Sweet Pansies

 

One of my joyful, Spring rituals is to visit a local farm market and buy some pansies to photograph or paint! I love their bright little faces, swirling graceful petals, brilliant colors and dramatic markings. They seem so fragile yet they are very hardy! After a rain, they seem the perfect symbol of freshness, renewal and new beginnings! The Johnny Jump Ups growing against the rocks (2nd to last) come up every year. I think of them as wild little pansies. I love that they are the first to appear and the last to leave (as I documented here.)  I also like the little white specks on the black centers of the pansies that give a cosmic feel! You feel drawn into their starry depths.

Here is a painting I did a few Springs past. Not pansies, but they seem somewhat related. These flowers are very small and with incredible detail (some of which I left out, out of sheer laziness). A 10 x 10" giclee print on wrapped canvas is available of this painting, for $60 on the Waking Planet site. 

Another Spring Flower                                                                                                   acrylic by B Upton

Hope they all brighten your day! Keep Faith

Beauty in White!

Baby Owl Feather                                                                                   B Upton

 Detail from "Our Waking Planet"                                                                                              B Upton                                                                                 

Sombrero Galaxy  M104                                                                           NASA

Portland White Rose                                                                              B Upton

Barred Owl in the Sun                                        B Upton

Birch                                                                                                      B Upton

Mountain Laurel                                                                                             B Upton

Super Moon                                        B Upton

Detail "Our Waking Planet"                                              Acrylic by B Upton

Another Portland Beauty                                                                                             B Upton

A mini-mini meditation for you, inspired by the color white!

White Light Meditation

Take three deep breaths. Inhale peace, exhale tension, growing more relaxed with every breath you take. Imagine you are in a beautiful forest that smells of pine and cedar. Hear the rush of a waterfall and go closer until you can feel  the refreshing mist from the waterfall on your face. Now imagine this mist is filled with a glowing white, light filled with love, that gently surrounds you and comforts you. Let this light flow into your heart and then spread through you bringing vitality, harmony and health to your every cell. As you breathe the white light in, a growing sense of calm and well being flows through you. 

Imagine a symbol of white that is beautiful to you. Let its beauty fill your heart as you give thanks for the blessings of this earth. Return to your day refreshed, calm and content!

If you enjoyed this series check out Beauty in Blue and Beauty in Red.

Peacefully...

More Spring Unfurling!

Does anyone know what the name of the plant is in 1, 3 and 6? It has the most amazing vitality- a burst of bright green in a dark forest. This last one is the Trillium I spoke about. It even has a nodding bud! So exquisite...Stay tuned for blossoming!

Thought for the Day-
“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.” Dr. Seuss

Photos from April 11 11

 

 

Happy Spring! It is so wonderful to hear a gentle rain and the sound of peepers as I write. The long, hard winter is over. New life and colors are sprouting everywhere and I love chronicling the changes. I hope the trillium comes up again in the woods by the drive. I'll be sure to get a photo of it for you- it is a most rare and delicate flower. 

May the Spring breezes bring you renewal and a new sense of hope; may the scent of the warming earth bring you peace, the sounds of the returning birds bring joy and the emerging beauty of returning life remind you of the eternal beauty that exists at your core! Attune to the Spring energies and feel the new possibilities of life beckoning you.

As Robin Willimas said, Spring is nature's way of saying "Let's party!" Enjoy!

Universe in a Brain Cell

 

 The universe is us, we are the universe. 

All is divine, the divine is all. 

As above, so below.

Fascinating to see that the human brain cell looks uncannily similar to a simulated picture of our entire universe! One is micrometers wide; the other spans billions of light years. Yet a pattern is retained. There is a correspondence between the great and little worlds. 

Seeing the microcosm in the macrocosm helps us to shift our perspective. We are part of a much larger whole. We are all made of the same divine substance. Those we share this spinning planet with are in fact our true brothers and sisters! Silly us, how could we forget? 

"Emergence"                                                                                              B Upton

You are a reflection of me, I am a reflection of you. The same divine light that shines at your inner most core, shines at mine. 

You are my sister, my brother: I am your sister. I believe these are the truths awakening in millions of us on our "small blue dot". May we have faith and courage to do the work that is asked of us in our collective quest for a better world.

I painted "Emergence" a few years ago, before seeing either of the other two pictures. I was striving to represent the divine mystery and deep beauty of our universe... and of ourselves!
 

Blessings of the Very Small and the Very Large!