but what everyone sees is a smiling and calm face.” — Manoj Arora * * * Mama Duck. Watercolor painting by Mary O’Connor, created following participation in classes conducted by fine arts instructor, Bivenne Harvey Staiger. Photo reference by Bivenne.
in fetching some gold from the sun.” — Gustav Kirchoff * * * Photo by Mary O’Connor © 2015
It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.” — Crowfoot, Canadian Blackfoot Tribe * * * American Buffalo in Yellowstone National Park, watercolor painting by Mary O’Connor … More “What is life?
“Just as our ancient ancestors drew animals on cave walls and carved animals from wood and bone, we decorate our homes with animal prints and motifs, give our children stuffed animals to clutch, cartoon animals to watch, animal stories to read.” — Diane Ackerman The seahorse, as carved here by Bill Kelsey of Branford, CT, has … More “Without touch we are but hunks of wood.” — Jim Morrison
and just stare into the water. I don’t fish, I don’t hunt, I don’t scuba, don’t spear, don’t boat, don’t play basketball or football ̶ I excel at staring into space. I’m really good at that.” — Iggy Pop * * * “Kingfisher meditation”—watercolor painting by Mary O’Connor © 2015
blind you to the fact that each new day carries with it a plethora of opportunities to move your life into the right direction.” — Steve Maraboli * * * “Lighthouse in thinning fog” acrylics painting by Mary O’Connor © 2015
because nothing is as perfect as you can imagine it, because it’s only intangible ideas, concepts, beliefs, fantasies that last. Stone crumbles, wood rots. People, well, they die. But things as fragile as a thought, a dream, a legend, they can go on and on.” — Chuck Palahniuk * * * Funky artificial flowers, photo … More “The unreal is more powerful than the real,
because it gives them a different way to experience the river, the landscape and…life.” — David Finch. (Kayak on Beach, acrylics painting by Mary O’Connor © 2015) “It is such a great way to take in a wide range of experiences. When we paddle, the experience of place moves from the brain to the heart, making it … More “I like to encourage people to paddle
of literature and poetry, of painting and music, of religion and architecture, all make the point as clear as possible: The soul cannot thrive in the absence of a garden. If you don’t want paradise, you are not human; and if you are not human, you don’t have a soul.” — Thomas More * * … More “The many great gardens of the world,
“Study nature. Love nature.” — Unknown “Stay close to nature. It will never fail you.” — Frank Lloyd Wright “Let me be as a feather, strong with a purpose, yet light at heart. Able to bend. And tho I might become frayed, able to pull myself together again.” — Anita Sams “It’s … More “Nature is the art of God.”
Life Is Full of Sweet Spots 