mousewords

As I awoke this morning, my thoughts filled with a certain dream of mine. Not the singing-the-National-Anthem at-a-Dodgers-game in-your-skivvies kind of dream. The goal-in-your-heart kind of dream. The one that fills your waking hours, and sometimes seems as unlikely to occur as the Nation Anthem solo.

This was a morning when the dream seemed far from being achieved…mostly because of my own shortcomings, as I see them. It can take a long time to wait for a dream. After a while, waiting becomes the status quo; and it begins to seem as if the dream will never be anything more than its name.

I turned over to take up my Bible for morning meditation. As I did, my eyes fell on a Dasani water bottle on my nightstand. Sunlight filtered through the semi-transparent label, catching my attention with a beautiful blue-green color. I had a passing thought that it would be a lovely color to use in one of my art pieces; then picked up my Bible, said a prayer, and opened to a random page.

Nothing is ever random in God’s universe. I found myself looking at Ezekiel 39:8: “It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign Lord. This is the day I have spoken of.”

A little ripple of shock, followed by excitement, went through my heart. The Lord had heard me, and was telling me that my dream would come true. It reminded me of the Daily Word devotional for this date–”With God, all things are possible.” Even if I couldn’t see how.

So I arose and went about my day. Who knows—maybe, somewhere ocean-deep in my heart, I didn’t really believe my dream would come true. In any case, God must have thought I needed a clearer message. So He sent me peacocks.

Peacocks. Four of them.

I live in the Central California coast—like, in a condo, in the middle of an area that has streets, industry, homes. No zoos. No aviaries. The wildest bird I’ve ever seen here was a white dove.

But today there were four magnificent peacocks taking a leisurely stroll across the deck outside my window. All I could do was stare at them. Peacocks.

With beautiful Dasani-blue feathers.

I watched them, bemusedly, till they disappeared. Who knows where they came from or where they went.

A few minutes later, a cable guy knocked on the door. On a Saturday. And we don’t have cable. However, our DSL is coming up for renewal, and we’ve been thinking of changing to cable. That has been my job, to research the services, and discover which company and which plan would give me the bandwidth speed I need for video conferences. I’ve been distracted with this—I’ve been fretting about it, trying to figure it out, worrying that I wouldn’t get it done in time, doubting that it was even possible to get faster internet where we live.

Suddenly, there was the cable guy on my doorstep. He gave us a flyer that had every plan we could possibly need on it. Told us that they would be installing cable in other condos around us next week. Mentioned that there were no contracts to worry about, no installation fees, no prime-time slowdowns of service. Just effectively answered every one of my questions, dispelled my worries, and took the matter out of my hands, giving me exactly what I hoped for.

Peacocks and a cable guy.

When something that unusual happens, I can’t help thinking that there must be a reason. Within moments, it sank in.

With God, all things are possible.

I may think this dream of mine is way out there, too impossible to come true. But so are peacocks in a condo complex. I may think I need to work extra hard, earn my dream, be worthy enough before it can come true—do a whole litany of tasks before I can have what I want. When all along it’s really a gift of God’s grace, which He will lay on my doorstep at exactly…the right…moment.

Dasani blue. Whenever I see it, I’ll think of peacocks, a cable guy, and God’s clear, eclectic voice speaking to me on a sunny Saturday.

With God, anything’s possible.

Even the unlikely.

Photography by Stacy J-M Taylor

Tags: Animals, Faith, Humor, Inspiration, Journal, Musings, Personal by mousewords
10 Comments »

The Art Helping Mountain Gorillas auction came to a close last night! I’m grateful to everyone who participated! We had a great time, and were able to raise something to help this worthy cause. My fellow artists and I are eager to continue to support the rangers of the Congo in their work protecting the endangered mountain gorillas…so I may be creating more gorilla themed artwork soon.

It’s been an exciting and rewarding experience, and I’m happy to have been included!

Tags: Animals, Art, Environment, News by mousewords
No Comments »

To complete our group of family artists participating in the Art Helping Mountain Gorillas charity auction, I am happy to introduce my aunt, Sally Pointer.

As she lives in Oregon, and I grew up in the Midwest, visits among our family were not as frequent as we’d like. However, Aunt Sally was always present through her loving communication. No matter which holiday was near, my siblings and I knew we could expect a package from Aunt Sally and Uncle Harry, filled with craft supplies and project ideas—stickers, decorations, confetti, you name it, the packages were stuffed with it. We would dive into the cache of treasures and commence with an afternoon of creativity. Soon our home would be draped with our construction-paper constructions. (Just ask my dad, who is very tall…and had to deal with decorations hung by very short individuals.)

Aunt Sally always decorated her packages with colorful, cheerful drawings—which I always cut out and saved. As a cartoon enthusiast, I was awed by her caricatures. Yet another mentor in my art life.

When I see her artwork today, I think of the mental picture I have from one of our visits: Aunt Sally, relaxing outdoors, with a sketchbook in her lap and a box of colored pencils in her hand. A depiction of a delicate, flowering branch was the product of that day’s work…and her recent art gives another glimpse into the surroundings that she has made lovely.

Tags: Animals, Art, Environment, Family, Fashion and Beauty, Inspiration, Musings, Personal, Women by mousewords
No Comments »

Next in line…is me.

The rangers’ unselfish devotion to the rare creatures they protect has struck a chord within my heart. Through this Art Helping Mountain Gorillas charity auction, my world view has been expanded. Suddenly I feel like I am a part of what’s happening on the other side of the globe. I have learned of people, relationships, and crises that I never before knew existed. The amazing part if it all is that I suddenly know that I can make a difference.

Every day, the news brings us heart-wrenching stories of hardships happening all over—from right down the block, to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I couldn’t help asking myself, how can I justify worrying about the problems on the other side of the planet, when there are plenty in my own neighborhood that require action?

Here’s the answer I’ve discovered: While it’s very true that I still may be able to help worthy causes locally, it’s also a fact that I am an individual with unique talents and abilities. And it’s possible that those abilities are needed to help improve a situation on the other side of the world.

Everyone is blessed with talents. Where might yours make a difference?

Tags: Animals, Art, Environment, News by mousewords
No Comments »

Time is getting away from me!  This auction is ending in a few minutes!

I come from an amazingly creative family. My aunt, Susan Porch, is no exception to this.

With her watercolor painting, “Sunflowers IV,” my aunt shows her creativity, artistry, and love of flowers. When I look at this painting, I’m reminded of her garden—lush and filled with beautiful flowering plants. It was a fairyland to a child’s eyes. The scent of the flowers in the Southern California air was nothing like the world I knew in the Midwest. It was enchanted.

During those childhood visits, I would gaze at the oil paintings my aunt had created, awed that they had her name on them. They looked exactly like the paintings I would see in a book. I often admired the stained glass window and tilework in her home—it was only years later that I discovered she had made them herself.

Aunt Susan is bringing the same enchantment to me these days, through her watercolor artwork. I love visiting her art room to see what she’s been working on. I still think they look exactly like paintings I would see in a book. And I look forward to discovering what she plans to create next.

Tags: Animals, Art, Environment, Family, Fashion and Beauty, Musings, News, Personal, Women by mousewords
No Comments »

My second highlighted artist in the family is my mother, Melinda Taylor.

For as long as I can remember, Mom has been artistic and creative. As a child, I watched in awe as she brought out her wooden paint box filled with tiny tubes of oil paints. That box, to me, smelled heavenly. Between the wood, the paint, the odd stick of oil pastel, and the paint thinner, it was a treasure chest of wonder.

Then Mom would prop up a canvas before herself, and begin painting. Just painting—with maybe a light pencil drawing to guide her, and a photograph nearby for reference, but nothing else. Then worlds would begin to appear before my very eyes. Mom’s skies were always one of her best subjects—she’s incredibly talented at mixing colors, and the blue she could achieve looked…well, real to me.

Then the next best part—she’d let me “help.” Amazingly talented as a mother, also, she always included her (at that time) four children in whatever craft project she was working on. Imagine that—she must have had a longing to express her individuality through her art, yet she lovingly made every piece a family project. Child-sized fingerprints became leaves on trees. Totally disproportionate brush strokes were woven into the composition of the painting.

When Mom’s work was completed, I would gaze at it in awe. It looked real—and as a budding artist myself, I was convinced I’d never be able to master realism of that kind. But I would go back to my grown-up art materials—which Mom and Pop always gave me, from the start…no “kid’s version,” it was all “real”—and start working away. At least I could try.

This particular painting of Mom’s—which is entitled “September is Here”—is one of the first paintings she’s done in a while. Life has been busy—and her creative adventures have turned toward quilting and other forms of textile art recently. This painting expresses the blending of those two interests—the vivid autumn leaves are made from tiny shreds of fabric, which have been collaged onto the canvas and painted over. I can turn my head right now and look at this painting on an easel behind me. One ray of late afternoon sunlight touches it—and instantly I’m transported to another location. It looks real.

My Mom borrowed my art materials for this painting. The grown-up ones, of course. Life comes full circle.

Dang, I need a Kleenex.

Tags: Animals, Art, Environment, Family, Fashion and Beauty, Inspiration, Journal, Musings, News, Personal, Women by mousewords
No Comments »

Today is the day!

The Art Helping Mountain Gorillas charity auction is going, going…nearly gone! Incredible examples of original artwork are ending throughout the day, with a storm of activity coming this evening.

Many artists have created moving tributes to the family of gorillas that was slaughtered in July. Robin Andreae, the artist who was inspired to put together this auction, has taken it upon herself to paint a portrait of each of the gorillas that was lost. She has succeeded, beautifully—her paintings are poignant, yet joyful.

There is art for many tastes in this auction, just as there are many different artsts contributing. I wish I could wallpaper my blog with their work, but I won’t do that without permission. In the meantime, I can display what my family has contributed. Throughout the day, I’ll highlight individual artists—starting with StacyJMT:

For this auction, the fine-art photography of my 19-year-old sister, Stacy J-M Taylor, focuses on inspiring mountain scenes that she has captured across the US. Stacy has a talented eye and unique perspective. Her goal is to bring the beauty of nature to others through her photographs:

Through Stacy’s photography, one’s spirit soars, as the viewer feels the connection between humankind and nature.

 There is more to see and much more to experience by taking a tour through this online gallery display.  I welcome everyone to stop by and take a look…but it’s best to hurry, because these offerings will soon fade into the mist. 

Tags: Animals, Art, Environment, Family, Inspiration, News by mousewords
No Comments »

Thanks to Leola, one of my fellow artists (whose lovely blog is on my blogroll), I took a second look today at my painting, “Hidden Within.” I had photographed it under my art lamp, since I had completed it at night. Well, I now looked at it in the daylight, and was horrified to see the color change between natural light and indoor lighting! Well, not horrified in the sense that it’s bad—it’s actually really cool. But not when it looks different from the listing!

So I took a scan. It doesn’t all fit on the scanner bed, but here’s an example:

This picture more closely captures the look of the painting in natural daylight. The colors of the picture below look closer to indoor lighting conditions. The contrast (lightness/darkness of the colors) are also closer to reality in that one.

There we have it. I guess it was too easy the first time.

When I wrote of this painting earlier, I said that some things need a second look. I guess that’s true! JJ

Tags: Animals, Art, Environment, Journal, News, Personal by mousewords
No Comments »

One of my fellow eBay artists, Ann Ranlett, has just had the exciting experience of being featured in a newspaper article. Ann is an amazing artist—I have a link to her great blog on my blogroll.

Seeing Ann’s mountain gorilla portrait in the article really makes me feel like I need to head back to that drawing board and practice!

Congrats, Ann!!

Tags: Animals, Art, Articles, Environment, Friends, News, Personal, Women by mousewords
No Comments »

So here is my artwork for today: “Hidden Within”

Inspired by the dignity in the gaze of a silverback’s eyes, I set out to create a piece that somehow expressed the blending between a gorilla and the territory he inhabits. Looking into the Virunga forest, one may just see underbrush—or suddenly catch sight of the form of a mountain gorilla.

The power in this animal’s body, even when he sits at rest, was stunning to my thoughts. One can feel every muscular curve in the vision, and sense the strength within.

How to depict that with my art! Well, I may explore the subject further, until it satisfies me; but for the time being, this is a good start. Working with watercolor pencil, I drew out my composition, filling in blocks of color in certain areas. Watercolor pencil will blossom into deep shades when wet; so for other areas of the drawing, I chose wax-based pencils. This helped me preserve linework and certain colors and values. Finally, I took out my watercolors, and dashed into the work with rapid brush strokes.

If this were acrylic or oil paint, it would be called “impasto”! That’s a heavy technique marked by bold brush strokes and thick layers of paint. I really should pull out those mediums for a few works, or get out the gouache (opaque watercolor with a thicker texture). I’ve caught myself painting impasto with my watercolors too often lately!

As the last strokes stood drying on this work, I rushed to organize my eBay listings for the evening. In addition to my own art, I manage the sale of my sister’s fine-art photographs; and recently, I have been managing the artwork listings of other family members, also. It’s been wonderfully fun, but hectic!!

Today marks three more days left in the Art Helping Mountain Gorillas charity auction! On eBay, the available listing durations are 10, 7, 5, 3, and 1-day. For this auction, so far I’ve listed original artwork for each of those, except for the 1-day listing. (Not yet—that one is in the pencil drawing stage!) This is amazingly exciting. Around 7pm Pacific time, as I get ready to list my offerings for the day—sending them out into the world like ships out to sea—I feel a shimmer of anticipation, wondering what other art will be appearing at the same time. It’s like waiting for the fireworks to start on the Fourth of July…a couple explode on the scene to start, then a spectacular display follows!

By searching “WDGP” on eBay, one is treated to an exhibit of beautiful art. Thoughtful, inspiring, compassionate, filled with feeling. I’m very proud to be a member of this group, helping this worthy cause.

Tags: Animals, Art, Environment, Journal, News by mousewords
No Comments »