Crushed beneath
the weight of
my own actions

I lie

here

bleeding

Howl

Howl wind Howl

Dark, interminable night.

Roar inside, Roar outside.

Snow becomes rain.

Love becomes hate.

Cleansing of wounds

purges heart's desires.

Swallowed emotions,

a poison drunk

by disappointed

lovers.

Shivering inward.

Starless space of

unfulfilled dreams.

Moon fuels dark light,

harbinger of winter

solstice, forest

brims with darkness.

Alone, a breath inside the forest

enshrouded by interminable night.

Howl wind Howl

Earth

Last night I saw a beautiful silent film called Earth by the Russian director, Alexander Dovzhenko, 1930. In summary;  "A village collectivises its agriculture; a tractor arrives amidst resistance from the serfs and the dramatic climax mixes revolutionary rhapsodies with mystical identification with the land."  I was deeply moved by the silent black and white images of the people's faces, the intensity and poetical beauty of the whole work. I continue to paint the landscape but am increasingly drawn to the connection between land and humans. My ancestory is Mennonite for 8 generations (or more) back on both sides of my family.  My great grand-parents all arrived in Canada from the Ukraine in the 1930's and I have always had a visceral attachment to anything that speaks of a peasant connection to the land.  It is this "mystical identification with the land" that I wish to further explore.  I have added a blog link to "Russian Films" as I continue to explore this connection in more depth.

Studio Mates

These two beautiful, strong women are my studio mates, Vicki Tansey and Winnie Lafferentz. They are both committed artists, devoted to their art and process. Vicki is a dancer, performance artist, painter and a loving compassionate soul. Winnie creates figures on recycled materials that evokes a haunting and powerful image of the human soul in all it's poetic modes. She has a gentle and lovely presence about her. I love these two women and together we fill our studio with a vibrant, creative energy!