A Magic Mom and Her Mandalas

i can't help but wonder...

2012-01-31T07:11:00.000-08:00

come see! come see!

come look at the stars

with me...

did one shine more brightly

the day i was born?

which star in the sky

is my name written on?

will it fall to earth

and be done

when i die;

or shine brighter still

when i'm gone?

-stacy wills (1/31/2012)

stay here

2012-01-22T04:53:00.000-08:00

thinking gives off smoke

to prove the existence of fire.

a mystic sits inside the burning.

there are wonderful shapes

in rising smoke

that imagination loves to watch.

but it's a mistake to leave the fire

for that filmy sight.

stay here...

at the flame's core.

-rumi (1207-1273)

reclamation

2012-01-15T04:12:00.000-08:00

"icon" (9" x 12" mixed media)

"The real miracle of individuation and reclamation of the Wild Woman is that we all begin the process before we are ready, before we are strong enough, before we know enough; we begin a dialogue with thoughts and feelings that both tickle and thunder within us. We respond before we know how to speak the language, before we know all the answers, and before we know exactly to whom we are speaking."

-Clarissa Pinkola Estes (b. 1945)

just call me rapunzel...

2012-01-08T11:21:00.000-08:00

'cause sometimes...a girl just wants to let her hair down!

melting butter moon

2012-01-07T03:42:00.000-08:00

that melting butter moon,

o what a charmer -

came tapping on my window

like a lover before dawn.

meet me in the field, he said,

and i, irresistibly drawn,

went out to join him there.

-stacy wills (1/07/2012)

life book 2012 is underway!

2012-01-02T04:55:00.000-08:00

life book 2012 is underway and i am thrilled to be taking part in this year-long art journaling course. along with my mandalas and other artwork, i plan to chronicle my progress here. i am thinking of 2012 as my "year of living artistically."

i love exploring new techniques and mediums, and tam (aka willowing) is a very nurturing, encouraging, and supportive teacher.

this is my first painting for the course...still a work in progress...like me!

"...trailing clouds of glory"

2011-12-30T05:11:00.000-08:00

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting;

the Soul that rises with us, our life's Star,

hath had elsewhere its setting

and cometh from afar;

not in entire forgetfulness,

and not in utter nakedness,

but trailing clouds of glory do we come

from God, who is our home...

-William Wordsworth (1770-1850),

from his poem: Ode on Intimations of Immortality

the day the red sea parted

2011-12-29T07:01:00.000-08:00

peace on earth

2011-12-25T06:39:00.000-08:00

winter...

2011-12-22T06:45:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-17T19:37:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-30T06:12:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-20T05:17:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-15T08:27:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-02T07:15:00.000-07:00

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)

interface

2011-10-15T07:13:00.000-07:00

montale's field

2011-10-04T12:11:00.000-07:00

bring me the sunflower

crazed with the love

of light...

-eugenio montale (1896-1981)

the difference between night and day

2011-09-18T09:58:00.000-07:00

night and day (mixed media, 21" x 21" framed)

this mandala is painted on an old lp, salvaged from the goodwill store and lovingly re-purposed. she speaks to me of second chances, renewal...rebirth. molded and pressed into one service, enjoyed for a season then discarded, she has been sought out for new life. to see her as she was when i found her, scratched and dull, and to see her as she is now, bejeweled and adorned, is like the difference between night and day.

rent

2011-09-14T06:51:00.000-07:00

for love of you

my heart is a rent veil

may it never mend

-stacy wills (9/14/2011)

you, darkness (a poem from rilke)

2011-09-11T19:25:00.000-07:00

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)

different points of view

2011-08-29T05:31:00.001-07:00

full

2011-08-17T05:23:00.000-07:00

...if your eye is single,

your whole body

will be full of light!

-matthew 6:22

from the one heart

2011-08-08T05:59:00.000-07:00

hear from the heart

wordless mysteries!

understand what cannot be

understood...

in our stone-dark hearts

there burns a fire

that burns all veils to their

root and foundation.

when the veils are burned

away, the heart will

understand completely...

ancient love will unfold

ever-fresh forms

in the heart of the spirit,

in the core of the heart.

-rumi (1207-1273)

to see what poets see

2011-07-30T05:06:00.000-07:00

i want to see

what poets see

the ones who weep

at the sight of stars,

knowing they see

the hand of god

-stacy wills (7/30/2011)

the quill

2011-07-24T09:20:00.000-07:00

i came upon a feather quill

dipped into a cedar inkwell

whose writing desk is this, i wondered

for surely only one hand can pen

the sacred text of nature

from which god reads aloud

-stacy wills (7/24/2011)

only this

2011-07-19T06:18:00.000-07:00

i do not know what this is...

only that it is.

i do not know what this means...

only that it has meaning

and wanted to be made.

i do not know who this is for...

only that it belongs to someone

and when they see it

they will know...

what it is, and what it means.

-stacy wills (7/19/2011)

(re)learning loveliness

2011-07-15T07:56:00.000-07:00

...for everything flowers from within of self-blessing; though

sometimes it is necessary to reteach a thing its loveliness...

-galway kinnell (b. 1927)

from his poem, saint francis and the sow

the waterfall

2011-07-12T05:18:00.000-07:00

cut a new channel

through this heart

of mine, let me be

a young river and

you, the waterfall

-stacy wills (7/12/2011)

wilderness is a necessity

2011-07-08T06:07:00.000-07:00

wilderness is a necessity...

-john muir (1838 - 1914)

blue jay way

2011-07-04T04:35:00.000-07:00

blue jay comes to remind me

that we all have a place in this world,

a unique part that is ours alone to play.

a bold, bright bird with a fondness for acorns,

she carries and buries far more of them

for her winter cache than she will ever

be able to recall...and yet she persists.

now perched on the rim of the old birdbath,

with a knowing gleam in her coal-black eye,

she cocks her crested head at me, as if to say:

how many oaks have you planted today?

-stacy wills (7/4/2011)

"...an infinite storm of beauty"

2011-06-21T12:52:00.000-07:00

when we contemplate

the whole globe

as one great dewdrop,

striped and dotted

with continents and islands,

flying through space

with other stars

all singing and shining

together as one,

the whole universe appears

as an infinite storm of beauty.

-john muir (1838-1914)

has my heart gone to sleep (a poem by antonio machado)

2011-06-18T08:03:00.000-07:00

has my heart gone to sleep?

have the beehives of my dreams

stopped working, the waterwheel

of the mind run dry,

scoops turning empty,

only shadow inside?

no, my heart is not asleep.

it is awake, wide awake.

not asleep, not dreaming-

its eyes are opened wide

watching distant signals, listening

on the rim of vast silence.

-antonio machado (1875-1939)

the tree hugger

2011-06-13T05:56:00.000-07:00

it was a full circle moment, coming home to you,

your arms held out in greeting

as though you had been anticipating my return.

how safe i felt cradled in your branches

all those years ago,

when climbing 10 feet off the ground

felt like i had scaled mount everest.

you were my hiding place, a refuge and fortress,

a castle, from which i surveyed my kingdom, and

the crow's nest of a sea-tossed pirate ship,

my very own swiss family robinson treehouse, and

a trusted confidant to whom i whispered secrets

dearest old friend...give me a hug

-stacy wills (6/13/2011)

everything works together

2011-06-10T06:06:00.000-07:00

everything works together

a bump in the road

becomes a stepping stone

or a bridge

that takes us to a better place

we couldn't have gotten to

any other way

paths we would not have chosen

somehow seem to choose us

and lead us

to ever-widening worlds

-stacy wills (6/10/2011)

the rose window

2011-06-03T12:24:00.000-07:00

my beautiful cedar,

i love the way sunlight

pours through your branches

as through stained glass -

how fitting a rose window you are

in nature's grand cathedral

-stacy wills (6/3/2011)

source image: grandmother cedar

the cecropia moth's final resting place

2011-05-16T14:20:00.000-07:00

three feet off the ground

in a hollow of the old cedar tree

is an altar of sorts.

and in that sacred space

i laid the cecropia moth

my husband found

lying lifeless in the street,

mostly intact - save a

tattered wing.

i imagined how many

others passed it by,

but he saw beauty

in a broken thing

and thought

to bring it home

to me.

-stacy wills (5/16/2011)

unfurl yourself

2011-05-06T11:44:00.000-07:00

unfurl yourself

into the grace of beginning

that is at one

with your life's desire...

-john o'donohue (1956-2008)

green is such a hopeful color

2011-05-03T07:57:00.000-07:00

after the rain, i stepped outside

and found squirrel waiting for me

on her favorite perch in the cedar tree.

we watched a red-headed woodpecker

swoop down to tap out a message

on a hollow branch. it seemed urgent, but

neither of us could quite make out what he was saying.

the world is so green this time of year, i said.

green is such a hopeful color, squirrel replied.

yes it is, said i, and we were quiet for awhile.

-stacy wills (5/3/2011)

before you lose all your marbles...

2011-04-15T06:48:00.000-07:00

some days it feels as though

you're about to lose all your marbles.

on those days, if you can,

(at least figuratively)

pull up a chair - beside the ocean,

beside a friend, and gaze awhile

at the horizon. gather your wits,

your thoughts, your self, and then

kneel on the ground, draw a circle,

knuckle down, and begin again...

-stacy wills (4/15/2011)

source image: orange beach, alabama

a poem for lent (for d. w.)

2011-04-11T11:06:00.000-07:00

i was raised on stained glass images,

quiet ceremonies, and

pristine baptismal pools,

but no window

ever told me the story

of how you waded willingly

into a muddy river

teeming with humanity or

how deeply you plunged in

to search the churning waters

i drowned in long ago

how strange then to

know myself now

as one heaved ashore

sopping wet and

weak as a newborn

hearing my name

spoken aloud

for the very first time

-stacy wills (4/11/2011)

the borrower

2011-04-06T07:19:00.000-07:00

in a tribute written for georgia o'keeffe's induction into the american academy of arts, it was said of her work that she...created original symbols for old experiences, sometimes too intimate for more direct revelation...

until the language of my own making

is found,

to speak of the tender wound,

i must borrow

words and symbols.

like a hermit crab

who outgrows one dwelling

and is forced to seek refuge

in yet another second hand shell,

i leave a mark behind

in those temporary homes -

a sign to the ones

who will follow,

that i lived there for a time.

-stacy wills (4/6/2011)

our lady at sunrise

2011-03-25T08:58:00.000-07:00

an otherworldly glow

appears on the horizon

venus, eclipsed,

surrenders the sky

to another at dawn

-stacy wills (3/25/2011)

(source image: daybreak, orange beach, alabama)

at dawn

2011-03-20T07:29:00.000-07:00

at dawn

everything

seems possible...

hopes and dreams

long buried,

sleeping -

flutter awake

and rise

like fragile

bubble worlds,

newly formed -

waiting...

for substance

yearning...

to be inhabited

-stacy wills (3/20/2011)

electric snail

2011-03-09T07:24:00.000-08:00

every single species of

the animal kingdom

challenges us with all...

the mysteries of life.

-karl von frisch (1886-1982)

chagall's mandala

2011-03-03T07:56:00.000-08:00

i was born between heaven and earth...

and the world, for me, is an endless space,

through which my soul wanders like a little flame.

-marc chagall (1887-1985)

out of the blue

2011-03-01T07:01:00.000-08:00

out of the blue

the words came:

let your dreams

be dreams again

stop mining them

for meaning

and so i learned

to take refuge in

the nightly asylum.

out of the blue

the words came:

let nature

be your teacher

and so i learned

to be still.

out of the blue

the words came:

draw a circle

and so i learned

the Spirit's voice.

-stacy wills (3/1/2011)

source image: cypress swamp along the natchez trace

swan song

2011-02-25T08:08:00.000-08:00

i know the heavy ballast

of feeling out of step

with your companions,

those who would try

to tame your wildness

and make of you a pet

they do not understand

that you have been infected

with the desire to see

the beauty in all things
-the oyster and the pearl-

or how, like the swan,

you are able to drink

only the milk from a

saucer-full diluted with water

i know it isn't easy, but persevere

in learning to sing your own song

-stacy wills (2/25/2011)

the sap is rising

2011-02-23T06:56:00.000-08:00

the trees of the lord are full of sap...(psalm 104:16)

winter is passing

and in the trees

the sap is rising

sticky and sweet

even the old one*

feels young again

i saw her this morning

radiant and glistening

with jewels

-stacy wills (2/23/2011)

spilled ink

2011-02-21T06:57:00.000-08:00

the bald cypress trees

spilled their inky reflections

love poems to the moon

-stacy wills (2/21/2011)

the art of play

2011-02-20T10:01:00.000-08:00

the weather has been glorious this week in our neck of the woods with clear skies and temps in the 70's. yesterday's weather was perfect for getting outside and making some new citra solv pages. don't they look lovely drying in the sun? it's always great fun to see how they turn out...all the various colors and patterns that emerge.

i took several photos of my new bumper crop, downloaded them into my computer and began playing around with them in photoshop elements. i can explain my process to that point, and then...i just play with various effects and settings. for me, making art is often a series of happy accidents...it's a game of "what if...?" it's always a surprise to see what happens next...to watch how this (see above) becomes....this (see below).

spring thaw

to learn more about how to work with citra solv, visit their website and click on the "artist page" link for more information, how-to's and tutorials.

the mystery at work

2011-02-18T06:17:00.000-08:00

darkness and light

dance on the edge

of a razor-sharp blade

the mystery at work

no dull sword here

every movement - precise

-stacy wills (2/18/2011)

the robin

2011-02-09T08:08:00.000-08:00

life and death intermingling

captured in a moment, fleeting

'twas not a sparrow

who fell that day

but rather a robin,* so young

though it's tempting

to think otherwise,

even the briefest life

does not go unnoticed

the shortest song, unsung

-stacy wills (2/9/2011)

*the source image for this mandala is from a photograph of the feathers of a juvenile robin (juveniles lack the distinctive red breast of an adult bird) who met an untimely death after flying into my kitchen window. his mother and i stood watch, hoping that he was merely momentarily stunned (as occasionally happens), but he remained still. though it may seem macabre to some, there is something about creating mandalas from decaying things in nature, and then working with them digitally, that somehow captures and reanimates their essence - brings them back to life, as it were. it is my hope that in some small way my work honors this one life and brings awareness of the sanctity of all life.

dancing moon

2011-02-08T06:01:00.000-08:00

i love the way you

wax and wane

dancing yourself

whole again

-stacy wills (2/8/11)

inspiring women

2011-02-03T06:29:00.001-08:00

i recently had the privilege of taking part in a unique project celebrating the importance and value of women's circles. the project is the brainchild of ceramic artist, janet akers of vicksburg, ms. she provides each member of a participating group with a bisque figure to decorate. janet plans to exhibit the completed project in march 2011 at the southern cultural heritage foundation. the figurines you see here represent the amazing and inspiring women i am blessed to call my friends.

this is my contribution...her name is "blossom."

there came a time

when the risk

to remain

tight in the bud

was more painful

than the risk it took

to blossom

-anais nin (1903-1977)

thoughts on creativity

2011-02-01T07:00:00.000-08:00

...i found i had to give up my idea of what a painting should be: portraying a beautiful scene in a pleasing way. instead, it is about the alive act of moment by moment listening to the flashes of thought at the periphery of perception, and responding in color and form...creativity is a process...it takes practice and intuition...it is full of surprises and discovery and cannot be known ahead of time.

-natalie goldberg (b. 1948)

fierce

2011-01-27T05:51:00.000-08:00

take a chance today

feel the fierce exuberance

welling up inside you

give yourself permission

to color outside the lines

with every crayon

in your box (and then some!)

climb to the tip of a crescent moon

and dive headlong

into a waiting sea of rainbows

throw away the safety straw

you've been sipping through

and take great gulps

from the cup

of your beautiful life

-stacy wills (1/27/2011)

return to center

2011-01-18T04:27:00.000-08:00

i find myself craving

a return to center

a center with margins

with room to grow

protected womb-space

hushed and holy

a sacred place

where dreams can ripen

undisturbed

-stacy wills (1/18/2011)

the woodpecker

2011-01-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

a downy messenger

came knocking on

grandmother cedar's door

[every tree is a door]

in her beak, this invitation:

find your rhythm

keep pecking away

at every deception

until truth is revealed

listen to your body's wisdom

protect that which is sacred

the womb of your creativity

hear the echo of

your own heart beating

home is within

-stacy wills (1/11/2011)

coloring outside the lines

2011-01-03T10:11:00.000-08:00

there she is again

that dark haired woman

from my dreams

the one who insists on

coloring outside the lines

-stacy wills (1/3/2011)

say yes

2010-12-31T06:08:00.000-08:00

why do you hesitate?

was it a misstep that

sent you to the sidelines?

a failure that has you

clinging to the ledge?

don't you see?

the way is open before you.

quickly - say, yes!

and angels come to your aid

say, yes and all

that you have known

comes back to you...

your courage

your strength

your heart

your wings

-stacy wills (12/31/10)

uluru

2010-12-17T06:17:00.000-08:00

what did you

know of me

before you

formed me

in the womb

what dreams did

you dream for me

what plans did

you make for me

what song were

you singing while

knitting my bones

-stacy wills (12/17/10)

repose

2010-12-16T10:05:00.000-08:00

don't be afraid

to suffer,

give the heaviness

back to the weight

of the earth;

mountains are heavy,

seas are heavy...

-rainer maria rilke (1875-1926)

to know the dark

2010-12-15T06:33:00.000-08:00

to go in the dark with a light is to know the light.

to know the dark, go dark. go without sight,

and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings,

and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.

-wendell berry (b. 1934)

the cycle

2010-12-13T07:42:00.000-08:00

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)

paradox

2010-12-09T06:36:00.000-08:00

...the womb has dreams.

-anais nin (1903-1977)

rekindler (for beverly)

2010-12-02T06:30:00.000-08:00

it was there

from the beginning

though i did not

know it

creation's promise

was only a dream

in the darkness

until you came

saw the spark

and fanned the flame

-stacy wills (12/2/10)

the seeker

2010-11-30T06:55:00.000-08:00

strange pilgrim

your eyes are fixed

on a city unseen

you have set out

on this journey

with no map to guide you

only a star and the

ancient voice inside you

calling out...

stay awake

-stacy wills (11/30/10)

recurring dream

2010-11-28T11:15:00.000-08:00

the one that keeps

recurring

this is the dream

to which

i must awaken

-stacy wills (11/28/10)

source image: national geographic page

treated with citra solv

veiled moon

2010-11-22T05:33:00.000-08:00

the moon is a

veiled bride tonight

autumn winds

attend her,

scattering leaves

like rose petals

along the path

-stacy wills (11/22/10)

come and find the quiet center...

2010-11-21T06:05:00.000-08:00

come and find the quiet center

in the crowded life we lead

find the room for hope to enter

find the frame where we are freed

clear the chaos and the clutter

clear our eyes that we can see

all the things that really matter

be at peace and simply be

-shirley erena murray (b. 1931)

source image: gladiolus

plan b

2010-11-19T08:06:00.000-08:00

i am fresh from what affectionately became known as the "plan b" retreat. it was christened thus when the original guest speaker was not able to attend. instead of cancelling the retreat altogether, the host leaders and some of the retreatants stepped up to the plate to pinch-hit, offering what they could. fourteen of us gathered at a beautiful setting in the heart of louisiana and entered into a time of exploring the intersection of spirituality and creativity. for me personally, it was a time of deep healing and renewed hope...a "plan (meant to) be."

wordless wednesday

2010-11-10T05:39:00.000-08:00

beckoning

2010-11-08T07:42:00.000-08:00

...every horizon,

upon being reached,

reveals another -

beckoning

in the distance.

always, i am

on the threshold.

-w. eugene smith (1918-1978)

beyond this

2010-11-07T07:15:00.000-08:00

beyond this flame-desert,

other, even wilder deserts...

-rumi (1207-1273)

dreams take wing

2010-11-03T10:24:00.000-07:00

i will wake

in good time

but now

i must dream

of where

these wings

will take me

-stacy wills (11/03/10)

blackwater mirror

2010-11-03T05:40:00.000-07:00

in the old birdbath

autumn leaves

steep like tea bags

blackwater mirror

reflects an azure sky

-stacy wills (11/03/10)

the contemplative squirrel

2010-11-01T10:32:00.000-07:00

she was the picture of serenity

the first time i noticed her there

perched on the branch

of the crab apple tree

outside my kitchen window

her back was turned toward me, but

i could feel the intensity of her gaze

as she looked out across the open field

her bushy tail hung limp...relaxed

gently swaying with the breeze

i had never seen a squirrel

sit so still for so long

i sensed a kindred spirit

the tree dwellers

are the solitary ones, you know

eventually she noticed me, too,

and we studied each other for awhile

now we meet most mornings

like two cloistered contemplatives

acknowledging the other's presence,

but not intruding...

both of us content to simply hold

sacred space for one another

in the great round of life

-stacy wills (11/1/10)

explore. dream. discover.

2010-10-24T08:39:00.000-07:00

twenty years from now

you will be more disappointed

by the things you didn't do

than by the ones you did.

so throw off the bowlines.

sail away from the safe harbor.

catch the trade winds in your sails.

explore. dream. discover.

-mark twain (1835-1910)

breathing room

2010-10-18T11:52:00.000-07:00

what art offers

is space -

a certain

breathing room

for the spirit

-john updike (1932-2009)

wordless wednesday

2010-10-13T05:44:00.000-07:00

slow dissolve

2010-10-10T09:11:00.000-07:00

my head

tilts back

in wonder

i stand

open-mouthed

as if

to receive

the host

the moon

dissolves

on my tongue

-stacy wills (10/10/10)

no one else

2010-10-07T10:15:00.000-07:00

there's no one else

i'd rather see

the sunrise with

than you, my love

no one else i'd rather

kiss goodnight, than you

we've been together

spring and summer

now it's autumn

we're passing through

each season of our life

grows sweeter

the longer i'm with you

-stacy wills (10/7/10)

swooning

2010-10-05T04:40:00.000-07:00

you had me swooning

this morning, yes swooning,

right there in the driveway.

me, in my robe and slippers,

hair all bed-messy

sleep, still in my eyes.

i was innocently going out

to get the paper,

when you ambushed me.

how could i resist your silvery sliver

riding low in the sky like that,

barely clearing the treeline,

shining like all get out.

and the stars, oh...don't even

get me started on the stars!

alas, my rapture was interrupted

by the sound of

footfalls and heavy-breathing.

i was not alone as i supposed,

a jogger was approaching.

tell me, how does one

jog through beauty like this?

surely he is not oblivious

to the glory above.

surely i am not the first

moonstruck lady he's seen

standing in her yard

in the wee hours.

then i turned and ran, too...

for my camera!

-stacy wills (10/5/10)

making melody

2010-10-04T10:32:00.000-07:00

the morning air

swirls alive

with song

a bird outside

my window is

pouring out

her praise

making melody

in both

our hearts

-stacy wills (10/4/10)

slow dancing

2010-09-30T12:26:00.000-07:00

with the turning

of the season

a gentle breeze

is blowing

and with it

comes a knowing

that it's time

for letting go

then like lovers

we're slow dancing

to the waiting

ground below

-stacy wills (9/30/10)

collaboration

2010-09-26T22:40:00.000-07:00

if you are a regular reader here, you won't be seeing anything new. the artwork in this video has all been featured here at one time or another. what will be new to you is the music you hear. that's my beloved playing. i asked him to play something original to go along with the images and he graciously (and truth be told, a little reluctantly) agreed. he hasn't had much time to play his guitar these days; the pace of his life goes about 70 mph, and he felt rusty. plus, guitar strings are tough on tender fingertips. but he persevered...just as he had all afternoon trying to even figure out how to make a video. when it was all said and done, i watched it about 5 million times...just to hear my beloved play.

what the lake said to the moon

2010-09-22T20:04:00.000-07:00

let my stillness

be your mirror

come...

see yourself

in me,

let me show you

how beautiful

you are

the firefly

2010-09-18T06:27:00.000-07:00

i just want

to be for

awhile

to be the

firefly

and not the

one trying

to capture

the light

wordless wednesday

2010-09-15T07:52:00.000-07:00

between two worlds

2010-09-13T07:06:00.000-07:00

between two worlds

life hovers like a star,

'twixt night and morn,

upon the horizon's verge

how little do we know

that which we are...

-lord byron (1788-1824)

broadside

2010-09-07T08:59:00.000-07:00

the secret of seeing

is to sail

on solar wind.

hone and spread

your spirit,

till you yourself

are a sail,

whetted, translucent,

broadside

to the merest puff.

-annie dillard (b. 1945)

the women

2010-09-04T21:22:00.000-07:00

they sang the words

in unison, yet somehow

created a web of sounds

with their voices. it

was like hearing a piece

of fabric woven with

all the colors of a rainbow.

-from the red tent

by anita diamant (b. 1951)

release your colors

2010-09-03T07:40:00.000-07:00

release your colors

into the world

who knows what

dear soul

may be in need

of your soaring

magenta today,

the wildness of

your fuchsia,

the groundedness

of your burnt umber

the soothing tones

of your greens and blues

let alone your

own precious self, so

weary from withholding

rainbow leap

2010-09-02T06:30:00.000-07:00

...i looked up

and saw the

rainbow leap

with flames of

many colors

over me

-black elk (1863-1950)

wordless wednesday

2010-09-01T06:52:00.000-07:00

each time dawn appears

2010-08-31T06:13:00.000-07:00

each time

dawn appears,

the mystery

is there

in its entirety

-rene daumal (1908-1944)

in praise of curves

2010-08-27T09:25:00.000-07:00

ample, soft,

fleshy, generous,

rubenesque,

magnificent,

luxurious,

sumptuous,

womanly,

voluptuous

curves!

show yourself

2010-08-26T06:39:00.000-07:00

each morning she

sorts through

her collection

of masks

trying to decide

which one

to wear that

will cause her

the least

amount

of pain

carefully avoiding

the mirror until

it is in place

so afraid to

show herself

to her self

wordless wednesday

2010-08-25T09:13:00.001-07:00

in the habit

2010-08-23T06:14:00.000-07:00

this cowl is not a blinder
my robe, not cumbersome
these folded hands, not idle
my silence is not dumb
though some may think me odd,
what can i say? i am in the habit of
finding beauty in the world
the artist and monk are one