Can anyone name this delightful flower I saw in a field by the Connecticut River this weekend? Based on its shape and variegated color, my imagination saw it as an Indian Paintbrush. Curiously though, the images of my wildflower ID resources didn’t match when I later checked it out. Perhaps someone can tell me what it is? Maybe some kind of clover? In the meantime, … More Name this Flower
Brigitte Brüggemann is an artist who creates joy through color and light. Her work is inspired by nature and her connection to a spiritual reality manifested through nature and life. If she has any recipe for capturing it, it is simply to be present. Just be here, here and now. “I think the first thing … More Just be here, here and now.
It’s tempting to call it our sixth sense. But call it what you will—a sense, an emotion, a mindset—one way or another, wonder opens the door to the delights of imagination, of curiosity, creativity, intellectual discovery. Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson, a “paper paintings” collage artist whose interview is in my book, Life Is Full of … More Wonder, in its own breathless, fantastical way, is far from ordinary when it comes to the senses.
This weekend, the sun was out in full briliance, and so were all us mortals, soaking up its life affirming beauty. Photo by Mary O’Connor © 2013
My cousin, Bill, is in love with gryphons, mythical guardians of the divine. A majestic combination of lionesque body, tail and hind legs, eagle’s head and wings and talons, gryphons are more than the king of beasts, soar beyond the kingdom of birds. Bill carves them, shaping raw wood into legendary feathers and fur. The task … More “There is a wild and untamable beauty in us when we are in harmony with nature.” – Bernard Leach, British studio potter
Trevor is a carrier of joy. Created from snippits of color, torn photos, paints and imagination, he is, in fact, a collage of wonder. He lives as a page in my book, Life Is Full of Sweet Spots, illustrating the story told by his creator, Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson. It’s a story of how she finds joy … More Book Giveaway!
When the world says, “Give up,” Hope whispers, “Try it one more time.” – author unknown Photo by Mary O’Connor, © 2013
The great master artist, Leonardo da Vinci felt the artist had a special advantage when it came to realizing the most complete and magnificent view of the infinite works of nature. If the artist wishes “to produce places or deserts, or shady or cool spots in hot weather, he can depict them. … If he seeks … More Reason Enough to Be
French novelist and art historian Romain Rolland once told the world that it is the artist’s business to create sunshine when the sun fails. Artists, photographers, sculptors, crafters do exactly that as they capture not only the sun’s image but its spirit of warmth, hope and birth with their creations of paint, clay, yarn, glass, … More How to Make the Sun Shine
Wednesday of this week marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, 7:02 A.M. (EDT) on March 20th to be exact. Its arrival coincides with the vernal equinox, a time when days and nights are approximately equal and the sun rises and sets due east and due west. Distinguished by the birth and rebirth … More Enter Spring, with all its tiny Sweet Spots
Life Is Full of Sweet Spots 