Tuesday, June 30, 2009

just Buddha...







I, like so many others, find myself attracted to the teachings of Buddha, though I do not consider myself to be a Buddhist. I do however, love to have his image in my space. His presence instantly invokes feelings of peace. I have collected several Buddha images over the years. The seated Buddha was completely different and the artist in me wanted to antique him, so I did. I love antiquing things and somehow, he seemed better suited to this neutral colour scheme rather than his original vibrant colour scheme. I also adorned him with my Mala Prayer Beads ... I love this quote by Buddha so much so that I wrote it out years ago to keep it under the plexiglass on my drafting table, as a constant reminder to do what I love and to constantly strive to discover my life and through that, my 'self'...

photos by Calli
© Calli 2009

Monday, June 29, 2009

watercolour sketches...

what next? ~ watercolour ~ 9 x 12


bohemian fringe ~ watercolour ~ 9 x 12


playing once again with my watercolours...honestly, if i don't do it often i seem to lose it. i'm using a new handmade paper called Nujabi. i'm not particularly fond of this paper. i prefer Arches 300 lb cold press. maybe, i just need to work with it a little more. it tends to get muddied up and doesn't seem to tolerate much rubbing.

ah well, paint and learn...

~Calli

Sunday, June 28, 2009

blissful simplicity...



i adore this image. has always been a fave of mine.
to me this says:
blissful simplicity
this is living in the moment, enjoying life's simple
pleasures.
i probably don't have to tell you that i love to blow bubbles with my kids,
and trying to catch them, is even more fun!
keeps my inner child alive and well.

nothing says summer like this...

hope you're all enjoying your summer.
~Calli

image source: whispery moment by Angela Bacon-Kidwell

Friday, June 26, 2009

i am haunted this day...



alone?
lonely?
what am I this day?

I try not to define myself in this way

though today the palpability,
is quite deafening.

feeling, mood, aura, so inward;
that outward seems, exhaustively unattainable.

solace within
my private place
my secret domain
i am sheltered, safe, untouched,
if only to a degree.

the rains
white noise
thunder

they murmur in the distance
soothing me
lulling me into a placid
meditative state

leading me to that unknown
where imagination
and peace
can often be found

yet not this day!

for you are there
an apparition of you

today, this is not a comforting thing
it is a haunting thing
i am on edge
agitated

and the only thought,
the only thought that consoles,


is the thought of being held in your embrace…

I am haunted this day

© Calli 2009



image source: photo-in-spoons

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

altar of hope...




altar of hope
i grace this space
with wishing seeds from dandelions
fairy dust
prayer beads
a treasured rosary...
amidst candles, God/Goddess
and
Buddha

all those things held dear

but what i hold even more dear
is unseen 'within' - my truest treasure!

that of my hopes and dreams
the 'thing' that makes me dance
my Altar of Hope

you are sacred to me

i pray on your steps
in your temple

i pray
i release
as i am rocked gently
and oh, so slowly

on the winds of tomorrow - my answers will come!

©: Calli 2009

image source: 33nukr9

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

untitled...


untitled
11 x 14 acrylic on canvas

My latest painting! As it stands, she is untitled, not sure why exactly, but she does
remind me of a particular scene from the 1998 film 'What Dreams May Come,' with Robin Williams and Annabella Sciorra...to me, one of the most moving scenes in the entire film... Oh, who am I kidding, there are several meaningful and thought provoking scenes in this film. I won't give it away though, in case you haven't seen it. If you haven't, I definitely recommend it. Here's the link to the trailer :
what dreams may come
Beautifully done movie trailer and it reminded me just how much I love this film.

"After life there is more. The end is just the beginning."

Beautiful viewing!
~Calli

school's out for the summer...



school's out for summer
school's out forever
my school's been blown to pieces

no more pencils
no more books
no more teacher's dirty looks

out for summer
out 'til fall
we might not come back at all

school's out forever
school's out for summer
school's out with fever
school's out completely

alice cooper lyrics

dedicated to my kids who love to sing this
on karaoke and cuz school's out!
~ we all know & love that feeling!

image ~ Bus #82 ©by Calli ...2009

Sunday, June 21, 2009

i wanna dance...


my latest painting
12 x 16 acrylic on canvas board

i wanna dance
~Calli
...and dance i shall

summer solstice...



officially began on June 21, 2009 at exactly 1:45 am EDT

give me a summer to remember
~
may we all have a summer to remember...


~ Calli
image source: lucaPatrone

also new photos and painting at:
G A R A H S T A H

Saturday, June 20, 2009

picture maker...









These pics are from a gorgeous view that is above and behind my home. Up on a seasonal dirt road that has the most breathtaking views. I think you can see 3 separate towns from up on that hill. I have been in awe of late, of the beauty that is out there in the rural countryside where I live. It amazes me how Mother Nature creates these painted pictures with the most beautiful and sublime of greens, blues and greys. I noticed on a long drive yesterday, how Mother Nature's 'uncultivated' landscapes are just so stunning. I was noticing things I have never noticed before. For example: the way beautiful vines automatically grow along roadside fences. They go on for miles. They look intentional, but they're not. I love lines and rows of trees that are also not intentional, but appear as though they are. I have always loved nature and the great outdoors, but somehow I feel a new heightened sense of awe that I had not recalled having before. And don't even get me started on my love of wildflowers! ahhh...

I am amazed at her beauty.

~Calli

photos by Calli


morning coffee ~ a series within a post...



a series of mini poems that find their way
with my morning coffee...

Page Divider Pictures, Images and Photos

loving boundaries
at times,
a necessity
a form of self-preservation?

protecting the heart
from more hurt
that IT could not possibly
endure

loving boundaries
walls erected, yet with love

i love you
but
your love hurts

Page Divider Pictures, Images and Photos

this soaring soul
whose heart beats for you
and
you alone

this flight
keep it going
don't give in to the night
don't make me fight

soaring on wings of past and present
coloured memories

altered views...

Page Divider Pictures, Images and Photos

rain
rain
rain...

i hear you, love
i feel you
i know your scent

for you are carried on that breeze
that sensual, succulent breeze

that came and went...

rain
rain
rain...

*sigh*

Page Divider Pictures, Images and Photos

bittersweet love

your love is bittersweet

your love is incomplete

i want you now

...let me love you

Page Divider Pictures, Images and Photos

© Calli 2009

image source: 22_01_2008_0805315001201020196_zbys

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

seeing you, seeing me...



in still waters
i search
i see
i find
it is you
your reflection
looking back at me

how can this be?
have you become so near?
that my soul knows no difference
between me and thee?

the good, the bad
we had morphed
as one

then you left...

and
when it is all said and done
it is once again me
(though forever altered)
that i see
looking
back at me...

© Calli 2009

image source: zzzsearch-1

Sunday, June 14, 2009

intuitive creating...











What i refer to as 'intuitive creating' created these.

drawing and painting
with absolutely no preconceived ideas
turns out to be great fun and at times, ends with intriguing results. not always a 'masterpiece' but that's okay.
i love to see what comes. it's a mystery, even to me.

~Calli

intuitive creating at...


G A R A H S T A H

hope to see you there, gems...

i would love it if you would 'follow' me at Garahstah (Picture Maker) ~ my art blog. That way you'll receive updates
automatically...

~Calli

Saturday, June 13, 2009

an introspective lyric (thank you!)...the goddess speaks - part 1



I came across a poem today in a book jacket
it resonated with my recent thoughts.
I was feeling as though I have not been living to my fullest capacity.
Not feeling as alive as I should. Withering in my prime of prime's.
Knowing it's time to live. Live fully. Live more beautifully.
Kiss the skies. Let my heart open and love again. Feel the beauty,
the amber glow, let it warm, and let the waters cool,
just FEEL...feel something. There is a Goddess inside and she
wants to feel, to breathe, to live through me...

*a introspective lyric © by Calli 2009

page divider Pictures, Images and Photos

I will not die an unlived life.
I will not live in fear
of falling or catching fire.
I choose to inhabit my days,
to allow my living to open me,
to make me less afraid,
more accessible,
to loosen my heart
until it becomes a wing,
a torch, a promise.
I choose to risk my significance;
to live so that which came to me as seed
goes to the next as blossom
and that which came to me as blossom,
goes on as fruit.

fully alive - by dawna markova


*an experiment in creating off the cuff...

whilst listening to Diane Birch - she's fabulous! love her! go take a listen:
diane birch
image source: whispygirl1

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

nature's beauty...

hibiscus bloom
~ reminds me of the 'sensuality' that Georgia O'Keefe was so famous for capturing in her paintings...









my new tree









rebellious spirit ~ my Hibiscus tree up close...

nature's beauty...
as captured
as remembered
as loved...


© Calli 2009
all photographs by Calli