Moss Whispers

Good thing I’m almost done with paintings for this book! These are the last of the colors on this palette. I’ll need to create a fresh palette when I start the next one. Little guy is clearly elated to have discovered the process for making a jingle ring! And the little birds seem thrilled to have figured out how to play hopscotch! Looks like he’s lost ALL the buttons on his vest! Must add them later! Now for last bits of editing and proofreading.

Either I’ve just really missed this little guy and had to run into him again, or still had feelings of not being complete. Either way, I decided to do two more paintings of him. Here’s the first one and is my idea for the title page…though I may add one or more of the birds.

Awhile back, I posted a painting I did of the Castle of the Heart. Behind that castle, in the distance, can be seen a one-winged bird. He is looking longingly towards the castle. I’m posting this, and pondering whether to tackle his story next. I’m not sure it’s ready to ‘put out there’ as it is still flying around in my head…and believe me, it goes round and round since it’s flying with just one wing! There are many other story drafts already written that I could put here next, but for some reason, the characters at The Hillock are all clamoring for front seat on WordPress. Off to bed to see who wins out. AND there’s still one more painting sketched out for the title page of What Makes a Jingle Ring! So much to do!

While I’m polishing my last paintings and writing, I’m breathing in the nutrients down at The Mossy Hillock in the Meadow. Every day when my hands get too numb for writing or painting and my mind mingles in thoughts beyond words, I take a breather and take Lacy and Francklin (our wonderful three-legged companion) for a walk to sniff and breathe in the freshness of the day! It’s the best way I know to smooth out wrinkles in my tightening jaw and to let my brain stem unwind to its most natural primal being.

It’s during such meanderings that I hear MossWhispers that stir my soul and renew my real self! It’s moments lilke these that I am a singer, even when I can hardly match a pitch. And I’m a dancer even if I trip over every root! Steps in nature are so forgiving and nonjudgmental. The ground meets me where I am and together we greet the world! Gratitude is close at hand and all fears just fall away! Down at The Hillock, characters and settings unfold so effortlessly and time literally IS without needing mechanisms at all! (Those only matter when I get back up to the house and I realize the other world has kept on going without waiting for us!)
This particular photo is the place where ‘the artist’ dwells…there is a tiny easel that often has a piece of lichen covered bark or some other ‘study of the sunset’ sitting on its ledge. Once there was even a small tree toad sitting in the doorway to her cottage. This particular day, the artist is pondering the droplets of dew shimmering on the grapevines above her. And the moss below all of our feet is swollen with green so lush that snails would probably line up for miles just to take a turn making their diamond trails. As for me and the dogs…we just listen, and honestly I must say, everything fits together as one big many! Manifesting in one magnificent marvelous silent JINGLE RING! MossWhispers….

Now that I’ve finished expressing this story in words and pictures…what next? For the last few days, I’ve been at loose ends at the end of the evening…what do I do now? do I just ‘go to bed’??? My creative energy is still here…I dabble a little with each painting…adding a detail here or there…wondering whether to repaint a few….add a bird here and there…A young precious family was visiting over the weekend and I read the whole story to the 3-year-old. She was very attentive and eager to discover the jingle as well. Still, I ponder what’s next. There’s still more here for me to sift through my mind…I’m drawn to this painting, page 19. To me, it’s when this little guy has his first epiphany! “It takes a whole pocketful to make a jingle appear!”…it’s ” all those things as one big MANY!” And for me, it took painting ALL those pages, and feeling ALL that support from so many…through wordpress, through Facebook, and just in my ordinary life! And for that, I’m extremely grateful! For having this moment to see pieces come together as one big whole. I’m thankful for the process and all my learnings along the way! So now, why stop? This is it! This wonderful process of laying down the pieces and seeing the whole develop. Thank you little guy! Thank you tree! Thank you birds and all things from button to the key! And mostly thank you to all of you who have urged me on, ‘liked’ commented and fueled the forces to keep me going. I know now, that there are many more trees to climb and symphonies waiting to play their songs! So let’s all keep discovering and singing our songs! Thanks for listening to one of mine!

Somehow, I have a really strange feeling posting this last page. It’s either that I don’t want this to be finished or I don’t feel that it is ending quite ‘finishedly’ with a dream and a question. Hmmm…well, at 1:01 AM such is life! Ending with a dream and a question! Tomorrow I’ll also figure out what setting made the colors go so crazy on this one! Yay! Little Guy! You finally made it to bed! Sweet dreams!

If just one pocket makes a jingle ring.

Might lots of pockets make a whole symphony sing?

Need to work on his pockets more! And the edges and shadows. This little guy is getting so close to his biggest epiphany! And I’m getting so close to being finished with this first draft! Only one more page! Unless he surprises me!

The day after that, When I start my day…
I’ll wear MORE pockets And see what they say!

The baby birds are growing! And so is the sound from his pocket! Only thing is, somehow I hid his pocket in the painting so it’s hard to tell the sound makers are coming from his pocket! Aggh! Most of today was spent trying to figure out how to illustrate the text, and then learning how to make ‘caricature birds’. I’m growing on this one, myself!

At the end of the day…
I’ll always know…
Deep in my pockets
a sound will grow…

Today, I spent hours researching and attempting to paint bubbles! Since this is an ongoing learning, I am experimenting with just ‘attaching’ sample bubbles I’m working with, rather than risking having to do the whole painting over if one of my bubbles were to ‘burst’ into a ‘booboo!. So here are my trial bubble samples. I’m thinking I want the colors to be more reflective of what’s around them. For now, here’s what I have. The text is the same as I posted last time. This page seems pretty ‘busy’ as must be this little guy’s mind as he lives in his dreamworld!
I’m so close to finishing the first draft of this book! Persistence and patience seem to be required.

So tomorrow when I climb from my home in the tree…

I’ll play what I play…

I’ll see what I see…

Little guy made it to sleep before I did tonight! And he’s already planning his next day! How did I get behind? No worries! Slowly goes the snail, leaving its diamond trail! Still more to finish on this painting…after my numbing fingers revive themselves with a good night’s sleep. Too easy to slip and slide with the brush this late! And that could be dangerous up in a tree! Besides, I need to ‘sleep-learn’ how to paint bubbles!

So tomorrow when I climb from my home in the tree…
I’ll play what I play…
I’ll see what I see…