"The Visionary"~Contemporary Owl Painting

The Visionary ~ 5" x 7" oil on hardboard

I have always been fascinated with owls. They have this otherworldly silence, this innate wisdom in their being, that is palpable when you see them. 

Native Americans associated the owl with wisdom, foresight and keepers of ancient knowledge with powers of prophecy. In other cultures, they are said to be guardians of the underworld and keepers of the dead. However you choose to see them, they are beautiful and mystical and a wonderful painting subject.

I've been experimenting a lot with colour, texture, and different mediums in my paintings recently, and here is my newest playful piece. Up for bid on DailyPaintworks starting March 27, 7:00 am Pacific Time...

BID HERE

"Starfish Blue" ~ 4" x 6" watercolour, pen and ink

A companion piece to "Treasure from the Sea"... a colourful starfish, caressed by the gentle surf, brilliant colours gleaming.

Up for bid on DailyPaintworks, link becomes active Monday, March 17th, 7 am Pacific tiime

BID HERE

Treasure from the Sea, sand dollar painting

Treasure from the Sea ~ 4" x 6" watercolor, pen and ink

Starting Bid $30.00  BID HERE

at Daily Paintworks...link will become active on March 9, 7am Pacific time

The Pacific Ocean is of great concern right now, in the aftermath of Fukishima, will these beautiful creatures be nothing but myth in the future? I hope to preserve their beauty for future generations who may never get to see them.

Northern Spotted Owl Chicks

Northern Spotted Owl Chicks ~ 5" x 7"

watercolor, pen and acrylic ink on watercolor paper

For Sale in my shop starting March 2, 2014

BID HERE

So, I don't know if you've noticed or not, but I've been working a bit differently for the last little while. 

I needed a change. I needed to not take myself and my art so damn seriously. I felt bored and stifled. I never learned to play...I know!! Really, I was so afraid to go out on a limb, splash paint around, use crazy colors, break the rules. I played it safe. I got really good at safe. 

BUT...as a wise man once said...

 “Safety is the most unsafe spiritual path you can take. Safety keeps you numb and dead. People are caught by surprise when it is time to die. They have allowed themselves to live so little.” – Stephen Levine

I'm having fun!!

Two new Raven paintings

What I got up to today...I got some new acrylic inks I thought I'd try out, I was feeling kind of playful, sooo...

Pretty much done!

Ascension ~ 5" x 7" acrylic ink on 300lb watercolor paper

The Rainbow Thief ~ 5" x 7" acrylic ink on 300lb watercolor paper

Grizzly Bear painting in progress shot and finished!!

In progress ~ almost done!

Finito!!

Big Mac ~ 30" x 40" oil on canvas

I took a very long break on this guy... Sometimes, when I have had a bad relationship with a painting, I need to hide it for a while and come back to it with fresh eyes. When I'm struggling, all I see is what is wrong, with no idea how to fix it, and if I put it away I can come back to it later, and usually I am able to see exactly where it needs to go. This is what happened here. And he's done! Hurray!

Here is the link to my last post where I documented the progress... http://tahirihsblog.blogspot.ca/2012/10/in-progress-wildlife-grizzly-bear.html.

Fly Away With Me ~ Caherciveen Ireland

Fly Away With Me ~ 6" x 8" oil on canvas panel

Bid Now on DailyPaintworks

Starting at only $39

(the auction becomes active on the morning of January 10, 2013)

Oh…to fly away to Ireland again…I wish I could. Maybe not quite yet, judging from the fantastic storms they're having right now, I might not want to be there. But soon. Please…soon :)

This building looked like a castle from a fairytale to me, but it was called the Barracks, in Caherciveen. 

Caherciveen was a little coastal village that I stayed in, as a departure point for my trip to the Skellig Islands, where the ancient beehive monastery perches on top of a spire of mountain rising out of the sea. The evening before my trip, I spied a castle ruin in the distance and decided to go for a walk. It didn't look very far, but the road meandered in it's typically irish way, and it took me a few hours to reach my destination, Ballycarberry Castle. The ruins were fascinating, and I spent a while exploring inside, where it was dark and spooky…imagining duels in the narrow tower stairwell.

Anyways, on my way back to my hostel the sun was starting to go down, and when I reached the Barracks, it was illuminated by the golden light of the setting sun (it's actually a whitewashed building) As I stopped to snap pictures, the multitude of birds perched along it's spires and rooftops burst into flight…and I ended up with this.