Nordic poles along the pier . . .

I had a few errands to run yesterday afternoon & brought my Nordic walking poles along with me in the van so I could stop off and have a nice walk along the Hamilton waterfront.

It was cold and windy, but so invigorating & perfect for blowing out all the cobwebs! 

The path was clear and made for wonderful walking . . .  and that view! For a winter and snow loving girl , who could ask for more? Not I!

"I prefer Winter and Fall,

when you feel the bone structure of the landscape,

the loneliness of it

the dead feeling of Winter.

something waits beneath it,

the whole story doesn't show"

-Andrew Wyeth-

"It is the life of the crystal,

the architect of the flake,

the fire of the frost,

the soul of the sunbeam.

This crisp Winter air is full of it"

-John Burroughs-

Bundled up happiness xo

 

Hello February . . .

"If Candlemas day

be sunny and bright,

Winter will have another fight;

if Candlemas day 

be cloudy with rain,

Winter is gone

and won't come again"

-Darkovan-

Hello February . . .  grey skies & a cloudy and rainy Candlemas day here in my corner of the world. . . no shadows to be seen by Wiarton Willie who predicted an early Spring although we are bracing for another snow storm this afternoon.

"Be a lantern to yourself and a refuge.

Draw close to the light within yourself 

and seek no other shelter"

-Buddhist Wisdom-

Happy Candlemas Day

Excited that my 1st exhibit of 2022 will now be both in person and on- line with easing of restrictions in place! The first of a few exciting shows ;-) 

The "Time" themed art show can be viewed  in person at The Art Gallery of Burlington now until March 9th.

"Time Flies"

"We form a circle

there is wisdom in our wings.

Flying over this blessed creation

a gathering of more than mere twigs & string.

Reminding us of the place 

where we began

as we return, timely

in a wingspan.

-deb dunn- 

Thoughts jotted down on the canvas in pencil before I began to paint. 

Daily moments always seem to find their way woven into my paintings and Time Flies was no exception. Before heading into the studio to start this painting with a "time theme" I had been in the garden filling up the feeders on a very windy morning.  Between two of our cedars was a tiny, fallen nest. The words "we form a circle, there is wisdom in our wings" came to me and the painting flowed from there. Though I could never paint anything quite as spectacular as a bird can create with their nest, it is a favourite subject &  my humble way of paying homage to our feathered friends. They bless us year after year by nesting in our garden & filling it with joy, inspiration and song! 

Available for sale in person at the Art Gallery of Burlington 

and on line.

8" H x 8" L x 1.5 D

Lots of layers & detail. . . 

 "It's we who breathe, in, out, in the sacred . . .  On branches close to the nest"

-Denise Levertov- 

Happy Tuesday

d xo 

Connection . . .

At the end of the season, I always like to take cuttings from my plants .

All they need is a little water in jam jars & a sunny window  where they will sit happily and grow nice strong roots.

I  repot a few to bring indoors to over-winter and treat as indoor plants. One of my favourites to do this with are geraniums. Red geraniums are a favourite in our garden (and a wonderful Hummingbird magnet). This one is especially happy indoors, sitting in a sunny window!

"At the root, making art

is about connection.

Connection with yourself,

connection with others,

connection with the earth,

connection with the cosmos,

connection with flow state,

connection with life force,

and connection

with what it feels like to be

fully alive and free

in your own skin, and heart.

This is how 

we are meant to feel

and how we thrive.

Keep creating in the face of everything.

Just keep creating"

-Victoria Erickson-

I've been painting more with palette knives than brushes this month . . .  I absolutely love them and find myself reaching for them first as of late!

The horse and nest were done quickly using up left over paint after a painting afternoon.

I need not look very far for painting inspiration.

Sparrows at the feeders and beautiful birthday flowers on my kitchen table make for the loveliest models.  I was talking to my son and daughter and we all agreed that we were looking forward to Spring.  Not one of my "favourite" seasons normally ... I love Winter and Autumn and savour every moment of the cooler seasons  , but Spring brings with it the opportunity for us all to be together for "family picnics" something we found was a wonderful way of all being together "safely" through Covid.  A nest holds so many sacred emotions - home * birth * renewal* creativity * faith* LIFE

Still deciding whether I will mat and frame this painting or mount on a cradled wood panel and varnish.

 And a little whimsy because this made me smile . . .

I "find" hearts *everywhere* but this was a very sweet find as I sprinkled out a few Sea Salt and Vinegar potato chips!  I shared the love :-) 

Happy Monday

d xo

The first week of January . . .

Easing into the New Year with lots of lovely long, serene walks.  The temps have been cold, with everything from snow, rain & high winds, but no matter what the weather, it's all perfect for blowing out the cobwebs :-)

Tiny little paintings as well as some larger sized ones have already been created for upcoming exhibitions. I thought it would be nice to add a little hand painted tag to packaging of originals. . .  and I just love painting nests!

Comfort food for Veganuary . . .  my take on cabbage rolls . . .  cabbage, lentils, celery, onion, mushrooms, carrots, peppers, roasted tomatoes - YUM

"Everything we are,

everything we feel and fight

and fear and then embrace; every fibre

of muscle and being and heart.

And why shouldn't it take everything?

What are we saving ourselves for?

Let's spend ourselves completely on living the day we are given.

And then sleep deeply and dream ourselves into tomorrow

renewed and blessed to do it all again"

-Oriah Mountain Dreamer-

Winter trails * Winter love * Winter fun

& sharing some lovely quotes xo

"Be grateful for all the moments gone but look forward to all the moments coming.

It's time to follow your heart more, darling.

To be even more daring.

To compromise so much less, to not settle when things don't feel in sync with your heart.

Let the coming year be the one where you really listen.

Where you truly listen to your heart

and spread your wings.

This is your life, so go, live it true, even from today darling.

Even from today"

-S.C. Lourie-

"You're like a little wild thing

that was never sent to school"

-Mary Oliver-

 "I held my breath as we do sometimes

to stop time

when something wonderful

has touched us. . . "

-Mary Oliver-

***

happy Sunday

d xo 

Hello 2022 ...

 Happy New Year

I love the month of January for so many reasons . . .  a month of celebrations . . . a new year *  birthdays *an anniversary * winter :-)

"Here everything is so wholly what I consider beautiful.

In other words, there is peace here"

-Vincent Van Gogh-

 

"Maybe in any art

you have to be wholly you

in the context of whatever you're doing"

-Mariel Hemingway-

"Thought that can merge wholly into feeling,

feeling that can merge wholly into thought,

these are the artist's highest joy"

-Thomas Mann- 

While finding/reading these quotes a few weeks ago, my 'guiding word' came to me.  As it has in past years, it began appearing over and over in unexpected places. 

"There's that word again" I would think . . . often smiling as I saw it, for I am never completely sure if it's "the word" until it appears over and over :-) Another word came across my path that I had never heard before but loved the meaning of - susurration which means the whispering or rustling of. But it only appeared once.

Wholly - adverb

entirely; fully

utterly unconditionally

I'll carve out a little time this afternoon and sit with a hot cup of tea and art supplies and  begin to journal a page to honor my guiding word. It's snowing outside as I type and there is a lovely soft layer of freshly fallen snow that looks so pretty. I love when I can see all the little markings left behind from garden visitors in the snow. Tiny  little foot prints from our garden bunny show me where he has walked and is staying safe (behind our potting table which is where we suspected). We make sure that he, like the birds, have food available and the garden is filled at the moment with cardinals, chickadees, woodpeckers, a carolina wren and sparrows, a sure sign that more snow is on the way.

 And one more quote to share that I will add to my journal page . . . 

"Nothing is wholly obvious

without becoming enigmatic.

Reality itself

is too obvious to be true"

-Jean Baudrillard-

Thank you for stopping by. 

Have a wonderful day!

d xo 

Merry Christmas Wishes

May the Spirit of Christmas fill your heart

with

Love

Joy

&

Peace

Thank you for all your visits & lovely comments.

Wishing you a Very Merry Christmas

and Love, Luck and Laughter

for 2022!

d xo 

 

Hello December . . .

December ... that time of year when Vintage Sparrow Studio shares space with Mrs. Claus :-D

Home made Christmas gifts are always on the "list".  I've made these Santas for years and they always make me smile.  This year they were all painted on driftwood.  I had collected so many lovely pieces on morning lake walks, so they all hold wonderful memories too.  Once painted, I added a teeny tiny hook, red and white twine and a coffee stained, hand stamped Merry Christmas tag. On the back of each tag I wrote a favourite holiday quote .

This past weekend our grandson was marching with his Scout's group in the Santa Claus parade.

Our family, all bundled up, lined along the path, waving and cheering. Seeing Santa through the eyes of our grandsons, our children watching their children with beaming smiles and our grandpups in tartan bows . . .  THAT is what it's all about! xo 

Morning devotional * meditation * journaling and tea 

I've been bundling up and having my first cup of tea on our back porch and it has been such a lovely way to start the day. 

A page from an older journal. . . 

Making tags and cards from one of my Santa paintings . . . 

Pure joy . . . 

Advent

Tinker has made his appearance and sits happily on the stairs waiting for grandsons . . . 

And the most lovely surprise this past Friday when our daughter came down on the train to spend the weekend. We crammed everything we could in the time we had together . . .  lots of walks, Christmas shopping, cooking, baking, a walk down to the lake to take in the Festival of Lights, Santa Claus parade, Christmas movies and laughs!!!

Happy Monday 

d xo