Mistical February

Mistical February

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‘Mistical February’

Oil on Canvas Board 12″ X 9″

~

~ moody brooding dusky gloaming ~

An afternoon in February ~ already turning to dusk in the forest.

The darkness comes much sooner in under the trees.

It’s a magical time

~ the most likely of times to catch a glimpse of an Old One

as colours and shadows all deepen and intensify around you,

on a dark winter’s day like this one,

with the mists rolling down the mountainsides

~ such beauty in these rich brooding purple- and deep green-greys.

They awaken a yearning within me; I know not from where it comes, a longing to be wrapped in these mists and

surrender to the soft, cool mystery they bring.

It is said in Celtic lands that what the Faeries call themselves is

‘The Old Ones,’ or ‘The Old People.’

Mythical beings, magical creatures, elementals, wizards

~ through the veils of shifting mists and in the deepening shadows of a day such as this, when the clouds descend and enshroud the mountainsides,

it’s easy to believe the romance and mystery of the otherworlds.

~

This is the Inland Temperate Rainforest, part of the

Interior Cedar-Hemlock Ecozone.

When mature, the forest is dominated by Western Red Cedar and Western Hemlock. It includes a wide variety of tree species: Douglas Fir, Grand Fir, Larch,

Mountain Hemlock, White Pine, Lodgepole Pine, Engelmann Spruce,

Ponderosa Pine, White Birch, Cottonwood and Trembling Aspen.

~~~

~Barbara Brown, from Volume I, SYLVAN REFLECTIONS, Wanderings, Paintings & Ponderings From the Forest, Page 77

Spiralling Cedar Boughs

Spiralling Cedar Boughs

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‘Spiralling Cedar Boughs’

Oil on Canvas Board 12″ X 9″

~

Walking along,

just up the mountainside from the Cathedral Cedar grove,

on one fine, sparkly blue Summer day,

I happened to glance up to see sunlight catching lacy Cedar boughs

in a glorious ascending spiral pattern,

encircling what felt like a vortex gathering me up and

transporting me into the heavens.

~

These are Western Red Cedars, symbols of rebirth, nobility and sublime loftiness; they are spiritually powerful, since ancient times believed to be capable of carrying one to sacred space.

Spirals have been used since the very beginnings of humankind to symbolize the cyclical nature of life and of time

~ energy unfurling, fertility, recurrence and renewal.

They are emblematic of the Sun and of solar energy or the irrepressible life force, even the origin and unfolding of the Universe ~ endless potential.

~~~

~Barbara Brown, from Volume I, SYLVAN REFLECTIONS, Wanderings, Paintings & Ponderings From the Forest, Page 39

WelCome

WelCome

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‘WelCome’

Oil on Canvas Board 14″ X 14″

~

With my paintings I want to give you a place to go

~ similar to the way we can ‘travel’ when we listen to music ~

I want to give you a place where you can rest your eyes and excite your soul,

open your heart and soothe your nerves.

A view of healing green magic.

If you are unable to spend time in a forest today . . . let me take you there; come along with me.

Come, let’s go for a walk together, in the forest . . .

~

This Inland Temperate Rainforest in the interior of British Columbia, Canada,

is the only one of its kind on Earth, a wet belt resulting from weather systems,

laden with precipitation from the Pacific Ocean almost 500 miles away,

rising over the coastal mountains and bringing down a lot of snow

and a fair bit of rain when they come up against the heights of these

Columbia and Rocky Mountain Ranges.

It is a lush and diverse ecosystem, boasting a huge variety of species of trees, mosses, ferns and lichens.

~~~

~Barbara Brown, from Volume I, SYLVAN REFLECTIONS, Wanderings, Paintings & Ponderings From the Forest, Page 5

Cathedral

Cathedral

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‘Cathedral’

Oil on Canvas 16″ X 12″

This Cedar grove,
~ living pillars reaching straight for the heavens,
dappled light filtered through green and gold like stained glass,
lofty arched boughs
~ open spaciousness filled to brimming with palpable spiritual power
~ sings with silent energy.
Sacred space.
Cathedral.

~

The great Gothic cathedrals of the Middle Ages were designed and built with the express purpose of uplifting the human spirit; moving us toward enlightenment:
~ positioned on sites of powerful natural earth energies held sacred since the beginnings of time
~ shaped using sacred geometry to imbue the architecture with proportions of divine creation
~ configured in order to produce harmonic resonances of sound and energy that would enhance the life force of worshippers
~ created so that the nature of the interior light would elevate the soul.

 (Modern quantum physicists have found that light behaves both as particles and as waves.  Medieval builders stained the glass in the cathedral windows in such a way that the wave attribute of light would shine through but the matter particles aspect would be stopped.  Today, we don’t know how they did it.)

Much of this knowledge has been lost.

It feels to me though that the forest has this knowing ~ within the architecture of the forest we are naturally uplifted and brought into communion with the divine.

Cedar groves have been described as the dwelling places of the gods.

~~~

~Barbara Brown, from Volume I, SYLVAN REFLECTIONS, Wanderings, Paintings & Ponderings From the Forest, Page 29

Deep Winter Portals

Deep Winter Portals

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‘Deep Winter Portals’

Oil on Canvas 16″ X 12″

The irresistible invitation to enter,
deeper and deeper into the pristine beauty of the silent, beckoning, way.

It smells of purity, clean and fresh, and cold.

The stillness soaks into my bones, I feel the profound calmness within me,
and it brings joy ~ of being alive in this beautiful world.

Oh my, I love the snow.

~

What I wanted this painting to express is that feeling of being unable to stop yourself from being drawn in,

and the excitement of immersing yourself into a wonderland of winter.

~

This mountainous West Kootenay region of Canada gets a real winter ~ lots of glorious snow ~ mostly between November and March or so,  five feet falling on average (less in the valley bottoms and much more way high up in the heights), with the temperature not usually extremely cold ~ averaging just a few degrees below freezing.

~~~

~Barbara Brown, from Volume I, SYLVAN REFLECTIONS, Wanderings, Paintings & Ponderings From the Forest, Page 73

Wall of Woods

Wall of Woods

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‘Wall of Woods’

Oil on Canvas 12″ X 9″

This wall of trees, marching up and away,
rank upon rank; fir and pine, spruce and larch, hemlock, cedar and aspen;
such a rich and diverse array for contemplation.

From a favourite high perch on the mountainside,
looking across a little valley to this hillside beyond;
I feel I could sit and gaze forever into that forest.

It radiates both peaceful stillness, and the vital energy of life.

I imagine I can hear it breathing.

~

With the wispy ribbon of mistiness winding towards you from the beyond,

I hope to give you a passageway, bringing the forest to you and

revealing the depths and distances traveled by the eye.

~

This Inland Temperate Rainforest in the interior of British Columbia, Canada, is the Earth’s only one of its kind, a wet belt resulting from weather systems, laden with precipitation from the Pacific Ocean almost 500 miles away, rising over the coastal mountains and bringing down a lot of snow and a fair bit of rain when they come up against the heights of the Columbia and Rocky Mountain Ranges. It is a lush and diverse ecosystem, boasting a huge variety of tree species, mosses, ferns and lichens.

~~~

~Barbara Brown, from Volume I, SYLVAN REFLECTIONS, Wanderings, Paintings & Ponderings From the Forest, Page 55

Larch StarBurst

Larch StarBurst

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‘Larch StarBurst’

Oil on Canvas 16″ X 12″

~

Larch and Fir grow entwined,

and burst forth into the wholeness of a nine-pointed star.

This image stunned me, as it appeared before my eyes one fine day in late October:

a nine-pointed star!
in Larch blazing against and amongst Douglas Fir,

like a signal fire to the open air;

to all who would see,

a message,

a proclamation!

~

Nine ~ the sacred three, times three;

the incorruptible number of completion and eternity,

unity, and the crown of achievement.

Larch ~ a tree for protection and rebirth;

It is a singularly beautiful tree,

singular in that it is a conifer that is not evergreen,

– it sheds its needles every Fall in a gorgeous deep golden display.

Douglas Fir ~ a tree of hope, fortitude and strength,

clarity, and immortality.

~~~

~Barbara Brown, from Volume I, SYLVAN REFLECTIONS, Wanderings, Paintings & Ponderings From the Forest, Page 59

Grand Depths

Grand Depths

 

‘Grand Depths’

Oil on Canvas 16″ X 12″

 

The Grand Fir is truly a beautiful, ‘grand’, majestic tree,
with its great and graceful swaths of boughs
sweeping out of its dark core like wings
reaching for the sun.

This one is a magnificent individual.
It seems to take great quiet pride in its beauty.
The painting shows the tree in June when the tips of its branches are
decorated with bright new yellow/green growth.

The depths from which its branches arise strikes me with awe
every day as I walk by.

It has a mystery about it that captures me.
I feel the pull of its profound deep green/black beauty.
Gazing into it I am filled up.

~

The Grand Fir (Abies grandis or aromatica) can reach heights of 80 metres (260 feet) and live over 300 years.

It is found in low to mid elevations along British Columbia’s southern coast and interior, as well as in the American Pacific Northwest.

Its resin can prevent infection in small cuts and insect bites.

~~~

~Barbara Brown, from Volume I, SYLVAN REFLECTIONS, Wanderings, Paintings & Ponderings From the Forest, Page 15

Honeysuckle/Hazel Dance

Honeysuckle/Hazel Dance

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HONEYSUCKLE / HAZEL DANCE

Oil on Canvas Board  16″ X 12″
• 

Just as Spring is thinking about becoming Summer, the Honeysuckle swirlingly shows itself off as a herald of warmth to come.

Whirling and flirting, it dances its way round its chosen partner
~ here the Hazelnut, who modestly and supportively leans into the dance.

The Honeysuckle Vine strikes me as a very sensuous plant,
~ entwining itself around another,

~ expressing a delicate yet passionate orange delight for the eye

~ each flower with its tiny exquisite droplet of honey nectar tasting of the gods.

How can we help but smile and even laugh aloud with joy when coming upon one in the forest in Springtime.

~

Honeysuckle (or Woodbine) ~ a vine symbolic of devoted love, prosperity, generosity, psychic powers and intuition. 

Beneficial in the treatment of sore throats and respiratory problems.

Hazelnut ~ a shrub symbolic of marriage, abundance, family happiness, creativity and inspiration, divination and protection. 

Considered to hold ancient knowledge, eating the nuts will heighten awareness and grant wisdom. 

Today, scientists tell us the nuts are excellent food for brain function.

~~~

~Barbara Brown, Volume I, SYLVAN REFLECTIONS: Wanderings, Paintings & Ponderings From the Forest, Page 9

Marilyn’s Forest

Marilyn’s Forest

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‘Marilyn’s Forest’

Oil on Canvas 21″ X 15″
 •

This is my sister’s forest,

her own bit of green healing restorative on Vancouver Island, not far from where she lives.

Rainforest.  Lush and profuse.

(Replete with the elves she loved so when she was little.)

~

These are Western Red Cedar trees.

Cedars are symbolic of longevity and nobility, rebirth, purity, and sublime loftiness;

entrances into sacred realms.

The Pacific Coastal Temperate Rainforest is a place of unsurpassed magnificence, teeming with green life;

one of the most dense and prolific ecosystems on Earth.

~~~

~Barbara Brown, from Volume I, SYLVAN REFLECTIONS, Wanderings, Paintings & Ponderings From the Forest, Page 19

Snowy Hillside

Snowy Hillside

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‘Snowy Hillside’

Oil on Canvas 9″ X 12″

The white-on-white world of winter snow.

I’d been wanting to play with all the colours reflected in the whiteness;

this gentle and peaceful hillside, on an all-white winter day,

gave me the perfect canvas and palette.

~

The gentle and graceful, simple and harmonious geometry of the oval appeared to me as an apt

symbol of that inexpressible wonder we feel at the

stillness and beauty of nature on such a soft snowful day.

~

These trees are small Douglas Firs. The ridge that they are growing on is made up almost entirely of pure sand, with some pockets of small gravel,

all sorted and laid down by streams that flowed in icy tunnels within the

glacier when the last ice age shaped this valley, and left behind when it retreated around 10,000 years ago.

~~~

~Barbara Brown, from Volume I, SYLVAN REFLECTIONS, Wanderings, Paintings & Ponderings From the Forest, Page 67

Snowy Cedar in Flight

Snowy Cedar in Flight

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‘Snowy Cedar In Flight’

Oil on Canvas 9″ X 12″

 

A dark, snow-laden November day.
Low, heavy, clouds have settled in, bringing winter.
The forest depths are deepened by the greyness.

A day that invites flights of fancy ~ the cedar boughs and I take up the invitation . . . spread our wings and fly.

This, the first snow of the year, graces the forest; the dark day made beautiful by the bright eiderdown frosting.

~

These are Western Red Cedar trees.

Cedars are symbolic of cleansing and purification, and are considered to be entrances into sacred realms.

~~~

~Barbara Brown, from Volume I, SYLVAN REFLECTIONS, Wanderings, Paintings & Ponderings From the Forest, Page 63

Fallen Cedar/Rising Dragon

Fallen Cedar/Rising Dragon

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‘Fallen Cedar / Rising Dragon’

Oil on Canvas Board  12″ X 16″

This fallen cedar, toppled perhaps a hundred years ago, still commands such a presence.
It draws my attention, calling me into a deep contemplation of it
when I come upon the sight on the bank of the creek in the forest.

I see Celtic knot-work in the patterns of the tangled roots ~ this speaks to me of ancestors.

I smell the richness of the oh-so-slow return to the earth, its mother;

the ancient tree providing sustenance and mothering, in turn, to the myriads of mossy & microscopic lives that blanket its every surface

~ this speaks to me of the cycles of regeneration and immortality.

I feel reverence ~ this speaks to me of sovereignty and power.

~

Then I see the dragon, rising, and understand;

now I know what to paint to best express this experience.

~

Dragons are symbolic of the recurring cycles of death and rebirth, of ancient subterranean energies stirring.

They are guardians of treasures and keepers of secrets.

They are wise and clairvoyant; embodiments of life force, great potency and primal energies.

Cedars are symbolic of longevity and nobility, rebirth, purity, and sublime loftiness; entrances into sacred realms.

The upside-down tree, roots reaching skyward, symbolizes the esoteric return journey.

Celtic Knot-work is symbolic of connectedness, immortality and continuity.

~~~

~Barbara Brown, from Volume I, SYLVAN REFLECTIONS, Wanderings, Paintings & Ponderings From the Forest, Page 25

Yew Swirl

Yew Swirl

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‘Yew Swirl’

Oil on Canvas 12″ X 12″

Chancing upon a Yew tree in the forest is always an enchanted moment.

They are wild, straggly, unsymmetrical trees with branches shooting off in unexpected directions;
and with many dead branches or even trunks, as if they originally thought to grow in one direction but at
some point changed their mind.

New trunks can grow out of old seemingly dead wood.

There is an ancient feeling of struggle and prevail about them.

~

Sacred to the Celtic peoples they were revered for connecting life, death and rebirth with powerful magic.
Their wood is very dense and has been highly treasured by all ancient peoples for the making of tools, especially bows and wands.

It has been found to hold potent cancer-fighting properties. The needles are a rich deep green, but I came upon this one on an early Autumn day just as the sun was shining through its branches creating this bright yellow/green swirl of branches. And, lo and behold, it had berries!  Very rare in my forest. I felt gifted.

~

The Western Yew (Taxus brevifolia) is an evergreen shrub or small tree. It is a conifer but produces red berry-like fruit (poisonous), rather than cones.  The bark is a smooth deep rose/red with dark purple scales. It is an ancient tree, having survived the last Ice Age.

~~~

~Barbara Brown, from Volume I, SYLVAN REFLECTIONS, Wanderings, Paintings & Ponderings From the Forest, Page 49