The Phrase, “You are the sky “, is part of a Pema Chodron Quote.

Pema Chödrön is an ordained American Tibetan Buddhist nun who has written several dozen books and is the principal teacher at Gampo Abbey in Nova Scotia, Canada.

The full quote is:

“You are the sky. Everything else – it’s just the weather.”

This quote fits well into the intent of my sky paintings.

I am painting the weather, the change in the sky.

Yet within that change is a constant. For how many years have people, our grandmothers, and greats lived under the sky?

Moreover, You Are the Sky, is also the name of a poem Patrick wrote for my booklet, Beneath the Sky. We made the book in conjunction with a project I did last year.

I started with a Crowdfunding Event in order to raise money. I wanted to host a show and fundraiser at CSpace. My partner was The Rowan House. They offer emergency shelter and services to women in fleeing from domestic violence. In addition to the book, I made prints and art bags. Most of those art bags are sold out. However, I do have prints available. It was a rewarding experience and I was able to write a cheque for Rowan House. Together we were able to do a little bit of good while living under these skies.

This is how the show looked hung up in the halls of CSpace.

I wanted to share my paintings and Pat’s poetry on this blog.

We Will Rise Again 48 x 36 inches I have prints of this painting!

You learned to paint fast.

You needed to chase

the skeins of cloud

that sighed and sprawled

over the plains.

You watched the skies,

wrung colour from white,

picked out purple,

vermillion, ochre,

and the shadow grey of water

that floated in the veils and haze

arching over the cowgirl

painting the blues.

Whether evanescent mist,

growling thunderheads,

or cantering horsetails,

you built them up in layers,

in bold strokes,

the paint thick.

Under My Skies. 48 x 36 inches I have prints of this Painting as well.

This is how you like to paint.

Late sleet bristles

prairie sun blisters

your face

is up

is sky

is light

that waves and rushes

beyond the grasp

of even your favourite tree

whose strong spring branches

swell red-black

and bud with this year’s promises.

You are the sky,

your green eyes

hemmed with years

of coulees and creeks

and old prairie towns

with the most optimistic names,

tousled and dusty

with the endless secrets of the wind.

The Original is SOLD Illumination, but I have prints of this painting. The larger prints are on order and should be here soon.

You shiver and paint.

Pink Sky Syndrome. I have prints of this painting also.

You sway

in a chinook arch

that grapples

with an arctic front.

Heat and cold ripple

and an eagle hangs

as if strung from a cloud,

its wingtips flapping.

A birch shakes its head

and rakes its thin branches

against the grey and blue

on your brush.

Greens are often

a difficult colour to control.

The sky drapes over

ruffles of sage,

heavy swathes of spruce,

thickets of wolf willow,

and high cottonwoods

whose round leaves

rattle an admiring applause

to the nimble heavens.

Hints and secrets

are tossed into the air:

how to capture the sky,

how to render the stretch,

the fish-eyed views,

the mountain hummed horizon,

the clouds that zenith

over foothills

anchored by low flights

of magpie and jay.

How long will it take

for the wind

to concede its mysteries?

How much time

will it take to work out

where the shadows go,

where the colours disappear?

How many times

must you go to the canvas?

Enough for a lifetime of painting.

Most of these paintings are available. All of them are 4 by 3 feet in size. Please contact me if you are interested in them.

Also you can purchase prints and booklets directly by clicking here.

Thanks.

You Are the Sky

“You are the sky. Everything else – it’s just the weather.”

I Love Shakespeare and Three Truths I Know About Art Making.

True Confessions--I am a Cranky Plein Air Painter.