peace on earth

winter...

the snow

has come early

this year,

and with it

the familiar longing

for solitude.

like the she-bear

who enters

her cave in fatness

to ride out

the lean time,

i, too, am ready

to hunker down.

winter...

makes me hungry

for god.

-stacy wills (12/22/2011)

embracing the learning curve

as i mentioned in a recent post, i have signed up for life book 2012. when i signed up, i was able to take one of tam's other online courses. this is the third painting i have completed for the M3 class, the style of which was inspired by one of my favorite artists, marc chagall. i love the little birds that showed up, wanting to be part of the picture.

a close-up of the face shows the hundreds of tiny beads that make up some of the strands of my mermaid's flowing tresses. did i ever mention that the little mermaid was a favorite fairy tale of mine growing up?
and here she is in all her glory! when i began drawing mandalas back in december of 2005 i had no idea really what i was doing, but what i did know was that i had found the creative outlet i'd yearned for. i never imagined then that i would be able to draw or paint anything else - though i wished i could. when i came across tam's website and saw what life book was about, something in my soul said, "yes." so i'm diving in - i still don't know what i'm doing, or where this journey will take me, but i'm in...all in. there's a steep learning curve to be sure (and i have MUCH to learn), but it's a curve i'm embracing.

sweet child o' mine

sweet child o'mine,

tuck your head

beneath my chin

and hear the song

of my heart within,

an echo of god's own -

a beating declaration

of love...love...love!

-stacy wills (11/30/2011)

painted prayers

every once in a while, someone will commission me to create a mandala especially for them. i consider this a sacred task, and therefore not one to undertake lightly. usually the request comes with a source of inspiration in mind, as was the case with the one you see here. the lovely woman who commissioned this mandala wanted the mantra, om mani padme hum ("hail to the jewel in the lotus"), to be incorporated into the design in some way. other than that one stipulation, she gave me free reign.

one of the things i love about doing commissioned pieces is that they stretch me, and i learn so much through the process. as preparation for drawing the design, i did some research into the history and meaning of the mantra, and found that it is most often associated with the bodhisattva of compassion. therefore, as i worked on this piece, my focus became compassion - particularly as it pertains to alleviating the suffering of others. i thought of all the times i had been on the receiving end of compassion...mercy...lovingkindness and how much i desired to be on the giving end of extending compassion to others. then each line drawn, each brushstroke painted, each embellishment added, became a prayer.

your love gives my heart wings

so, i've signed up for life book 2012 - a fabulous sounding online mixed arts course that tamara laporte has put together. when i registered, i was also able to choose one of tam's other online classes which i've already started working my way through. with tam's expert guidance, i was able to complete my first piece of whimsy art, which i made for my sweet hubby in celebration of our 31st anniversary - for truly, his love has given my heart wings...and the courage to try all sorts of new things.

the plight of the bookworm

the bookworm devours page after page

a letter, a syllable, a word at a time -

dutifully inching line upon line,

searching for something to savour.

does she truly know

the precious thing of which she partakes -

always trailing through another man's history,

another soul's wake,

when will she make her own?

-stacy wills (11/2/2011)