let fall."
• Our perception of reality and its toll on our life/work balance.
  
  "What form my dreaming was about to take.
  Magnified apples appear and disappear,...
   "My instep arch not only keeps the ache,
  

  It keeps the pressure of a ladder-round.

  I feel the ladder sway as the boughs bend."
• Simple sensual autumn nostalgia. The interpretations are wide and deep on this work, but the beauty and simplicity of Frost's words can be appreciated at face value. As an autumn baby raised in the Midwest, the sights and smells of fall are rooted in my core and illicit a deeply emotional response. This point brings me back to the crux of autumn and its universal implications;
  
  "But I am done with apple-picking now.
  Essence of winter sleep is on the night,
  The scent of apples: I am drowsing off." 
  Death is the ultimate sleep. We can't be sure what will come of our harvest, but the apple picking will end. Do we worry about filling baskets? What goes in the cider bin? I can only try to work hard yet enjoy the task and hope the apples I have picked feed those I leave behind.
  Happy picking,
  D. Renée

 Click here to bid on "After Apple Picking" in the Daily Paintworks auction. 
And join me during the challenge for a chance to win an original from this series.