Some days are spent idly when there is a pause in the journey. I have been in Palm Coast over a week spending time with my riding companion and treating a sore back that has made the prospect of a 500 mile run in the saddle a daunting prospect. There is no rush to get anywhere so it is better to let my aging body heal so I can function 100% without pain on the ride.
It has been a break full of reflection and introspection for me. I have not been completely idle. Some time has been spent on my affairs back in Canada and making arrangements for my return and for my summer of riding up there in the land of Molson’s Golden. I have also tended to the needs of the Harley and to the needs of my body.
I have done some writing on poetic material for the new book and corresponding with friends. I have been examining my goals and thinking about those things I wish to manifest into my life. I am drawn to paint again. There are so many ideas still locked in my mind for paintings. The desire is still there to paint. The trick is to find a place where I wish to settle so I can explore and re-connect with my art. I have several ideas for the type of book I would like to produce and they will likely gel when I stop moving and settle for a spell in some place of beauty and quiet so the ideas can flow and the concepts take shape.
There is still the longing to be with a love that will spend time on the road with me and share the adventures of my creative journey. Again, I am positive that my journey will bring me to a meeting that will be magical.
My thoughts also have drifted back to my youth and one of the most magical periods when I read JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. Some recent conversations with a friend on one of the social sites, has triggered many memories of the joy I felt in reading and immersing myself in the depth and magic of his trilogy.
One memory leads to another. Today, I recalled a painting I did back in 2001 that was based on real life locations but was heavily influenced in its creation by the Lord of the Rings.
Dawn on Celtic Ruins
The painting is done in the encaustic style I developed and combine elements from tree locations. The ruin on the left is a segment of the walls of Tintagel Castle (reputed home of King Arthur) as they stand today above the Irish Sea in Cornwall, England. The tower on the right is the Keep at Aberystwyth, Wales again, on the Irish Sea. The sky was taken from a photograph I took from my balcony when I was living near Lake Ontario in the town of Ajax, Ontario, after a storm had swept in from the lake then as the setting sun pierced the clouds.
The painting is a story of two towers opposed to each other across the valley in between. It is a loose reference to Minas Tirith and Minas Ithil facing each other over the valley of the river Anduin. The sky is a very close representation of what I photographed includes the shape of a dragon flying over the valley. The river is not included by intent to focus on the sky and to show the lushness of the land that has endured long past the time of the man made structures. The metaphor is about the transient nature of man and his wars and the enduring nature of Mother Earth.
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| The Keep at Aberystwyth |
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| Tintagel Castle, Cornwall |
Lately, I have been experiencing a desire to establish roots again. Where, is another question? I think the answer will unfold as I continue this ride and fulfill my Spirit Quest.
Night has fallen on Palm Coast. It is time now to correspond with friends and to rest up for the trip ahead. Once on the road, I hope to write more on the journey and on matters of the heart.
Writing this blog post has been good for me. It has taken me back to memories of a magical time for me and has taken me back to my love of telling a story not just in words but also in visual art. It is a time as I said, of reflection and retrospection.
From the untitled book:
I met you in the quiet darkness
Of the field close by the river
The trees where whispering news
Of our arrival
I held you close your scent softly
Filling my senses with anticipation
Your touch on my arm so warm
And intoxicating
Your eyes sparkle brightly finding
My face above yours and smiling
As I hold you and think of the loving
Yet to come
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Winter blue
The sunlight brittle on frozen lawns
Sienna trees against the white
Soft cirrus above the stratus haze
Fresh blue
Taste the smells of winter
Invigorating
*****************************************
I looked into your light blue eyes
And I saw your caring heart
I looked into your light blue eyes
And I saw sweet love
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