Just about every Fall I create some small affordable art that someone could purchase for gift giving. This year I have painted rocks for sale.
They make unique Christmas gifts or Stocking Stuffers. Each is individual, just like a snowflake. In fact, they sort of look like snowflakes so apropos for the season.
Some other uses for painted rocks: paper weight, wedding party gifts, party favors, a gift for wedding guests, party guest gifts, knick knacks, put in decorative bowls, add to your boho decor, door stop (the 4 inch one), use as a surprise gift, set on a shelf to inspire love and peace.
If you know me you know I love meditation. These stones can also be used as meditation stones. Just take the stone and gaze at it while you repeat a mantra.
I’ve hand picked these river rocks from our property along the Skagit River in Washington State. I’ve painted them with intricate mandala patterns in acrylic. Then I signed and dated them on the back and sprayed them with a clear coat for protection.
Gnomes and Feather Stones
I’ve always been a fan of fantasy so I also have gnome and feather rocks.
This next one is one of my favs.
And I love this next one too. Well, I love all of them since I made them. LOL But I really like this one. It’s the largest of them at 4 inches.
So I hope you will hop on over to my Etsy Shop and check out the other painted rocks I have for sale.
I’ve been an admirer of Rita Loyd’s art for quite some time. Her paintings healing messages touch me. She uses images of women which symbolically represent different aspects of all women’s lives and this really draws me in.
I love the whimsical imagery and color and I’m a big fan of symbolism so this is just my kind of art!
I put together some questions for Rita to learn more about her art and creative process. Read her artist interview below. And you can find some of my other artist interviews on my blog here>>
Rita Loyd
Rita, will you tell us a little bit about your journey to creating your art and being an artist? I began painting my art in 1996 as a way to cope with chronic illness. I wanted to create art that was uplifting for me to look at and that would give me hope of recovery. I painted myself as I was or how I wished to be.
How long did it take you to develop your own style and when did you know this is what you wanted to do? I developed my own style within a year I think of painting in my early 30’s. At first my painted women looked similar to an Asian artist’s style that I had admired. They were jeweled, tall and thin women. But then I decided to paint my women with a more realistic appearance and who were plainly dressed to put more emphasis on the message of the painting rather than on the details of what they were wearing.
I knew I wanted to create healing art from the first painting that I did in my early 30’s. I named this first painting Hearts Touching. It was while painting this image that a message came into my mind that said, “You will continue to paint and the art that you paint will help you and others to heal.”
Foundation of Inner Strength by Rita Loyd
What drives you to come up with ideas for your work, what are your sources of inspiration? My art is my therapy. It helps me to look for my answers in life and to share the advice that helps me the most. Its also a reflection of my self-love journey and what I think can happen when we love ourselves.
Can you explain your creative process? The way I decide on what to paint next is that I ask myself the question, “What’s bothering me?” And, then I reflect upon my spiritual studies and personal wisdom to find advice on how to best handle this problem. Next, I think of the symbolism I can use to get that message across and that is what I paint.
Do you throw much work away? Do you ever paint over a painting you aren’t happy with? I recently threw a painting away because I painted another one that I thought conveyed its message more clearly. But then an on-line magazine wanted to share the one I threw away and it made me regret tossing it. Luckily they were able to use the image of it that I shared on Facebook a while back.
Other paintings I have thrown away were because they were not coming from my heart and from my deep authentic process. They were painted just to paint. So I didn’t have a heart connection with them.
Love Yourself Unconditionally by Rita Loyd
What has been a turning point in your art career and why? A huge turning point came years after I began painting. It was when I discovered that my art and creative process were teaching me how to unconditionally love myself. I had known that my art was healing and nurturing but I didn’t know what it was healing or what it was nurturing. Turns out it was nurturing self-love and healing self-hate.
Knowing what my art was about gave me direction in life and from there I wrote a book about self-love and my book is just about to sell out so I am working on its 2nd edition. This book is even being used in domestic violence centers to help survivors of abuse find self-love and I am very happy about that. My dream is to one day get my book into more domestic violence shelters and centers and it become the gold standard in teaching self-love to survivors.
How do you want someone to feel when he or she views your work? I would love for people to walk away from my art having a deeper sense of how to connect with unconditional self love.
How important is the title of a painting to you and when and how do you title a piece? My titles are very important because they convey the message of the painting. The title is based on the advice I am trying to convey. So I know the title or the basis of the title first.
When you feel self-criticism setting in or feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do to get back on track? When I feel unfocused or blocked I walk away from the drawing and rest. Sometimes taking a walk will help clear my head if I have the energy to take a walk. My inspiration comes in slowly and I can’t hurry the process. It might take months to visualize what I want to paint. I only paint about 3 paintings a year.
Fill in the blank: In the last five years, I’ve become better at __________. Loving myself. Self-love is a gradual awakening and I am learning to take better care of myself.
You Are Bigger by Rita Loyd
If you could get a message out to millions or billions of people or even the entire world population — what would it say and why? Heal and empower your life through unconditional self-love. Believe in yourself and believe in what you have to offer. Now, more than ever, we need everyone to wake up to their abilities and to use their abilities to help save the planet and humanity.
What’s your current or next art project? After I finish revising the 2nd edition of my unconditional self-love book I want to focus getting that book into more domestic violence centers.
I also want to create an interactive art exhibit teaching people how to nurture unconditional self-love. So I want to paint the main lessons that I teach about self-love. For example, one lesson is to slow down and take the time to listen to how you feel. So I have a painting to convey that message. Some messages are harder to paint than others and I am trying to visualize those concepts.
Anything else you want people to know about you? My art and story will be in the mindfulness issue of Where Women Create Magazine in late November. It will not only feature my own art but some of the art from artists I have interviewed on my website. I can’t wait to see it!
Thank you Rita for sharing your journey with us!
I hope you all will visit Rita’s lovely website at NurturingArt.com
One of the things that lights me up is making things. That is probably obvious since I’m an artist. But I really like making art and putting them on products to send out into the world! Spreading the love you might say. So I sell prints of my work on Etsy and I have a Zazzle shop.
With the same thought in mind, I applied for a Merch account on Amazon and now I have Amazon Tshirts for sale! That means I can now sell Tshirts on Amazon. I have about 25 tshirt designs there. Amazon Merch is a tier system. So I started with 10 designs and once I sold 10 tshirts, they bumped me to 25. Once I sell 25 tshirts, they bump me to 50 and so on and so forth.
You can search Amazon under Art by Lindy and some of my Tshirts for sale will show up.
I am doing a blog post series that will feature some of my Amazon Tshirts.
It is inspired by all those people working hard to follow their dreams! Like me and many of my friends and family! What about you? Are you following your dreams? If so, be happy and keep on keeping on!
My next Amazon Tshirt is We Are One. Let’s Love One Another Yoga Girls shirt. I love this 60’s / 70’s design with the flower power art and seated yoga women holding their hands in prayer, in meditation and grace. This T celebrates diversity! Spread the love!
Next up is my Om Symbol Tshirt. A favorite as I love meditation and I love symbols plus I love this color of blue! It’s a great combination.
I have put the om symbol inside a lotus flower which is another symbol I am attracted to. I have colorful lotus art for sale as a print and a pillow in my zazzle shop.
I’ve made a celestial print with Stars and planets because I’ve always loved celestial things. They are magical. I love the stars and the moon and what they represent. This is a giclée celestial print that will decorate any room in your house.
For me, the symbolism of celestial things is about how we are all connected. How the permanency of earthly beings is fleeting but the universe is endless!
The universe is always there and always will be. Long after we are not on this planet.
Inspired by quotes in celestial print
This celestial print is inspired by quotes that mention stars, the galaxy, planets and the universe.
“I think the Earth and everything around it is connected – the sky and the planets and the stars and everything else we see as a mystery.” — Sarah Brightman
“Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light; I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.” — Sarah Williams
“Be clearly aware of the stars and infinity on high. Then life seems almost enchanted after all.” — Vincent Van Gogh
Celestial Events
Last year, it was amazing to experience the solar eclipse. It was so cool with the infinity of the half moons floating around our yard. And recently, we experienced the lunar eclipse.
We are in Baja right now so we were able to see the lunar eclipse very clearly! It was if the moon was a little ball hanging in the sky and you could reach up and pluck it from the sky. The 3-D imagery of it was incredible.
These celestial events have inspired me to create a new print.
I’ve created a celestial star and planet print using some of the imagery from one of my paintings. It is a single mason jar filled with the universe. Pure magic in a jar.
You are stars and light
It is titled, “You are stars and light.” The size is 8″ x 10″ (20.32 cm x 25.40 cm). It is printed on archival, bright white, 100% cotton paper.
I’ve used Photoshop to enhance and create the imagery. I really enjoy creating digital art using my paintings!
You can purchase this celestial star and planet print in my Etsy shop.
I love the look of a southwest style painted steer skull. And I thought it would be fun to paint one myself.
When we were in Baja last Spring I got the chance.
A man stopped by our place one day with a pick up truck full of plain, white steer skulls. All of them were beautiful. It’s often hard to find ones that are so complete and not deteriorated. I chose one to paint and purchased it.
We cleaned it up and set it out to dry. But guess who got into it? Our little snoopy dog Belle. Here she is smiling at what she did.
She chewed the end off it. You can see the ragged edge of the nose.
I ended up rebuilding that part with papier-mâché. In the end, one can’t tell at all so I was pleased.
Floating moons. A tattooed tree. Brilliant shades of blue.
This is my latest whimsical tree painting titled “One Stood in the Shadow of the Floating Moons II.” I call my whimsical trees with the tattooed bark “Peace Trees.” Peace Trees represent peace and good will. Often times I will have prayer flags with them. This one has floating moons.
“One Stood in the Shadow of the Floating Moons II”, 12″ x 24″, acrylic on wood panel, $575
When I first created painting #1 with the same title, I was in Prescott, AZ. I had never heard of floating moon shadows. I just came up with the name after I painted it. This painting was one of three whimsical trees in a triptych. I was showing it at the gallery in Prescott, AZ called Van Gogh’s Ear. It sold quickly.
(Above: detail of painting titled One Stood in the Shadow of the Floating Moons, sold)
I liked it so much I made a card and a print out of it. You can find the print in my Etsy shop.
Moon Shadows
Last summer, during the solar eclipse, I definitely saw moon shadows! I immediately had to take photos! The moon shadows (or maybe they are reflections of light?) were floating on our garage.
Wow, it was amazing! They were all over our property. It was pretty cool.
Recently I was thinking about the floating moons and decided to paint another peace tree painting with them.
Favorite Titles
I have to admit I love the title. “One Stood in the Shadow of the Floating Moons” sounds like a lyrical poem when I say it which makes me happy. Just like my paintings.
Today I’m thinking about my latest symbolic painting. I don’t often share the symbolism behind a painting as I like the viewer to create their own story about it. However, I’m going to share a bit about my newest whimsical painting titled “Protected by Warrior Spirit.”
Symbolism of Protected by Warrior Spirit
It is not a warrior as in the traditional soldier, fighting type. Rather it is a warrior of grace. A warrior of the divine. Of Spirit.
It’s a concept more than an actual person. It’s a symbol. The colors black and red symbolize the life / death / life cycle which encompasses all of life. The feather of his spear represents a sharp yet forgiving nature.
For me, sharp means to use one’s mind for self development. To use one’s mind to figure out how things work. For truth finding. For using words wisely, to inspire others and for kindness.
A warrior spirit is mindful. He is aware of his surroundings. He protects those he cares about and helps them to be the best that they can be.
A Spirit Warrior Website
I found this website called Spirit Warrior at khaledallen.com that talks a lot about what the Warrior Spirit means. They say, “A Warrior invests in herself, seeking to become her best self. A Warrior cherishes every moment, seeks to see every minute lived purposefully, even if that means at purposeful rest. A Warrior expects to stand out, to strive for excellence, and to pursue great goals.” I like that.
“Protected by Warrior Spirit”, 12″ x 12″, acrylic on wood panel, $375
Other Symbols in my Whimsical Painting
Some other symbols are a fish shape which represents food to nourish us. A moon shape representing the passing of time. Of life cycles. The shape behind the feather is a spiral of energy, representing a strong life force.
The space in his body is filled with petroglyphs. It shows that he is old and comes from ancient times. The white star and mandala-like line drawings in the blue background are magic lines of light that surround the Warrior Spirit.
A Warrior Spirit is nurturing. Hence, he is always there in my mind protecting me from harm.
To be protected by Warrior Spirit is a gift to myself and I like having him near to remind me to strive for excellence.
It is titled “Follow the White Rabbit.” It is an acrylic on wood panel. It features a little white bunny in a dense yet colorful forest. Is the sun setting or rising? I think it is setting. What do you think?
I grew up in Lake Forest Park so I like the idea of supporting an organization from my old neighborhood! It looks like a fun event with music and art and a raffle to win “Collectors Choice” which is the opportunity to choose the first work sold.
Their website says, “The Shoreline – Lake Forest Park Arts Council is a community-based arts organization whose mission is to cultivate creativity and inspire our community through the arts.” It think this fundraiser is pretty inspiring!
16101 Greenwood Ave N, Bldg. 9000 Shoreline, WA 98133
The shorelinearts.net website says, the “Art exhibition and fundraiser, 6X6NW will feature hundreds of 6 x 6-inch works of art from artists locally, and all over the country, in all variety of medium. This evening event will include music, food, and a chance to purchase any of the artworks for $36. Proceeds from the event support Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council programming.”
So if you are in the area and looking to purchase some mini art, this art exhibition fundraiser is not to be missed!
“Follow the White Rabbit,”6″ x 6”, acrylic on wood panel
When I was in my early twenties, my Mom would purchase some of my paintings and donate them to Fundraising Causes she believed in. I thought it was a pretty cool idea as my work not only was sold but it then got in front of a larger audience.
So, I’d like to donate this little painting to this event in honor of my Mom, Audrey Gruger, who had a long and distinguished career as a community activist and elected official. Audrey served on the King County Council from 1982-1993 and represented the 1st Legislative District in the Washington State House of Representatives from 1976 to 1981.
It would be interersting to know who purchased my work from back then. I did have one person a couple years ago email me as they had one of my early pieces and wanted to know more about my work. It was fun to correspond with that person.
So who will buy this piece? I hope they contact me to let me know. 🙂
Flora Bowley, artist extraordinaire, wrote in her email newsletter “Need a (free) Creative Kick in the Pants? Join Me for the Creative Revolution Challenge in September!”
I said YES! I do need some inspiration! So I headed on over to Flora’s website and downloaded her free Creative Revolution Challengefor September.
I’ll be doing the challenge starting September 1st.
If you do too, use the hashtag #creativerevolutionchallenge when you make a post.
“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.”
– Robert Collier
It will be an interesting challenge as I think I need a kick in the pants regarding creative activities as of late.
We came up to Washington in July and got down to work. You may not know it, but we have a real estate investment business and we needed to do some work on some of the properties. So that’s what we’ve been doing.
Then we sold our house in Maple Falls which is great! So now I’m working on other parts of the business and I also work online for a company called LoveToKnow.com as an image specialist. So I haven’t spent as much time as I’ve wanted to on my art.
“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.”
It’s not just an e-Course it’s a creative experience! Hence, I highly recommend it! It’s for anyone wanting to loosen up their art style and start painting more intuitively as well as live a life of creative inspiration.
So that is why I’m excited to do Flora’s Challenge. I know it will be chalk full of inspiration just like all the other things Flora offers! So can’t wait to start! Thanks Flora!
I call these new whimsical, acrylic paintings my 2017 Baja Series as I created them while down in Todos Santos, Baja, Mexico this year.
They are acrylic on wood panel with 3/8″ to 1/2″ black painted sides and a 3/8″ to 1/2″ wood block glued on the back of the painting so they stick out from the wall. They are wired and ready to hang.
They all have vibrant colors and I love the way they came out!
The backs are painted black and I’ve signed, dated and titled each piece on the back with my lucky silver pen.
“Blond Haired Yoga Girl,” 6″ x 6″,
Acrylic on Wood Panel
“Black Haired Yoga Girl,” 6″ x 6″,
Acrylic on Wood Panel
“Brown Haired Yoga Girl,” 6″ x 6″,
Acrylic on Wood Panel
“Red Haired Yoga Girl,” 6″ x 6″,
Acrylic on Wood Panel
“Blue Hummingbird,” 7″ x 7″,
Acrylic on Wood Panel
“One Fish, Two Fish, Three Fish,” 7″ x 7″,
Acrylic on Wood Panel
“Life’s a Circus, Stay Balanced,” 12″ x 12″,
Acrylic on Wood Panel
“Birdie Love,” 16″ x 20″,
Acrylic on Wood Panel
“Sitting With the Sun,” 12″ x 16″,
Acrylic on Wood Panel
“My Heart is Open and Receiving Love,” 6.5″ x 16″,
Acrylic on Wood Panel
“Light Energy,” 5″ x 17″,
Acrylic on Wood Panel
“Star Light, Star Bright, Let’s Go On a Ride Tonight,” 14″ x 16″,
Acrylic on Wood Panel
“Shadow and Light,” , 11.5″ x 16″,
Acrylic on Wood Panel
“They Sailed Under the Light of the Moon,” 10.75″ x 16″,
Acrylic on Wood Panel
“Eternally Grateful,” 12″ x 12″,
Acrylic on Wood Panel
“When Two Worlds Meet,” 12″ x 12″,
Acrylic on Wood Panel
Just wanted to remind you I have a Facebook page which I use to post updates on the latest Art by Lindy news so if you haven’t already “Liked” my FB page, please do. It is located at https://www.facebook.com/ArtbyLindy
Mother’s Day is almost here! Does your Mama love art?
I know you’ve got a wonderful Mom that deserves something really special for being the terrific person that she is. Someone who has made a big impact on your life, so I’ve got some great gift ideas for you!
I bet she’d love some new, colorful artwork to decorate her home or office, so I’ve rounded up the best Mother’s Day Art Prints that will make it easy for you to shop for her!
Treat your Mom to something personalized – a custom worded print for her walls to show her how much you love her.
Try a saying like:
Mothers are marvelous beings.
They love us with their whole soul.
Value us more than anyone else on the planet.
Bring us their strength with hugs and open hearts.
Mothers create memories and do for us more
than they do for themselves.
They matter more than our words can express.
We love you Mom!
A number of years ago I discovered the art of Niki de Saint Phalle, a French-Swiss painter and sculptor.
She created some colorful, full figured sculptures which I love! Here’s an example:
Niki de Saint Phalle [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia CommonsI had created a few drawings in my sketchbooks over the years inspired by her work.
I just got my mt. bike tuned up and it’s been fun riding it! The gears weren’t shifting properly but now they are all good!
I love my bike and I love creating bicycle and raven paintings. I have quite a few of them now.
Here’s the latest one.
I titled it Yay! Joy Ride! because that is how I feel when I’m riding…I feel pretty joyful and happy! I think mt. biking was the first time I ever felt the word “glee”!
If you would like to purchase this painting, email me. It is $375.00, 12″ x 12″, acrylic on wood panel. It is wired and ready to hang.
If you would like to purchase a print, go to my Etsy Shop.
The sacred spirit bear is the keeper of dreams and memory. I like that the symbols float above him as if the dreams and memories are floating through time and space.
I really like the night sky with the stars and moon too!
I told you earlier about doing a commissioned painting for the singer songwriter Darryl Purpose. Now I’m excited to receive my very own copy of the “Still the Birds” Darryl Purpose CD.
My painting was used on the cover! It’s so fun to finally see the real thing and hold it in my hand. Wow, I’m so honored! I love Darryl’s music! I’m going to listen to it right after I post this.
The art direction, design and layout of the CD is by A Man Called Wrycraft (Michael Wrycraft).
I like the way the artwork was made into the background of the pages for the insert. And the hand on the CD label looks pretty neat too. 🙂
Thanks Darryl, it looks great! Darryl is a wonderful storyteller and I love his lyrics and sound!
This colorful acrylic painting is titled “Fly Me Over the Moon So I May touch the Sun.” Or you can call it “Fly Me Over The Moon” for short. It is 14″ x 14″, acrylic on wood panel, $525.
I’m pretty sure this painting is about desiring more sunshine in my life. And following my inner “owl” wisdom.
It’s been quite a change living in Maple Falls, Washington where we get 67 inches of rain per year. The US average is 37. So, that’s a lot of rain and cloudy days!
We still want to spend most of our time in Mexico (hello sunshine!) and be in Washington during the summer but as we get our ducks in a row we’re spending more time in Washington this year. So I’ve been thinking about the sun and warm weather a lot when we have blustery rainy days which is quite often!
I like the way the lotus flower is sitting on top of the body of the tree like it has a blossom head. And the symbols in the top left of the painting looks like a wink from the Universe.
Detail of “Fly Me Over The Moon.”
If you would like to purchase this painting, send an email to Lindy@artbylindy.com or you can buy a gallery wrapped canvas print in my Etsy Shop.
I’m finding myself really attracted to gnomes lately. I think it’s because we’re surrounded by some pretty wet, mossy, green forest where we’re living in Maple Falls, Washington.
When I go on hikes through the woods, I think about trolls, gnomes and fairies because it’s just that kind of forest. You can’t help but think about magical beings living in the enchanted forest.
I’ve been a big fan of gnomes since I was in my teens and I have this really great gnome book that I got in about 1977.
I’ve known Darryl from way back when I was living on Queen Anne Hill in Seattle, Washington. That would be around 1996.
I first met Darryl when a friend of mine in New York City let me know that Darryl was playing a house concert on Queen Anne Hill. He encouraged me to go hear Darryl’s music live. The concert was within walking distance of my apartment. How could I say no?
So my best friend and I walked up to the concert.
When we got there, we didn’t know any one in the group of people congregating and we were wondering if it was actually okay that we were there. My friend had said, “Just tell Darryl, Steve sent you.” Sounded good to me.
The concert was in a lovely house that overlooked the city. There was a large picture window in the living room with a sweeping view of Seattle and the space needle against the sky. There were chairs set around for people to sit in. A lot of those were filled. We sat in the back.
When the concert began, Darryl stood in front of the big picture window with his guitar and played for the small crowd of music lovers.
We were mesmerized with Darryl’s music and his storytelling of black jack playing and being on the great Peace March. It was enchanting and the setting just right!
During a break in the concert, people were mingling, others getting something to drink. I headed for the restroom. When I came back to the group, I found my friend hugging Darryl with tears streaming down her face. She had been so touched by Darryl’s music and was telling him how much she loved it. It made me smile. His music brought her to tears! That’s how soulful and touching Darryl’s music is!
It’s a great memory of a beautiful evening of fabulous music and company!
His music inspired me to paint this piece titled “Blue is for River.” It’s a painting of Darryl (when he used to wear a cowboy hat during his performances) whipping up the sky with his music.
My painting title is taken from Darryl’s song titled “Paint the Sky.” Darryl graciously let me use his Paint the Sky song in my art showcase video on Youtube.
Purchase an archival print of Blue is for Riverhere.
Fast forward a few years and a few DP concerts later. I’ve seen Darryl play in Washington, New York City, and Oregon. I have all of his CDs! Can you tell I’m a fan yet?
I will always remember a road trip I took once with my late husband, Peter. I had introduced him to Darryl’s music when we lived in Portland, OR.
I think it was sometime in the summer of 2005. Peter was very thin from fighting colon cancer. He also had bought a new (used) car and wanted to take a road trip with it.
Peter’s brother, Larry, was visiting so we took that road trip. We had Darryl’s music in the CD player. Peter wanted to share Darryl’s music with Larry and there was one song Peter especially loved. It is titled, “The Island Song” from the Right Side of Zero CD.
I just remember cruising along with the sun roof open, a beautiful summer day, Larry stretched out in the back seat, Darryl’s music playing, Peter driving…we stopped to pick blackberries on the side of the road. All was well.
Sadly, Peter didn’t win the battle. He died from colon cancer that October.
Whenever I hear the Island Song, it brings me back to that day. I remember how Darryl’s music had lifted us up! How eager Peter was to share the music and the times we played Darryl’s music to make us feel good.
I’ve been sharing Darryl’s music since that first CD I bought in 1996. So you can see I felt honored to be asked to do a custom painting for the new CD.
So, I talked with Darryl about the commission.
What did he want it painted on…paper or wood? How big? What feeling did he want portrayed from it? Darryl sent me a few lyrics from some of the new songs on the CD. We exchanged thoughts about the painting and then I began.
It started out like this…
and then turned into this…
and then this…
and…
The paintings early layers
and… so it went. Adding more layers and more layers.
Lindy painting “Still the Birds.”
Then at some point I noticed the earring. It’s funny how one can paint and not really notice the elements until much later.
Where did that come from? The earring had to go.
So I took it out and turned it into Buddha’s ear. I almost thought that “Buddha’s Ear” might make a nice title. It had a lyrical quality to it. 🙂
Still the Birds acrylic painting by Lindy Gaskill
But the words “Still the Birds” kept repeating in my head. I almost didn’t want to title it that because it was the title being considered for the new CD. Yet, it seemed to fit perfect, so that was what I titled it.
There is a lot of symbolism in this painting. I don’t often like to talk about what a painting means to me as I like the viewer to make up their own story about my art. But I will tell you that the hand symbolizes the guitar player in Darryl and how a musician uses his hand to play an instrument. The raven looking up at the moon and the swallows flying above is about time and the passing of it.
You can read more about Darryl here and on his website.
If you’d like to purchase one of your own commissioned paintings, go here.
Art touches the soul and deepens the spirit and here are 30 reasons why we need art in our lives.
1. Art helps us feel emotion.
2. Art makes us feel alive.
3. Art can adorn our bodies and make us feel beautiful, peaceful, independent, playful, a rebel (you choose the noun/adjective/verb).
4. Art can take us to another world like a dream can.
5. Art can make us forget our troubles.
“Art is not a thing, it is a way.”
~Elbert Hubbard
6. Art can adorn our living space and give sparkling areas for our eyes to look at.
7. Art can make us think.
8. Art helps us to heal.
9. Art helps us make change in the world.
10. Art can bring people together.
“Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part of the actor. It’s a gift to the world and every being in it. Don’t cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you’ve got.”
~Steven Pressfield
11. Art can uplift the spirit.
12. Art can fill that empty space on the wall, on a shelf, on a door, in the garden…you name it.
13. Art offers forgiveness when we need it.
14. Art can bring peace.
15. Art can be a legacy.
16. Art can help us get in touch with our deeper/higher selves
17. Art can help us see the beauty around us or add beauty to our surroundings.
18. Art reminds us to slow down and be still.
19. Art can take us to our spiritual center.
20. Art can shift us in a new direction.
“The greatest respect an artist can pay to music is to give it life.”
~Pablo Casals
21. Create! Art can give us something to do.
22. Art can compel us to act.
23. Art exposes us to new ways of thinking/viewing the world.
I’m selling fine art prints on paper again so I’m celebrating by doing a Print Giveaway with my Bike and Raven Art.
My new paper prints will be less expensive than in the past. Although they won’t have my personal signature on the back, they will be just as vibrant and colorful on archival Epson paper like the previous ones I was selling.
The print below is titled “Peace Out.” The image size is 8″ x 8″ and printed on an 8.5″ x 11″ sheet. It comes in a clear cello bag inside a stiff cardboard mailer so as not to bend. Print paper is archival, acid-free and 100% cotton.
Here’s how to enter to win this print (open to U.S. and Canadian residents only):
Do one (or all) of the following:
1. Let’s inspire each other, tell me your favorite way to be creative and post it as a separate comment (1 entry).
2. For new followers, follow this blog, and tell me you did so as a separate comment (1 entry).
3. Tweet about this giveaway, and tell me you did so as a separate comment (1 entry).
4. If you haven’t already, Follow me, ArtbyLindy on Twitter, and tell me you did so as a separate comment (1 entry).
5. For new Fans, “like” me on Facebook, and tell me you did so as a separate comment (1 entry).
4. Blog about this giveaway, and tell me you did so as a separate comment (1 entry).
6. Sign up to receive my Art e-Newsletter and tell me you did so as a separate comment (2 entries).
7. Make a purchase from my ArtworkbyLindy Etsy shop and tell me you did so as a separate comment (5 entries).
And if you just can’t wait to have this print, you can purchase it from my Etsy Shop >.
I’ll pick the winner in a random drawing on December 15th. Let me know your email in the comments so I can get a hold of you if you won. I’ll also post the winner on this blog.
Thanks for participating and supporting living, working artists…like me!
Sometimes I visualize a story behind my painting and write a few words to illustrate it as if my image were in a storybook.
This is what came to me for this painting titled “Watch the Sun, Follow the Stars.”
“If you look up during the day you can watch the sun. It moves over the forest and fields. At night, branches cover overhead like a blanket of thorny thicket. I make my way through the forest by following the stars as they peek through the branches. I look over yonder and see shooting stars fall like fireworks in the sky. I know life is a miracle and the forest holds magic.
There was one tree that was my favorite. It was an elder Tree. As ancient as the sky is wide.
It wore the tapestry of it’s knowledge, etched in patterns and colors to match the rainbow….”
I will admit it. I’m a weanie when it comes to swimming in big waves at the ocean so I don’t go in very deep when I see waves crashing. Since I’m not a mermaid, I decided at least I could paint one.
“She Carried the Light”, acrylic on paper, 9″ x 9″
So here she is carrying the light through the depths of the deep blue sea.
I was outside painting and getting a lot of layers down but it wasn’t turning into anything in particular. Then a little gecko came by and sat next to my painting as if to say “Paint me.” And so I did.
He was like a little messenger. First I took his photo so I wouldn’t forget what he looked like. Then it was fun to paint him.
I’ve titled the piece “Mi Amigo”, acrylic on paper, 17″ x 21″, unframed.
I painted this painting intuitively as I often do with my art.
Sometimes my paintings feel as if they develop all by themselves and I am just the channel for the creativity.
When I was through with it the title instantly came to me as that was what I was feeling from it. It uplifted me and I felt the positive energy radiating from it.
I decided to dedicate it to my hubby, Greg, as he was feeling under the weather and could use some healing energy. So I told him I was “Sending Love and Healing Light” to him with this painting and he said that made him feel good. Yay!
Since then, Greg is feeling a whole lot better so that is great. And every time I look at this image, I feel the love and healing light coming from it. Maybe it’s because I repeat the words in my head when I look at it but either way, it lifts me up! 🙂
![Niki de Saint Phalle [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://artbylindy.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Nana_in_Zürich.jpg)
