Lilliputian Dream

Lilliputian Dream - Image c Lynda Lehmann

Conglomerate - Image c Lynda Lehmann

Amber and Green - Image c Lynda Lehmann

I try to think outside the box. One way to do this is to envision myself living in an "alien" place, a locale or fictitious setting with which I'm not at all familiar in real life. Another way is to envision myself being of another scale, as big as Mt. Everest or as tiny as a Lilliputian. By doing this mental exercise I stimulate my imagination and refresh my perspective on my own little life in the context of the universe.

The photos above give us a glimpse towards the microcosm. The top one can be seen as a lush landscape of sunlit moss and woody furrows, that would be a challenge for any Lilliputian to navigate. The middle photo presents a rocky terrain of steep and foreboding cliffs and crags. The bottom image could represent a rough terrain of ruts and crevices covered with forest, that would also require great skill for any homunculus to cross.

For those of us who live in the United States, it's Thanksgiving week, time to revel in the joy of family, friends, and luscious meals. But I'm of the mind to give thanks every day. I cherish all of nature, the large and the small, the majestic and the mild, to be savored with all my senses. Okay, I don't mean I'm going to literally "taste" bark and lichen, lol.... But I rejoice in the splendor of tiny details I see around me all the time. From bark, pebbles, moss and lichen, to a pine needle resting precariously on a boulder or some other natural surface whose relative mass and solidity contrast its slight and attenuated form.

All through the year, as well as during Thanksgiving week, I give thanks for all of it: the holiday rituals and the whole world that is my oyster. I wish you joy and good fortune this holiday week. And more than that, may your senses be replete every day of the year.

All video and text copyright Lynda Lehmann. All rights reserved.

If you would like to view my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind, where you can choose from several sizes and paper types or buy my prints plain or matted and framed.

Sounds of Water

This short video presents sounds heard at the beach. First you will have to forbear the roar of a boat engine. But after that you will hear footsteps fading away on the spongy sand, the cries of seagulls and the sensuous, soothing sounds of flowing water. You can hear the peaceful sounds of children playing on nearby swings, their voices drifting in the background.

And of course, you can enjoy the patterns the water makes as it flows in from the open bay onto the beach, or over rocks and seashells. At one point, you can see the water flowing in an almost regular, diamond pattern, a configuration created by its deflection off the natural objects in its path. This makes me think of all the transferable and transforming energies in the universe, and patterns of physics, and those found in fractals....

You may notice at times, that the water seems to be bubbling out of the ground, perhaps from underground springs as much as from local drainage patterns.

I love to watch the ribbons of sunlight reflected on the water's undulating surface, and changes in the texture and rhythm of the waves.

I hope you enjoy my little nature video. One day I'll make another version with better editing! At present, I haven't the slightest command of my video editing software, but I wasn't going to let that stop me from sharing a bit of nature's beauty.

The Sacred Energy of Wild Places

There is an energy at the core of Life, a sacred energy felt most apparently and keenly in those places we may refer to as "wild." For some of us, that place may truly be in a remote wilderness area. More likely it will be a place that is just a bit out of the way. But it seems to me that the place, whether near or far from the beaten track, will be a place that is as yet unexploited and unspoiled by the touch of man.

My husband and I discovered such a place about two weeks ago. One of our mini-excursions into the Maine countryside brought us unexpectedly to a wooded marshland. It was just a tad off of a main road that was not quite a highway, but a two-lane road well-traveled by local traffic.

We made a right turn on a street whose name I can't remember. What I do remember is that it was indeed, a "proper" town street-sign in white and green with a name bestowed on this road. But it was not in any sense your typical suburban or even country road.


I was stricken with my first view of the marsh. Forest encroached on all sides, rising above the area on gentle hills. The trees still retained some of their autumn splendor but were at least partly given over to the stark winter nakedness that makes their skeletons so much more gestural and poignant than their leafy summer counterparts.



I got out of the car and scanned the near distance. Woods, woods, and more woods, with a wetland in the middle that coalesced into a quiet stream that wound its way through the thicket.


At the side of the road, cattails abounded, rich in their brown fur and contrasting the more sparse occurrence of milkweed pod. Some of the pods were open to the skyward flurry of their gossamer white fuzz, while others remained closed and pregnant with the seed loads of future plants.



A huge beaver lodge graced the middle of the watery pool on the right side of the road, commanding the eye's attention, as would a mansion on the vast grounds of a manicured estate.


But this was no manicured estate. Although fairly close to the town of Norway in southwest Maine, it had all the trappings of a true wilderness. Bird calls of all ilks met my ears, like beacons of a distant time in the annals of Creation. The milkweed seeds, picked up by an intermittent breeze, sailed into the blue dome that reflected on the water below. Everywhere there was life. Thorns, red winter berries, the milkweed, swaths of emerald moss and the texture of the slightly churned water. Sweet pungent air, sparkling with sunlight. The auburn of spent foliage rimming the swamp.


I could almost hear our dear Mother Earth inviting me in her mysterious tongues to partake. She wanted me to embrace her, smell her, feel her caress, hear her song. She wanted to delight me. She wanted to pay homage to herself for her dignity, sustained in the face of ages of exploitation and consumption, by her own stubborn Being.

Years ago, I wrote a young adult novel (one of four, actually) about a teenage girl who has to leave the lowland plain between Brazil and Peru, to climb deep into the Andes. She had to undertake this journey because her tribe was dying out, and their only chance was for her to try to retrieve the ancient medical secrets of the Incas, from whom she had descended. The Boutiquin, the ancient medicine chest of the forest floor was dying out and only she, Liana, with the tenacity of the vine for which she was named, could make her way into the highland to fetch the ancient wisdom.

Along the way, repeatedly, she bent her head to the Earth and heard the Hum of Being.

In my writing, the "Hum of Being" was a contrivance to enhance the plot, an embellishment in my manuscript to bring home the feminist and earth stewardship themes of my book.

But last week, in that patch of wild made of forest and river and swamp, filled with sunshine and seeds and berries and birdsong, I heard the Hum of Being for myself. Have you ever heard it? What is your experience with finding yourself surrounded by the magic of a sacred place? For me, it is the among the very best and most inspiring of life experiences.

All photos and text copyright Lynda Lehmann. All rights reserved.

If you would like to view my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind, where you can choose from several sizes and paper types or buy my prints plain or matted and framed.

A Pittance of Time

This video speaks for itself. I know you will be touched.

Inklings of the Sublime

Magical World - c Lynda Lehmann 2009

Shimmer - c Lynda Lehmann 2009

Waterscape IV - c Lynda Lehmann 2009

Web of Light - c Lynda Lehmann 2009

I had such a wonderful nature experience this past summer, that I feel it has not only enriched me, but actually transformed me. I'm not a calm person. But the more I opened myself to the patterns and textures all around me, the calmer I felt. It was as if the serenity of the ENDURING THINGS just oozed into my pores, all the way to my soul. I felt warmed and comforted. The more I looked, the more I saw. And the calmer I felt.

I filled up on the great "Cup of Beauty" that is our world, and have made using my senses into a sort of mantra. On college campuses, back in the sixties, the motto was "Tune out and turn on." I never felt that was the way to go, and I'm more sure of it than ever. My mantra is "Pause to receive, rejoice, and BE." I believe that the ubiquitous beauties of the world can lead us to transcendence, if we open our hearts. All we have to do is pause and focus. Very simple.

The sunlight or clouds playing on the lake surface and the infinite forms, colors, and patterns of lichen, are just a couple of examples of the natural beauty that astounded me. I feel spiritually rich.

I'd love to hear about some of the details of nature that fascinate you!

All images and text copyright Lynda Lehmann. All rights reserved.

If you would like to view my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind, where you can choose from several sizes and paper types or buy my prints plain or matted and framed.

Present Robert F Kennedy Jr Shocking Vaccine Cover Up Part1

My take on this is that the truth is coming from this man's lips. All you have to do is look around at all the children who have been diagnosed with neuro and behavior problems, to know something is terribly wrong.

I believe that some vaccines have saved countless lives, as in the case of smallpox and polio. But we are now churning out vaccines for every condition, and in many cases, the damage they cause is worse than enduring a short-term disease. Common sense dictates that this may not be true for the aged or those who have other medical problems.

What do you think? Are you getting a flu shot?

Each of us has to decide what's best for ourselves and our families.

Consciousness

Consciousness - c Lynda Lehmann 2009

I'm in the process of preparing a longer post, but thought I'd share one of my new digital paintings with you in the meantime. I will be able to post more in the coming weeks, I hope, and I can't wait to visit with you!

Just wondering: does this image evoke any particular thought, mood, or concept for you? I DO see what the title implies, but then, that's just me and you will have your own reaction.

Personally, I LOVE the freedom of digital art, and the "clean" process that doesn't involve paints and finishes, because I don't always have time for traditional brush and pigment painting. Both digital and real-time painting have their benefits, and one of the perks of digital is that you don't have to involve your whole studio or house in the process (the "aroma" of fresh paint DOES make it all the way to my kitchen, at times....)

Art and text copyright Lynda Lehmann. All rights reserved.

If you would like to view my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind, where you can choose from several sizes and paper types or buy my prints plain or matted and framed.