Currently on Display...

 ... in my gardens. It's that time again.  Time to plant the hopeful seeds, to lay them down in a bed of soft, warm soil, to nurture them and wait for nature's blessings.  To begin again, again.

It occurs to me that part of the magic of Spring is that we're given the gift of another chance.  In an existence where there are few "do-overs", we can start over once again.  Reminds me of a Chicago song, "Listen, children, all is not lost, all is not lost..."  It's all about hope.











The onion sets are in, and the strawberries.

 But my flower beds are looking pretty bad.  Yikes-  they could use some work!  I hope I'll get them cleaned out today!

In the meantime, here are some of the flowers currently on display...

Waiting (The Seed)

One of the primary symbols repeated throughout my work is that of the seed. 

Germination 2 by S. Davidson

I'm sure the connotations are pretty obvious, but especially at this time of year I'm reminded of the seed's message.  All of nature, where I live at least, has placed every bit of its energy and hope for the future inside a magical little package. 

 Nature has complete faith in this tiny, unassuming container of potential.  Doubt does not exist.

But for us short-sighted humans, it's different.  I clearly remember when I learned about seeds.  I was six years old, and we had just moved into a new house.  My grandmother, who I generally followed everywhere, gave me some tiny, funny-looking, dried-up brown things and showed me how to stick my finger into the dirt, put the seeds in the holes, and cover them up.  When I expressed my puzzlement at this, she told me something that seemed absurd to my six-year-old brain:  these little brown things would turn into flowers!  I was skeptical.  I guess, being outside of my very limited realm of experience, this just didn't seem  possible. 

Boy, was I surprised when, a couple of weeks later, these things had turned into marigolds!  This cemented my belief in the powerful magic of seeds, right then and there. 

At this point in the cycle, nature is once again sealing up her little packages of magic, knowing that they will come to fruition in their time. To the universe, waiting is nothing.  For me, it's a little harder, but I'm trying to learn.  I'm planting my seeds, and waiting.  I have to believe that faith and patience will eventually produce beautiful blooms.

 Secret Garden by S. Davidson

The waiting is the hardest part; every day you see one more card.  You take it on faith, you take it to the heart.  The waiting is the hardest part.  -Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Transformation 18 (state II): recycling

I'm doing some more of these small pieces, since they're what the gallery's selling right now. This is an old piece that I wasn't happy with; it had been put in the "scrap" pile. Sometimes old throwaways can spark new ideas. So I re-worked it, adding more things, subtracting others. These collage pieces are a great way to recycle things that don't work out, giving them a new "life". I've found that the oddest little bits of things can come in handy later on- you just never know. Of course, this does nothing at all for the organizational state of my studio!

April Showers

Spring in Kentucky is indeed "a wonder", as people say. It is mercurial in its swift changes from summer-like warmth to damp cold, bright sun to sudden, dark storms.


I love the strange light that turns my simple yard into a scene from another planet,


the drama of advancing storms,


the moment just before the rain begins,


the sense of being given another chance, another season to grow.

Belated Imbolc (She Sleeps...)

She sleeps, perchance to dream of Persephone's return...

I missed celebrating Candlemas (Imbolc) on February 2, but feel I should acknowledge it now. For those not familiar, I'm including an explanation from Barbara Walker's The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets:

"Candlemas was properly considered sacred to women and to the Goddess of Love. Among Celtic pagans it was the Feast of Imbolg, which stood opposite the great festival of Lammas in the old sacred year. Omens were taken on Candlemas Day for the new growing season, especially the weather." This is the origin of Groundhog Day.
Walker also writes, "St. Brigit's (a canonization of the old Celtic goddess Brigid) Feast day was the first of February according to the pagan calendar. It was called Oimelc, Imolg, or Imbulc, the day of union between god and goddess."

Symbolically, this fertilization is considered to coincide with, or represent, the germination of the seed, both literally and figuratively, as well the anticipation of new growth. So come on, people, plant your seeds and germinate some new ideas!