Flutter Away

 

Free to Fly                                                                      Inez Dunn ©2016


Butterflies are mysterious and fascinating creatures. They gracefully appear out of no where, silent and meditative and then disappear with as much ease as when they arrived. With spring nearly upon us images of butterflies are popping-up everywhere. From towel linens to purses, barrettes, and even jewelry pieces like the ones I created in the photo below. Instead of coming-up roses, spring is now trending with all things, four winged. Naturally, I became a bit curious and immediately sat down at my computer using the free movement of  the mouse as my pen and brush, and began to pursue my own interpretation of this magical insect. And then you could say, I caught the bug! (Pun intended). After I drew and playfully rendered my first butterfly drawing I was soon on to creating many more butterflies with various filters and elements. (As seen above).  In Alaska there are as many as 80 species of butterflies, and in a rare and recent discovery the golden Tanana Arctic butterfly was just added to Alaska's growing butterfly list. So maybe today's mantra could be in the musings of the famed Cassius Clay he said,"Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee", and although I'll never be a boxer...this artist will walk away happily from this months post, lighter and inspired almost like I'm floating, just like a butterfly!

April's Fool                                                                                          Inez Dunn©2015  

  

In the month of April all Alaskan's get fooled.We stagger anxiously into the broadcast light of spring, with teasing warming temperatures that usually end abruptly by erratic snow showers. Golden lawns everywhere brighten into avocado green, and young verdant shoots of Elderberry and Willow awaken casually. The temperatures in April vacillate anywhere between 26 degrees and sometimes even as high as 50 degrees. Fooled. Most of us have been planning our gardens picking through last years seeds, dreaming-up the possibilities of new veggies and pungent herbal starts. Only to be met by yet another spring snow fall, blinding our eyes by jokingly painting the surrounding landscape in a wash of brilliant white! Fooled, again! April can be a real downer, but it doesn't have to be...In the Tarot deck to get the "Fool" card is choice. The card depicts an unknowing, care-free wanderer simply idle in thought, a bit deceptive, transient, and completely spontaneous. I guess these are the exact same traits that would sum-up April, and come next year I'm pretty much thinking,we'll all be fooled once again! Happy garden planning to all!!!

April Is National Poetry Month

Waxing Poetically                                                                                                                           Inez Dunn©2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April is national poetry month

The month of April begins with fools, midway it’s all about taxes, and toward the end of the month a day is set aside for celebrating planet Earth. But did you know April is also national poetry month? So, after paying my taxes, which I really did, I set aside time revisiting my old poetry books. Among the dust and crinkled book jackets were Whythe, Hass, and Sexton, not what you were expecting, but then again I’m not your standard poetry groupie. When I read a poem I am always fascinated by its structure and the deliberate placement of active verbs and phrases. I also admire the poet who can successfully convert dreamy imagery into descriptive words, words that are placed so artfully that they evoke all the senses.  Poetry is a very personal and contemplative craft, much like jewelry design. In jewelry design components such as beads and findings create their own rhyme and rhythm simply by their arrangement. I consider color, texture, and theme and how the elements relate or create harmony together. With poetry its similar, the writer has to convey a message, disguised cleverly in the artful arrangement of words. The entire process can be a bit complicated, but who needs that? In summary, the written poem and the beaded necklace must achieve unity in order to be understood successfully.

That’s a simpler way of saying it… so my friends, find a poem somewhere, read it, savor it, then pass it on. And mark your calendar for April 22, to give thanks to mother Earth. Thank her for the ground you walk on, thank her for the air you breathe, and be grateful for the human perseverance in all of us that seeks out harmony, unison, and poetry wherever it may be found.