befriending the rose

how can i befriend the rose?

she  does not lack 

 for admirers, yet

how many eager suitors

would pluck her

tightly bound

in hopes 

that she will bloom

in captivity.

but i,

i would let her be -

just as she is,

to flourish and thrive

on the vine -

in sunlight and rain,

darkness and moonbeam,

thorns and all.

-stacy wills (7/8/2012)

...into the great beyond

(The Monk and the Moon, 2011)

(The Great Beyond by Jacob Moon)

i first heard jacob moon's music over ten years ago,  and have been a fan ever since.  this song, in particular, made a tremendous impact on me from the first moment i heard it, so i was really excited to find a new live version of it today, and thought it would pair well with this image.  if you enjoy this song, you can check out more of jacob's music here.

laughter is the best medicine

(laughter is the best medicine, 9" x 12" mixed media)

at the height

of laughter,

the universe

is flung into a

kaleidoscope of

new possibilities.

-jean houston (b. 1937)

this is a page from my life book 2012 project. this week's assignment was to do a self-portrait using a black and white photo-copy of a favorite picture of yourself. i was really scrambling to find a fairly recent (and half-way decent) photo of myself. they're rare as hen's teeth because generally i loathe having my picture taken. however, this one was snapped before i could protest and it catches me in the act of laughing - something you'll find me doing quite frequently - and, as those who know me will attest, often at the oddest moments.

for this portrait, i collaged the image onto a sheet of watercolor paper, then painted over it using caran d'arche neocolor II's (aka crayons for grown-ups!) as well as some watered down acrylic paints. once that was done, i scanned the painting and played with it digitally, giving myself a cool punk hair-do.

you, darkness (a poem from rilke)

you, darkness, that i come from -

i love you more than all the fires

that fence in the world,

for the fire makes a circle

of light for everyone

and then no one outside learns of you.

but the darkness pulls in everything -

shapes and fires, animals and myself,

how easily it gathers them!

powers and people -

and it is possible a great presence

is moving near me.

i have faith in nights.

-rainer maria rilke (1875-1926)

the cycle

i am falling

soft and silent

traveling in

a drop of rain

tear of heaven

hold me now

'til the ground

beneath me

is home again

-stacy wills (12/13/10)