One summer day I sat at my drawing table asking to paint an image of deep integrity. Imagine my surprise when this primitive & unexplainable watercolor emerged! I called it Changing Woman & Blue Coyote, & wondered who they might be.
This first image soon became a series. There are now about 20 of them, & they're still coming. They seem to illustrate a story, but what story? It's not my story.
The way I work is by opening in a focused way to what nature spirits might want me to paint. These pictures come from that source.
Imagine living in a world where everybody is respectful & in love with all forms of life. Reverent & excited by the cycles that make life possible. A world of ecological peace & happiness.
For a few months I puzzled over these paintings. I listened to amazing things people saw in them. Now I think the nature spirits are telling us a story of how we grope our way back to harmony. A story whose words are different for each person looking at them.
Always there’s a sense of challenge. Always there is help being given by ancient spirits, animal companions, and sometimes plants.
I'm no longer embarrassed by their cartoon-like character. This is way too serious a story to approach without humor. The playfulness is a gift.
I’m grateful.
I painted this image in a time of severe difficulty. I didn't intend to depict a rock & a hard place, but there it is.
