symbols

Happy Little Trees

| Bonnie Kelso

Started my day today watching an episode of Bob Ross and following some of his advice as I created my own version of “Happy Little Trees.” What an inspiration he was. Such a lovely person. He always says, “don’t copy me, make it your own. Make the place you want to go to.” I feel like I’ve been there all day, even while I’m roaming around in my urban desert home. I’m still there among those happy little trees. Magic. Thank you, Bob!

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May your day be filled with happy trees of any size.

Bonnie

Bonnie Kelso writes and illustrates books that celebrate diversity, creativity, and all the special qualities that make each of us unique.

©Bonnie Kelso and Creating Your ExperienceVitalize Your Creative Life is a workbook based on a series of classes I designed based on creating from the energetic space of your inner child. In this workbook, I encourage you to rediscover the creative kid inside of you by coloring, scribbling, and even drawing stick figures. This is a very approachable book for people who want to begin exploring their creative life in a playfully spiritual way. Read more…

The Red Crayon

| Bonnie Kelso

Dreams are so weird. Well, mine are to me. If I told you about them you would probably find them really boring, so I will spare you that. I did have one last night where it was a dream inside a dream. Those are rare. In my dream I was telling two people about what we were doing in a dream, and yes, their eyes were glazing over as I spoke… in my dream!

Although most dreams are strange and hardly seem worth remembering when the alarm goes off in the morning, some dreams seem to demand our attention. Those dreams feel more lucid and not like a dream at all. There’s something different about the light, the feel, the sounds and the overall intensity of them. Have you had one of these lately? Do you know what I’m talking about?

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Mine was simple and non-threatening. It was a red crayon. It was just lying there waiting for me to pick it up. I remember exactly what it looked like.  It was one of those big chunky crayons, made for little hands. It was new and perfect in shape and form. The tip was an unpressed cone of wax, still shiny from the processing plant. The paper sleeve on the crayon was free of wear and tear. I could tell it had not been handled much, if at all. It was as if this crayon had been perfectly preserved from childhood. My childhood. It was being saved for now. Saved for me to take and use in my 48th year of life. Perhaps in the past I have used other colors. Maybe those have already been worn down past the paper wrapper, but not the red. I’ve never used the red. Why? Is it too bold? Is it too everything I have never felt qualified to do until now? Continue reading →

A Greater Warrior Than I

| Bonnie Kelso

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I was just wondering what to put in the frame when my cat returned proudly from the hunt.

Sending love to you and all the fearless warriors out there,

Bonnie

Bonnie Kelso writes and illustrates children’s books that celebrate diversity, creativity, and all the special qualities that make each of us unique. Her book EVER OPEN is now available on Amazon in print and for kindle.

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Deep in the heart of the Everglades, 26 tiny eggs are beginning to hatch in a giant nest under a tall cypress tree. The fourth alligator to see the light of day is about to embark on a classic hero’s journey. Join Baby D as he explores his world through the innocence and wonder of a natural dreamer. Discover what makes him special while pondering what it might be that makes you special, too.

Shine on you crazy diamond!

| Bonnie Kelso

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This diamond goddess has been showing up for me lately in a lot of ways. It’s like she wants me to make a wish and I have to say it’s been a little intimidating. I’ve always been really careful about wishes, because I always get what I wish for. It’s just sometimes I get a lot of other stuff along with the wish that I didn’t really want or think about as being part of my wish coming true.

What would you wish for right now? Are you prepared for your wish to come true? What else might be bundled in with the granting of this wish? Do you still wish for it anyway?

“Come on you raver, you seer of visions, come on you painter, you piper, you prisoner, and shine!”  – Pink Floyd (Gilmour/Wright/Waters)

Shine on you crazy diamonds!

Love,

Bonnie

Bonnie Kelso writes and illustrates children’s books that celebrate diversity, creativity, and all the special qualities that make each of us unique. Her book EVER OPEN is now available on Amazon in print and for kindle.

EverOpenCoverTilt

 

Deep in the heart of the Everglades, 26 tiny eggs are beginning to hatch in a giant nest under a tall cypress tree. The fourth alligator to see the light of day is about to embark on a classic hero’s journey. Join Baby D as he explores his world through the innocence and wonder of a natural dreamer. Discover what makes him special while pondering what it might be that makes you special, too.

Strength

| Bonnie Kelso

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Strength is the tree that can bend in the storm without breaking. This image from my sketchbook and includes an art card featuring the painting “Tiger in a Tropical Storm” by Henri Rousseau. It’s hard to tell if the tiger is frightening or frightened. I like that about the painting. Sometimes we are both in the face of fear when we are trying to summon our own courage.

I wish you the strength of a tree and the courage of a tiger, or the strength of a tiger and the courage of a tree to help you through whatever it may be that is challenging you right now.

Love,

Bonnie

Bonnie Kelso writes and illustrates children’s books that celebrate diversity, creativity, and all the special qualities that make each of us unique. Her book EVER OPEN is now available on Amazon in print and for kindle.

EverOpenCoverTilt

 

Deep in the heart of the Everglades, 26 tiny eggs are beginning to hatch in a giant nest under a tall cypress tree. The fourth alligator to see the light of day is about to embark on a classic hero’s journey. Join Baby D as he explores his world through the innocence and wonder of a natural dreamer. Discover what makes him special while pondering what it might be that makes you special, too.

Quaking Aspens

| Bonnie Kelso

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Dean and I were hiking up at Mount Charleston last weekend. The quaking aspens were in peak color. What an inspiring feeling to be surrounded by the color yellow. I feel empowered in the solar plexus and ready to take on the world again! Enjoy!

♥

me

May your day be touched somehow by the color yellow.

Love,

Bonnie

Bonnie Kelso writes and illustrates children’s books that celebrate diversity, creativity, and all the special qualities that make each of us unique. Her book EVER OPEN is now available on Amazon in print and for kindle.

EverOpenCoverTilt

 

Deep in the heart of the Everglades, 26 tiny eggs are beginning to hatch in a giant nest under a tall cypress tree. The fourth alligator to see the light of day is about to embark on a classic hero’s journey. Join Baby D as he explores his world through the innocence and wonder of a natural dreamer. Discover what makes him special while pondering what it might be that makes you special, too.

Self-Portrait

| Bonnie Kelso

I’ve never enjoyed creating self-portraits. But, for some reason I just created one, and really enjoyed doing it! I was suddenly inspired by a weird painting I saw in the background of an episode of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. It was a framed painting of a woman standing next to her cat. In the episode a woman from the 50s is being scolded by her parents for allowing her marriage to end. I was only half watching, because I was really drawn to the painting hanging on the wall of the woman’s bedroom. Even now, I’m not sure what it symbolized.

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I guess there’s the stereotype of the lonely woman with no husband and only a cat for a companion. It could have just been there as some sort of subliminal symbol. I wonder how much this has really changed over the years.

Anyway, for some reason I really felt compelled to re-create the image I had seen ever so briefly. I especially liked in the image I saw how the woman was shoulder to shoulder with her cat, like they were totally in this thing together. I drew my current cat, Freeda. She definitely has the strongest personality of any cat I’ve ever been familiar with. Some of you may not know this, but she even has her own blog. Even though I only have one cat, I still proudly consider myself a cat lady.

Soooooo, Happy Caturday!

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> * <

Love,

Bonnie

Bonnie Kelso writes and illustrates children’s books that celebrate diversity, creativity, and all the special qualities that make each of us unique. Her book EVER OPEN is now available on Amazon in print and for kindle.

EverOpenCoverTilt

 

Deep in the heart of the Everglades, 26 tiny eggs are beginning to hatch in a giant nest under a tall cypress tree. The fourth alligator to see the light of day is about to embark on a classic hero’s journey. Join Baby D as he explores his world through the innocence and wonder of a natural dreamer. Discover what makes him special while pondering what it might be that makes you special, too.

Shaman

| Bonnie Kelso

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This collage was inspired by an interview I was watching of Joseph Campbell on Netflix, specifically “The First Storytellers.” As a children’s book writer I often look to Joseph Campbell for guidance. It’s part of my mission to create stories that speak of and from the soul within. The interview is really fascinating as they discuss different cultures and how myth is kept alive through reverent ritualistic practices. There was talk about the role of the shaman being a conduit of spirit through a personal psychological experience. He says that artists are the shamans of the contemporary world. Artists keep the myth and mystery alive in our culture.

I thank you, artists of all forms, for expressing the mystery of the creator that resides within us all.

Love,

Bonnie

Bonnie Kelso writes and illustrates children’s books that celebrate diversity, creativity, and all the special qualities that make each of us unique. Her book EVER OPEN is now available on Amazon in print and for kindle.

EverOpenCoverTilt

 

Deep in the heart of the Everglades, 26 tiny eggs are beginning to hatch in a giant nest under a tall cypress tree. The fourth alligator to see the light of day is about to embark on a classic hero’s journey. Join Baby D as he explores his world through the innocence and wonder of a natural dreamer. Discover what makes him special while pondering what it might be that makes you special, too.

The Empress

| Bonnie Kelso

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I love relearning art history through working with these art postcards that I collected back in my twenties from the various museums I visited. This collage features a painting of Silvana Cenni painted in 1922 by Felice Casorati. He was an Italian artist who was part of the Metaphysical Art Movement. This was a precursor to the more widely known Surrealism Movement.

“Since my art is born, so to speak, from within, and never has its source in changing ‘impressions,’ it is quite natural that… static forms, and not fluid images of passion, should be reflected in my works.” – Felice Casorati

I chose to emphasize the metaphysical nature and turn Silvana into the Empress from the Tarot. Behind her shines the modern Emerald City. She is the archetype of nurturing abundance. Nature harmonizing with urban sprawl. Something drew me to this painting a long time ago and today she’s taking on a new life for me.

Wishing you great abundance in all its many forms.

Love,

Bonnie

Bonnie Kelso writes and illustrates children’s books that celebrate diversity, creativity, and all the special qualities that make each of us unique. Her book EVER OPEN is now available on Amazon in print and for kindle.

EverOpenCoverTilt

 

Deep in the heart of the Everglades, 26 tiny eggs are beginning to hatch in a giant nest under a tall cypress tree. The fourth alligator to see the light of day is about to embark on a classic hero’s journey. Join Baby D as he explores his world through the innocence and wonder of a natural dreamer. Discover what makes him special while pondering what it might be that makes you special, too.