Noticing Our Illusions – Letting Go as we Dance with the Vibrant Leaves

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In these current times with so much turmoil and change we can easily find  ourselves believing many thoughts and words as fact, without stopping ourselves to investigate if they are really true.  In fact, most of us feel excessive stress brought on by fear itself. The many dramatics we create, and the colorful thoughts we allow to occupy our minds, the stresses we ourselves place upon ourselves, and the seemingly complicated nature of living at this time can feel overwhelming. Yet, if we truly delve into the truth of our circumstances, we often may find that many of these seemingly stressful things are simply illusions with no foundation to create fear other than our own over-active imaginations and stories. While many of life’s events are, at times, very real – most of the accompanied stress I would argue is self-created by the stories we tell ourselves about them.

Illusion of Complexity speaks to this truth with its highly complex, interwoven canopy of branches.  Mirroring a cluster of winter barren trees, the branches of the trees create an utter maze of complexity.  It was created as an expression of the reality that it is always “I” that brings the complexity to my life. We are always as clear and as simple as the first moment we breathed. Illusion of Complexity is a visual invitation to remain still enough, amidst any chaos, to hear that Voice which simplifies, purifies and holds us in our true home. It is that Voice which sifts through the many mazes of complexity and awakens in us a simple, clear knowing that we are always much larger than any of the many distractions we create, or circumstances which surround us – we are always Home.

As we step into the final quarter of 2012, may you witness the falling of the vibrant autumn leaves as a personal invitation to let go of all the illusions and stories you have been holding onto. Let them all beautifully float away as gently as the branches let go of the newly colored leaves which no longer are of service to her. Just as we can see the remarkable, sculptural beauty of the trees branches so easily in this season, allow yourself to let go and unveil your deeper truths – your covered branches – as well.  Let go as you prepare to enter the colder, barren winter season – knowing the truth of who you are and clinging to nothing other than utter trust and peacefulness – peacefully at Home with the firmest of foundations to support you.

Artists for Conservation Festival Oct 13 – 21 Grouse Mountain | North Vancouver

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Artists for Conservation Festival  Oct 13 – 21

Grouse Mountain | North Vancouver

The Artists for Conservation (AFC) Festival opens on October 13 thorough October 21st on Grouse Mountain Resort, North Vancouver, B.C.  AFC will bring the world’s top conservation-themed exhibit of original nature and wildlife art, film, live painting demos, adult and youth workshops to this unique event. The festival will include renowned artists such as Robert Bateman, Guy Combes, David Kitler, Andrew Denman, Mark Hobson, Pollyanna Pickering and many others. My work (Nature’s Bounty and Celestial Joy) has been juried into both the live and the virtual exhibit. This international exhibit features extraordinary and highly talented artists all of whom are are highly committed to continuously working in partnership with many conservation efforts around the globe.

National Honey Bee Day, August 18, 2012

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August 18, 2012 is National Honey Bee Day.  The world’s honeybee population has been in an alarming decline for the past nearly decade; and continues to decline today. In the mid 2000’s a virus threatened the vibrance of the life of the honeybee; and today Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) presents the greatest challenge yet with its unique set of lethal symptoms. I hold a very deep and growing concern regarding the alarming rate of the honeybees continual disappearance (along with other bees and insects); and the yet inconclusive –or at least ineffective – results of the massive research completed surrounding CCD.  One highly regarded author, Michael Schacker, in A Spring Without Bees (2008), suggests we have the answers, for the most part, to their disappearance yet we have been unable, as a society, to accept the evidence which would strongly indicate a critical need to change many of our ways of living.  Schacker believes the major culprit to be our increased use of pesticides and our ever-increasing potency of them. His book presents an absolutely alarming, and very well documented collection of the history of their disappearance along with the research efforts and results. He also highlights the role of the EPA and its regulations and practices; as well as the role of major manufacturing companies of the many pesticides we use so freely today. It is clearly a book worthy of one’s time and deepest reflection.

The honeybee pollinates about one third of the food we eat today – including fruits, vegetables, and nuts.  Without these foods, our dietary intake would need to change dramatically leaving grave deficiencies.  The honeybee truly feeds us through its relentless work as an amazingly intelligent and organized colony.  I hope we are, collectively, able to wake up to the alarming cry of the honeybee and see in its disappearance the grandest of requests for us to re-evaluate, with very new eyes, our way of tending our natural world and our changing farming and gardening  practices.  I believe we can truly no longer afford to make decisions based primarily upon financial gain or ease of labor over the value of a healthy source of nutrition and a balanced, non-toxic and sustainable ecosystem.

The honeybee builds combs that are flat, vertical panels of highly uniform six-sided (hexagonal) cells. Six, is the number of absolute harmony. It is a delight to reflected upon the wonderful mystery of how these seemingly tiny insects hold the intellect to build such precise cells in absolute uniformity and in the form of perfect harmony. This feels to me to be an immense and wondrous gift and inspiration. They clearly point the way toward building harmony – collectively.

The foraging bees return to the hive once finding an excellent source of pollen and nectar. Using the amazing and intricate waggle dance, they share the precise location of this excellent source with the other bees in the hive.  I wonder how different our communities might look if we too were to be inspired to share our greatest treasures, as we discover them, with all others in our communities that we might work together to best feed ourselves and nurture others? The honey bees’ sense of authentic partnership and community is richly inspiring. They simply trust the pure nature of sharing in the richest sense of community.

Symbolically, the bee is noted in many traditions as carrying a heavenly import. J.C. Cooper, in the Encyclopedia of Traditional Symbols (1978) suggests: “Bees often represent the stars and are also winged messengers carrying news to the spirit world; telling the bees of a death or important event, is to send a message to the next world or the spirits.”  Could the bees be communicating with the heavens – the spirit world, indicating we are perhaps well out of balance in our care of the natural world?  In the Christian context, the bee hive is symbolic of the church – and in our world today, is the traditional church collapsing in many ways right along with the hives? Have we been blinded to seeing with clear vision the vital essence of both? The Celtics propose the bee represents secret wisdom coming from the other world. Could we perhaps learn much from their habits (secret wisdom) of highly organized partnership, harmony and communication?

Jack Tresidder, in his book  1001 Symbols; suggests that few if any creatures have symbolized more ethical virtues than the bee. “Apart from being associated with many divinities, its industrious habits and social organization were a gift to the writers of homilies. The Christian monastic community was equated with a beehive… The 12th century mystic Bernard of Clairvaux likened the bee to the Holy Spirit.”

In celebration of the National Honey Bee Day event, hoped to bring a growing  awareness to the honey bee and its potent gifts for each of us (if we like to eat, that is) Alleman Studios  is offering complimentary packing, freight and insurance for the purchase of Nature’s Bounty direct from the studio through the month of August 2012.  As always, we will also make a donation from the profits of the sales to one of the many organizations supporting research, education and awareness regarding the honey bee. Nature’s Bounty is a very small, wonderfully beautifully vessel presenting a field of common white clover and a single honey bee.  Started in 2009, The National Honey Bee Day’s mission is three-fold:  Promotion and advancement of beekeeping; education of the public to honey bees and beekeeping; and continuing to make the public aware of environmental concerns affecting the honey bees (their own kind of waggle dancing).

For more information regarding this event and other honey bee facts visit: www.nationalhoneybee.com

Summer Cleaning

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As promised, with limited editions, as an edition closes we commit to destroying the mold.  This is often an emotional process – akin to saying a final farewell to a beloved friend. This past week, in the studio, it was time to “let go” of some kindred friends in the mold form.  I was reminded of the wondrous and inspiring spirit of the Ginkgo: Seed of Hope vessel  with its rich reminder to simply “let go”.   It is always a reassuring joy to remember during this process that all the members of the edition are at home somewhere in our  world, hopefully bringing joy and inspiration to many souls.  It is my practice to trust that each piece will indeed find its perfect home – its perfect journey – and at the perfect time.

And, with the destruction of molds, new space is created for the anticipation of new works to come in their season.  In this summer season of rich harvest time, it is a delight to relish with deepest gratitude, in the harvest of the fields and the harvest of the creative process once more.

My gratitude is extended to my growing collector base – without your support my work would not be possible.  You are the faces that bring the possibilities to fruition – that fuel the entire creative process.  Selling a piece gives witness to its impact in our world; and that is the beautiful core of the world of art – to bring a visual impact and hopefully an impact empowered with ripening and ever growing inspiration.  Thank you to each of you who have and continue to support my work allowing me to remain on this wondrous and joyful creative journey.

Celebrating National Pollinators Week

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June 18-24 I will be celebrating National Pollinator Week through the release of my newest  bronze vessel, Nature’s Bounty – a very small bronze vessel of white clover with a single pollinating honeybee.  The white clover plant is a vital and nourishing source of nectar and pollen for the honeybee.  My 2011 release of Celestial Joy celebrates the black-chinned hummingbird (another      important pollinator) amidst a brilliantly radiant cluster of wild, orange alpine lilies. As many of you know, I was raised on a small farm in rural Lancaster County, PA. I  grew up with many hives of honeybees consistently pollinating the diverse and abundant crops, including a vibrant orchard on our farm. My paternal grandfather was the beekeeper in those days while my brother continues the tradition today.

While my work has always been richly inspired by the wisdom and beauty of nature, in recent years Ihas become an ever growing advocate for various conservation efforts –particularly regarding pollinators.  My concern over the alarmingly diminishing population of the honeybee was the stirring motivation for this newest release Nature’s Bounty. I hope the piece, while bringing a slice of artistic beauty into our world, equally raises awareness of the currently desperate state of the honey bee – and a response that will insure its survival. Nature’s Bounty will be offered in a more unusual unlimited edition with hopes it will empower the spread of awareness regarding pollination conservation to infinite levels; while offering a very affordable work of museum quality art to collectors around the globe. It features a single tiny honeybee – easy to miss if you do not know it is there while mirroring how very easy it is for us to “miss” giving attention to the honeybee and it’s survival when seeing one in nature.

Nearly one-third of the food we eat today in North America is pollinated by the honey-bee. Without the honeybee, most of the vegetables and fruits we take for granted will simply disappear or depend upon human pollination.  Since 2006, the honeybee population has been declining at an alarming rate with still unknown causes of the devastating and stressful Colony Collapse Disorder. More than yet another beautiful bronze vessel, Nature’s Bounty is an appeal to the public, to plant bee and insect friendly gardens and reduce the use of toxic pesticides to help insure the balance and sustainability of our ecosystem.  As a commitment to the conservation efforts in regard to the honeybee, Alleman Studios will designate a portion of the profits from its sales  of Nature’s Bounty to benefit various non-profit organizations fighting to bring awareness, research, and sustainable solutions to our world regarding the honeybee and other valuable pollinators.  Other pollinators such as butterflies and hummingbirds also appear in my body of work.  To learn more about  Nature’s Bounty, Celestial Joy and the honeybee visit the website section presenting each of these pieces – associated writing will follow below the images of the artwork.

You may also learn more about pollination conservation by visiting the San Francisco based Pollinator Partnership website at http://pollinator.org/index.html.  The Pollinator Partnership’s mission is to promote the health of pollinators, critical to food and ecosystems, through conservation, education, and research. Signature initiatives include the NAPPC (North American Pollinator Protection Campaign), National Pollinator Week, and the Ecoregional Planting Guides.

Picasso’s Wisdom

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Today is the first day of spring! A time when we each can more easily see the beauty of nature waking up once more; and find our spirits renewed as we welcome the growing – greening – season of spring! Few things can truly “awaken our spirit” as does spring – art is one of those rare gifts that indeed does just that. Like the spring, it reminds us of a deeper truth – of the undercurrents of living a full and rich life – of all that is indeed growing and alive whether we readily see it or not with the human eye. Pablo Picasso perhaps says it best: “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”   I love this quote from Picasso as it so articulately expresses the true beauty and magic of fine art. A beautiful creation of art, should indeed, renew our spirit and allow us to readily see and more deeply appreciate the true beauty of life. It is always a hope that my work will indeed cleanse the soul – allowing us to recognize again its perfection while renewing our spirit. Our world may not need art to survive, but indeed it needs the finest art to truly and joyfully thrive! May your spirit be renewed as you welcome this new spring and all the glorious gifts nature incessantly refuses not to share. All of life is well – indeed perfect – beautiful.  Warmest spring blessings to you this day!

Saint Patrick’s Day Celebration of the Clover

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Here we are in March already. Time surely seems to be collapsing as the first day of spring is less than two weeks away. On March 17th many will celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day and green clovers (shamrocks) will infiltrate our stores and homes.

Watch for our upcoming new release Nature’s Bounty to be released later this spring, featuring the white clover and honoring the vital honeybee. It is a very small piece with a very large appeal to truly awaken our conscious awareness of the importance of protecting our global colonies of honeybees. Surrounded by a blanket of clover leaves and while clover blooms, one single, tiny honeybee subtly finds nourishment in a bloom. With a closer look into this bronze field of blooming clover one will find a treasured four-leaf clover. Did you know that the tiny, remarkable honeybee is responsible for pollinating over one third of the fruits and vegetables we eat? Did you know they are declining in population at an absolutely alarming rate? These small and wondrous insects have one of the most sophisticated community habits in the insect world – they are both fascinating and wondrous.

While you celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day I invite you to also celebrate the clover as one of the most vital sources for the sustenance of the honeybee. Once released, you will find a plethora of facts on our website regarding both the clover and the honeybee. In addition, we will be posting a list of many simple steps you can take to share in protecting the honeybee from extinction.

Artists for Conservation Exhibit at the Sonoran Desert Museum

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This weekend I visited the Sonoran Desert Museum to view the current exhibit by the Artists for Conservation – the world’s leading artist group dedicated to supporting conservation. Annually they present a juried exhibition and benefit titled “The Art of Conservation: an international exhibit of nature in art”.  The event recognizes artists for their commitment, involvement and passion to artistic excellence coupled with conservation while directly supporting conservation organizations around the globe through the sale of their work.

While the entire show at the Desert Museum this year was quite stirring and beautiful, my favorites included an incredibly moving while warmly calming large oil painting by Kathleen Dunn titled Last Night with two owls; a smaller beautiful acrylic titled Black-throated Sparrows and Silver Leaf Sunray  by Sharon Schafer; Migrating Cranes by Hans Kappel; Trumpeter Echelon by Gregory McHuron; and Robert Bateman’s capturing and alluring oil, Pacific Northwest Snow Laden Scene with a Pack of Seven Wolves.

While this visit was focused on the AFC exhibit, I, of course, had to take advantage of being there again and spend time throughout the museum’s renowned habitat and wildlife exhibits. The museum is an excellent avenue to gain acquaintance and a plethora of knowledge about the often hidden gifts of the quiet desert. If you plan a visit to Arizona, it is definitely a “must see” on your touring schedule. One could easily spend the better part of day to fully explore all they offer. For more information please visit www.desertmuseum.org.

If you’ve not yet visited the Artists for Conservation website (www.artistsforconservation.org), I invite you to take a few minutes and visit their website of diverse and talented international artists dedicated to wildlife and habitat conservation and outstanding artistic expression. I was juried into Artists for Conservation in 2011 and am delighted to be a part of their outstanding mission.

Saint Valentines Day Celebration

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We are nearing the end of January.  The stores have been displaying all the Valentine’s Day celebration cards and gifts for several weeks. Valentine’s Day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine.  Originally it was most often celebrated with hand-written notes of affection and love to another.

It seems to me, that it might also include a heightened awareness of the love of self – a necessary element and precursor to authentically loving the other.  When we recognize the love we are as individuals, we can easily and beautifully extend love to others.  One of the ways in which we can best love ourselves is to nourish ourselves – not necessarily with “things” but rather with a deep awareness of what our soul most longs to recognize and know. Sometimes this nudges us to do a little pruning and sometimes we may need to add something or grow in some manner. Giving attention to our own inner growth and health is always a valuable investment. When we consciously tend to our inner selves, we are simultaneously tending the world and our lovers and significant others wholeheartedly and fully.

One of the pieces in my collection of bronze art vessels, Nourished, is a vessel for lovers. The foliage on this piece is more subtle and the tree trunks/bark are much more dramatic than on other pieces in my collection of artwork. The bark is that which is presented to the world – the color, if you will, of the tree – and that which protects it. Our best protection of ourselves is to protect ourselves through caring for ourselves tenderly and lovingly. The outer bark of the tree protects it so that the inner sap can flow freely. Likewise, if we protect ourselves through caring for ourselves, our inner bark – our love – can flow much more freely.  The negative space on Nourished, in many places is in the subtle shape of the heart. It is not obvious when first looking at the piece, but with closer examination one can quickly find many heart-shaped openings in the piece. The essence of the piece is the invitation to mirror the tree’s wisdom – care for ourselves so our love can flow freely. In giving attention to what our soul needs most – nourishing ourselves – we are able to be and give love beautifully and authentically.

Perhaps you might write your own Valentine’s Day sentiment to yourself and to your loved one this year. There is nothing more meaningful than a hand-written note of love and affection.  Or, if your budget allows, you might consider the gift of a piece of fine art sculpture, in a limited edition of bronze. My limited edition of the bronze vessel, Nourished, expresses love and marriage in the deepest sense.  Regardless of your manner of celebration, may love flow freely through you extending beautifully to your loved ones this Saint Valentine’s Day – and always.

 

New Year Reflections

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I send each of you warmest greetings for the wonderful year of 2012. As I write, for those of you in the Christian tradition, the twelve days of Christmas continue to be upon you with the twelfth day, Epiphany, coming this Friday. Epiphany, regardless of your spiritual preferences, is a wonderful time of deep and welcome reflection. I appreciate that it comes following the higher social activity weeks of the season – when things seem to be a bit more quiet, allowing more easily for contemplative space.   Epiphany is that rich season of inquiring within oneself as to what truly guides and directs our lives. What Light do you follow?  What truly directs your life?  It also nudges us into a remembrance to look deeper than the surface of all events – thoughts – feelings and find in all of them a rich inner connection to something we, as humans, cannot name or control – the world of Mystery and of perfect Love.

January brings also, in many areas, the colder months of the year. It is a time of huddling down, snuggling up and waiting for the wintry months to unfold into yet another spring. The time of waiting can be challenging or rewarding – we can choose our way to experience it. While seemingly there is not much happening in nature, save the banks of snow, beneath the surface, the natural world is resting in preparation of a new season of growth and abundance once more. It is letting go of the dead of a season gone and protecting all that will support its growth in the coming springtime. Perhaps it is a time when you might consider what it is you might be ready to let go of that no longer supports your life in a healthy manner. The Ginkgo tree is one of the most profound teachers of this
great wisdom. Without any visible preparation, it simply – sometimes in a matter of hours – lets go of all its leaves.

In this letting go, the earth beneath it is blanketed in a rich and glorious golden hue – the earth is blessed. It appears as more of a grand celebration than of any loss. My bronze vessel, Ginkgo: Seed of Hope is intended to inspire this same quality in us. It speaks of the notion that each of us represents the “seed of hope” for change – for movement – that each of us are unique and potent avenues of significant change and of hope and peace.  The vessel is accented with the presence of three doves – another symbol of peace. Two of them are resting (as in wintry months) while the third is taking flight – representing the invitation to not only reflect but to also take flight – take action with our reflections. May this New Year, be a year of taking hopeful flight in your life – in the deepest sense and with renowned peace and gratitude.

You may read more about Ginkgo: Seed of Hope here along with the companion writing and poetry.