October Inspirations
Here are some bits and pieces that I’m drawing from right now:
Water
I seem to be drawn again and again to water right now. Going cold plunging in the Puget Sound; painting with so much water that the pages that need to dry overnight; welcoming the rainy season…
Plunging at Golden Gardens
Here’s an experiment with water and fluid inks and acrylics:
A poem that always makes me laugh: First Winter Rain by Matsuo Basho
“First winter rain—
even the monkey
seems to want a raincoat.”
Women Who Run With the Wolves
I started reading Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés this month. It is coming to me at just the right time in my life. My divorce was just finalized and I have been returning to myself and the Wild Woman within me over the past six months. This book has given me the language and a broader framework to think about these changes in myself. I will be forever grateful for this book! Here is one of the passages early in the book that gave me chills:
“And sill La Loba sings so deeply that the floor of the desert shakes, and as she sings, the wolf opens its eyes, leaps up, and runs away down the canyon. Somewhere in its running, whether by the speed of its running, or by splashing its way into a river, or by way of a ray of sunlight or moonlight hitting it right in the side, the wolf is suddenly transformed into a laughing woman who runs free toward the horizon.”
Trolls in the Northwest
If you live in the Pacific Northwest, you MUST visit the new reclaimed wood trolls created by Danish artist Thomas Dambo. I’ve been to two so far and plan to visit all six. I was really moved by Bruun Idun, the West Seattle troll, who was born at the beach in a storm and plays a song to the lost orcas. More water themes!
