‘Stone Portal To Beyond’

Oil on Canvas 16″ X 20″

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One of those dazzling days of early summer.
Sun so bright the shadows intensify accordingly.
Sitting in darkness under a tree deep within the cool dark shade of the forest,
looking up to see sun-kissed leaves reaching for the opening to light-filled sky,
I felt I could travel from the depths through that window and into the light.
This portal felt so strong, so dramatic, I thought stone might convey such substance,
and the painting formed in my mind’s eye:
a stone portal,
suspended in the air of the forest, mirroring the magic of the day,
inviting you to travel through the play of light and dark, 
up & away into the beyond.

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Humans have always used stones, and stone circles, to mark sacred places, spiritual thresholds.

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The leaves catching the sunlight are Douglas Maple,
a small tree or shrub, growing to about 7 metres, usually multi-stemmed,
and quite common here in the Interior of British Columbia.
Deer and Elk browse the leaves and twigs; birds and small animals eat the seeds.
Its hardwood branches are strong and pliable.
First Nations people used it extensively to make small items such as snowshoe frames, hoops, bows, tool handles, utensils etc.
The fibres of its inner bark were woven into mats, baskets and rope.

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~Barbara Brown, from upcoming Volume II, SYLVAN REFLECTIONS, Wanderings, Paintings & Ponderings From the Forest