As a writer I find it embarrassing that I was never an avid reader as a kid. I was much more interested in going outside. It didn’t really matter what I was doing, as long as it was outside. Mostly, I wandered. I looked at things, smelled flowers, tried to talk to the birds, and when I felt really brave, I would lift up a rock and see what I might find hiding underneath. I didn’t really become a recreational reader until I graduated from college.
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I’ve been taking these old art postcards I’ve collected over the years and altering them in my sketchbook. “The Lady of Shalott,” is a painting by John William Waterhouse. It was inspired by Lord Tennyson’s poem about a woman who is an artist. She weaves in a tower and lives an isolated life. She can only watch the people living their lives near the city of Camelot. She can’t even look at them directly, only through their reflection in a mirror. Here’s a portion of the poem:
There she weaves by night and day, a magic web with colours gay.
She has heard a whisper say, a curse is on her if she stay
to look down to Camelot.
She knows not what the curse may be, and so she weaveth steadily,
and little other care hath she,
The Lady of Shalott.
One day she is tempted by the sight of Sir Lancelot who is very handsome. She breaks her spell, and looks upon him directly. The mirror shatters and she knows because of the curse that her time is running out. She takes a boat towards Camelot, but dies before it arrives. Lancelot looks over her tragic death with sympathy.
I had a dream that as I walked through a thick wood, trees fell all around me. The sound of them crashing down was very loud and terrifying. Even though I was afraid I just kept moving forward. I felt like I was somehow protected and that they wouldn’t hurt me. Continue reading
Today I want to tell you about a friend of mine who passed away ten days ago. If you didn’t know her, I have a feeling you will find her story inspiring. If you did know her, then together let’s take a moment to remember her and celebrate her amazing art and resilient spirit.
This is one of Karen’s recent works. It is titled “Welcome To My Garden.” I remember talking to Karen about this piece quite a lot. It was a challenge for Karen in many ways. First, it was very difficult for her Continue reading
From my sketchbook playdate with myself this week. I am so going to miss Taurus. I’ve always had a resistance to Taurean energy, so this year I really made an effort to heal that internal relationship. Now I am totally in love with it! I’ll tell you a secret, too. My favorite way of connecting with this nurturing feminine earth energy is by lying flat on my stomach and pressing my forehead into the ground. I can just feel all my Continue reading
Wow. I hardly know where to begin. The most amazing things have been happening since a bunch of mermaids swam into my life. They brought in the New Year with me, literally on New Year’s Eve, when Dean and I stopped in at the Silverton Casino to visit our very own mermaid of Las Vegas. As I watched her I thought, “I want to be a mermaid.” This simple acknowledgment of longing seemed to activate Continue reading
When an animal appears in your life, whether through images, stories, dreams, or in the flesh, and you suddenly take notice of it, there may be a personal message being delivered. Last week I taught another Animal Totem Workshop. Each time I facilitate this class, a new Continue reading
I saw this image after I woke up from an intense dream. The dream was unrelated, but as I was recreating this image in real time, I realized it was linked to a memory of hiking in New Zealand. The forests there are quite magical and full of sprites and faeries. I was hiking along such a trail in the woods not far from the Franz Josef Glacier when I saw a creature that I could not describe. It was no ordinary deer, but a creature like that you might encounter Continue reading
Bonnie Kelso 