Thursday, November 30, 2023

Greetings and a Quick deal for you!

 Greetings Everyone!


I know it has been far too long since I've posted here but I have JUST learned about a great deal I thought I'd pass along.

But like everything these dizzy days of cyber deals, this one is very time sensitive!

If you would like to order any of my books over at Lulu.com, they have an impressive 20% off !


Just use code CHILLY20

This code is good for thru till 11:59 PM on Friday.


You may want to consider my latest book that comes in both softcover

 https://www.lulu.com/shop/sally-j-smith/enviramagination-an-artists-journey-softcover-edition/paperback/product-kpp2g8.html?page=1&pageSize=4

and hardcover versions:

https://www.lulu.com/shop/sally-j-smith/enviramagination-an-artists-journey/hardcover/product-5ny76m.html?page=1&pageSize=4

 Enviramagination - An Artist's Journey - softcover edition


Both versions are really gorgeous and make a fabulous and unusual gift for your nature-loving friends and family, especially those who enjoy a bit of whimsy and excellent photography!

 

If you want to see more images from the books, head on over to my website to see some of the interior pages....here is that link:

 https://sallyjsmithart.com/shop/books/enviramagination/

 

 

Thanks Everyone! And Enjoy!!

 

Sally



Saturday, October 15, 2022

Campaign to help the honeybees of hurricane ravaged Florida

 

Dear Friends,

I'm using my blog for a very special purpose today. An organization that I belong to has a new campaign that has just announced a matching grant for a very special cause: feeding the decimated honeybees of Florida. Now more than ever, this is the time to learn about how important honeybees are to our food production system. The hurricane did immense damage to the bee yards of Florida and THIS organization is the only one I know if that is mobilizing to help.

You can read about the program HERE and if you can make a donation now, thank you, it will be doubled!

On my recent trip to the NEBG I was reminded of an absolute truth: that everything we eat and the air we breathe is a result of the plants of this earth. And nearly all of that food has needed pollinators to bring the food we need to our table. The honeybees of Florida suffered a devastating blow with the last hurricane. They lost their food sources and are now starving. Now is our time to help them back.

HERE is the page that will tell you how.

Even if you cannot help at this time with a donation, you CAN help by sharing this message with your friends. Please pass along this important information.

Bright Blessings,

Sally

Tuesday, October 4, 2022

 Greetings dear readers!

First I must apologize for my website being down for such a long time. It needed some upgrades and they took unexpectedly long to resolve. It is GOOD to be back!!!

The chance to catch up and share exciting news has finally arrived and there is sooooo much to share! Let’s dive right in with the first announcement since it is time-sensitive.

The really BIG news (and why you’ve not heard from me for many months) is this: in early June I was given an incredible opportunity by the New England Botanic Gardens (  https://nebg.org/  ) just outside of Boston to help them create a magical fairyland experience in their newest garden which is called The Ramble. The space is very magical already - a 1.5 acre forest garden especially designed for children to romp and play. The exhibition is now up and running and is called “The Enchanted Forest”.  This is the largest public display of my work thus far. https://nebg.org/enchanted-forest/

enchanted forest sign Sally J Smith

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When they contacted me about the project I of course said “YES!” without quite realizing what a monumental task I had just agreed to undertake. What followed was 10 weeks of the hardest, most continuous creative work I’ve ever done before. It began with a trip to their garden to meet the team, explore the garden and make a plan.

Next, I needed to order a mountain of supplies, tools and more supplies! The parameters for this exhibition were quite challenging. Every house had to be weather-proof and able to withstand anything the changeable New England weather might dish up in the fall months - which can include the tail end of hurricanes like we will have this week! Also, each house had to be fully lighted with special LED lighting suitable for outdoors use that would plug into their system. Battery-powered lights were kept to a minimum for ease of maintenance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The houses needed to be of varying designs and needed to hold the attention of both adults and kids with lots of detail, color and variety. I needed to use as many natural materials as possible but also had to incorporate a lot of faux materials too to ensure that the houses would look fresh for the entire 2 months of the exhibition AND not be attractive to wildlife that might be visiting the gardens at night. Wilted flowers and half-eaten pumpkins on day 3 were just not going to cut it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The houses had to occupy a wide variety of placements: some on the ground, some at knee height, some head height and some hanging overhead. Finally, the houses needed to be larger than I generally make because the scale of the space required good sized sculptures for best visitor viewing experience. Phew!!

Oh… and all 20+ needed to be made from scratch and be delivered in just over 2 months. (it usually takes me 4 weeks to make just ONE house)  NO problem!!!

What followed was 10-14 hours of work every single day with no days off till delivery was made at the end of August. Then a week of installation with the crew (more on that in another post) then whisk back home (I live 5.5 hours from the garden) to finish the last 4 sculptures and get them delivered ASAP. There have also been several publicity interviews, publicity photo shoots that were up to me and an important interview for an article in the Boston Globe to let folks know about the exhibition. You can read the article HERE if you want. (it has been re-printed by kind permission)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All the houses were designed for certain places in the garden. The garden has many special features within it for a delightful visitor experience all on its own but some of the features particularly inspired me. (more on this in later posts, hopefully) One feature that grabbed my inspiration was what they called a "rock stump". It was a sculpture made of stones that encircled an empty space so it looks a lot like a rotted out stump. All surrounded by a layer of packed stone dust with a final circle of cut and polished granite blocks. Yes I could imagine this as a rotted tree stump but to me it looked like a miniature volcano!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The image is a bit deceptive because the enclosed circle here is about 18 ft in diameter. The interior space within the "volcano" was about 24 inches across and deep. I have always wanted to make a fairy house dedicated to the elements of Crystal and Fire. This seemed like a perfect place to try something far outside my comfort zone. After much research and experimentation, I found a way! I used epoxy resin to create sheets of clear materials which I could then cut into panels like stained glass. I could also pour crystals of my own color choosing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

However, the sculpture needed to be rock solid stable but UP and out of reach from curious kiddos. I hired the local blacksmith to create a spiraling tower to invoke the feeling of rising smoke and designed the house to perch (very securely) on top.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now you can get a better sense of scale.... the tower is over 6 ft tall. But it is the "house" in top that is really special. It does have a sparkling entrance door-space with stairs and tower "rooms" but this is for the Fire Fairies so naturally it has to look a bit edgy and dangerous!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and it ALL of it had to be lighted, of course!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is just one example of the many unique sculptures I have created for this garden.

If you are able, I urge you to come and visit the gardens as soon as you can to see the display as well as the other incredible features they have in other parts of the entire complex. It is a stunning place and well worth a day for visiting. The whole experience is magical and a great outing for people of all ages. I’ve heard nothing but positive reactions from the staff at the gardens who have said this is wildly successful. Here again is their website for more details:  https://nebg.org/planyourvisit/ 

If you are able to visit and want your book signed, or want to pick up a copy from their gift shop and have it signed, I will be there on Friday October 7th from 1-3PM at or near the gift shop on the main level.

I hope to see you there!

The show lasts until the end of October. I hope you have the chance to get there and see it!

In future posts I will let you know about the latest calendar that is now out and additional media from the show. We did a 25 minute interview with a local web-tv producer and it will be great to share that once they make it live.

Also, I AM planning on have a sale of some of my sculptures for this holiday season. Some of the houses from this exhibition may be in the sale.... stay tuned!

And, with apologies, I have disabled comments for this blog. You can leave comments on the same content which is now on my official website which you can find HERE:  https://sallyjsmithart.com/notes/news/new-exhibition-fairy-houses-by-sally-j-smith/

 

Monday, April 25, 2022

Anticipating Early Spring

( latest post from my website blog )

In my garden, the first big rush of color is blue. Scilla Siberica. Siberian Squill.

April is a challenging month here in the north-country. We’ve just come out of a third of a year living in the grip of winter. Then comes April, and we think our trials should be over. But snow and wind and cold can return any day and stay far longer than we wish. The ground that has been frozen to a depth of 2 to 3 feet takes a long time to thaw, but the lengthening days work their magic and soon green shoots begin to push up the leaf mulch and insist on emerging.

After months of tending to the chores of winter and anticipating the arrival of the blue, the creative juices begin to stir in me as well. With a nice cup of tea in hand I got out my sketchbook and visited my storage area of supplies to see what might spark some inspiration. I found a box of Cypress knees that had been sent to me by a fan in Texas several years ago. They still had the bark on, which I really enjoyed for its texture. The smallest one, only about 6 inches tall might be the perfect size to nestle amongst the Squill with a tiny house perched upon the top.

Out came the sketchbook and an idea quickly developed. This could be fun!

I gathered up fresh pieces of birch bark, golden birch bark, the cypress knee and other materials I would need for the project and got to work. The first step was to make a paper model to make sure I had the scale of each little piece in correct relation to the others. Also, I needed to work out how and where to attach the house to the base without damaging the fragile bark. Making a paper model first helps resolve these problems so I won’t waste the birch bark when building the real house. I knew that the roofs would be made of felted wool so I’d leave that for last.

Once I was satisfied with the paper model, I cut it apart to use it as a pattern for the bark pieces. The build went well but fabricating at this very small scale is quite challenging. Everything is sooo tiny and fragile! The windows ended up being so small that they were about 1/2 inch tall. Fitting all the tiny pieces together took time and concentration, but eventually I had what I wanted. You can see some of the left-over pattern pieces in the image.

At this point I was so excited and taken-over by the process that I just charged ahead and worked for several more days to complete the tiny house and the fun felted roofs. The urge to complete the project quickly meant that I forgot about taking any additional in-process images…. all I knew was that I needed to finish this soon. Suddenly, as I was nearing completion, the clouds outdoors began to clear and I knew a rare sunny break was coming. I quickly finished the project, grabbed my camera and dashed out to the garden. I found a welcoming placement for the fresh little house and began joyfully capturing images before I lost the sunlight. The biggest challenge were my cats who were curious about what I was doing and kept walking in front of the camera! Thankfully they left me alone long enough to get the rest of the images I wanted before the sun slipped behind another round of grey clouds for the rest of the day… in fact I’ve not seen the sun for several more days since and we may get more snow this week!

But for this small window of time, it had all come together… anticipating the blue flowers, working towards a creative vision, having the affirmative response from Nature, and being ready for the moment when it came. The results were very pleasing indeed.

It’s wonderful when we can follow our impulses, apply our gifts and enjoy the outcome!

Happy Early Spring everyone!

 

Monday, December 13, 2021

 

Greetings Friends!

I'm so pleased to announce that my NEW BOOK is now on a special discounted price! I was able to discount the hardcover book for a limited time down from $55 to $48! This offer is exclusively available only by purchasing the book HERE

Now for the extra good news: Lulu just announced a special coupon good for an additional 15% off!!!

Use the code SNOW15 to get your additional discount. But you'll have to hurry, the coupon is good until the end of the day Dec 17th.

You can see additional pages from the book HERE.

This book has been a labor of love. It represents all of the best land art sculptures of my work for over the last decade and more - both the Fairy Houses and the environmental sculptures. The quality of the book is gorgeous. Clean, elegant design which shows off the photos to their absolute best. It's a great book for gift-giving, or simply taking yourself on a journey with me as I explore the creative inspirations and fabrications made with Nature thru the cycle of a single year here in the north woods of the Adirondacks.

Of course there are enchanting fairy houses:

  

and spiral constructions:

 

and magical land art sculptures that mesmerize and dazzle:

 

Take advantage of this great double discount while you can! 

PS, the discount code SNOW15 can also be applied to my delightful self-published 2022 Fairy Houses calendar which you can find HERE

Don't miss out! The 15% off discount expires this Friday!!

Sunday, November 28, 2021

30% off sale for a VERY limited time!!! HURRY!!!

 

Greetings Everyone!

At long last Lulu is having their BEST sale offer of the year….30% off but it is for an incredibly short time. This offer expires at 11:59 Nov 29th so get your order in NOW if you want this great deal!

The coupon code is : SAVE30

You can get my new Fairy Houses calendar HERE

You can see all the interior pages over here on my shop page: 2022 Fairy Houses calendar

VERY SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:

For my loyal fans only, you can apply the 30% discount to my newest book which has not yet been released for global distribution but you can buy it NOW!!

The new book is called Enviramagination and is a compilation of all the best images from the last decade+ of both my land art images and my fairy house works. The book is a hardcover edition printed on premium 80# paper with high quality color processing. It is 124 pages in 8.5 x 11 inch tall format.

Here is the cover:

(Please note: this image includes a watermark which is NOT on the actual book)

Click HERE to see a few pages from the book 

As with the cover image, the preview images contain watermarks which are not on the actual book pages.

This pre-release sale of 30% off is a great discount… the best I’ll ever be able to offer on this book.

To get it NOW just click HERE and you’ll be sent to my Lulu storefront page where you can order your own copy. You can also order and have it shipped directly to another address, but act now because the discount goes away at midnight on Monday.

Saturday, October 3, 2020

Sitting on the cusp of The Deep - a long reflection about where we are

 



Greetings Everyone,

Warning... this is a rant of sorts which I have posted on my website blog

Like so many who are navigating these unknown and sometimes dark waters, I'm having trouble staying on course. Staying afloat. Keeping connected to what matters. What needs to be done. Mainly because there is a dissonance between what this artificial, built-society says I must do and what the Natural World is saying, whisper soft, to my heart that we now must do if this world as we know and love it, is to survive.

Sometimes it's as if I'm sailing thru the mists, hand on a slack tiller, no wind to fill all the sails I try to raise to find a breath to get me moving once more. But the mists are thick. The stillness relentless. The uncertainty and fear rising up in my gut seems to be the only things that are moving. I know the safe passage is out there, I just can't find it in this fog that now envelopes much of our collective.

To be a creative person right now is more challenging than ever. To be a creative person who deals in the art of sweetness and light while (much of ) the world is plunged into murky gloom seems a Herculean effort at times. To be a creative person who relies on moss and green and flowers in a literal drought that has seen the hottest summer on record dehydrate the familiar places in the beloved forest to a crackling brown... nearly did me in this year.

I work with the spirits of the place, the Elementals and Energy Beings of the landscape and I'm here to say that they are suffering too....but mostly we are so caught up in our own dramas that we cannot hear their soft voices in our din. The Earth is in great need. GREAT need. This I believe is what "The Great Pause" (as some have called this past 9 months) has been about. I do not pretend to know how these things work, but the message for this pivotal time for our humanity and for the glorious garden we call Earth, our only home, is that we must make different choices. Now. We must stop thinking we are helpless victims, small ants in a relentless machine that knows only how to grind us up. For money. To line the pockets and bank accounts of the rich and powerful. Unable to stop our own destruction.

This is the one truth we all spend a great deal of effort and time denying: we have only one Earth. We all arrived here full of the purity and innocence that blesses each new life. A fresh start. A clean slate. What have we done with our greatest gift? We've fallen under the hypnotic spell of the economic machinery that sucks resources out of everything (our own souls included) and converts those resources into this thing we call money. The purpose of the machine is to convert everything into money. Trees, fish, minerals, animals, view-scapes, creativity, your own children and time itself. The Machine will convert it all into money and money-making. It's what our society is hell-bent on doing and it tells us relentlessly that we must comply, we must participate, we must play by it's rules or we are losers. We will be a failure, a reject, a nobody if we don't play along and do our part to make money for the machine.

This myth has been driving our collective for hundreds perhaps thousands of years. Certainly it took a big leap forward with the rise of the Industrial revolution when the machine got hold of our great-great-grandparents bodies and took them off the land and put them to work in the factories. That was the beginning of the Great unrooting, when we began to lose our vital linkage with the Earth, our home. We started to think that our little buildings and towns and cities were "home" and we called them that, forgetting that ALL of it, everything that we make or manufacture comes from Mother Earth. We fell under the spell of the machine mind and began to equate money with happiness.

"If only you had more money, then you'd be happy/safe/secure and loved" became the drumbeat of the machine and we listened....oh how we listened. And we became believers - big time.

We now stand at the most pivotal crossroads of our human experiment. We now are so many and so inculcated into the machine mind that science can confirm that we alone, the human beings on this planet are killing the very home we need to survive. If we were the only thing that relied upon this earth that might be a just ending to our little story, but the real crime here is that we are not alone. Millions upon millions of other creatures, from fungi to great Blue Whales also call this place home and we are killing them too.

I believe that Nature Herself has given us this moment, this virus to stop us in our tracks and give us a space, a pause to reflect and realize that we can chose a different path from this point forward. Many in Europe have embraced this moment and are making real, honest and deeply meaningful changes in how they live their lives so that they generate less waste and pollution than they did before. They understand that if we live in democracies then we must chose better representatives and leaders who will work for the planet, for our values of mutual justice and equality. We stand poised at the cross-roads, especially here in America.

In one month Americans will chose down which path we want to go. The choice is simple and clear. One path will be towards our own oblivion having capitulated to the powers of the righteous individualists who think they are above the laws of karma and Justice-for-all. They are cult followers of the Machine Mind and they believe their destination of power and wealth over all others is what their patriarchal god has ordained for them. The other path, though quite imperfect, has the glimmer of hope twinkling in the distance, enticing us forward into a new reality, one where we confront the machine mind and start to dismantle it at every opportunity.

I believe in the inherent goodness of the human heart. I believe that we all come here wanting to make this a better place. I believe that we all want to give and receive love, security, respect, justice, and meaningful purpose to our lives. I believe we all come into this earth loving our fellow creatures and that we are living our best lives when we are living in harmony with the natural rhythms and laws of Nature. I believe we are all hearing this calling now that we have been temporarily stilled by the virus that has stopped our entire built world in it's tracks.

What will you do to answer this call? What will you do to bring the world back into balance - your own world and the greater one we all live within? For Americans, we have a pivotal choice to make in the coming days. Who will we elect to speak for us? For the Earth? For our future?

To quote the great spoken word poet Shane Koyczan   from his piece titled "A Tomorrow"  ( which I invite you to hear by clicking on this link HERE  ) listen when he says:

… “This is just a reminder that depression is a self-loading gun

  we all have to keep checking the safety on

because when indifference has drawn

a chalk outline around our compassion

it means the next thing we lose

is each other.” ….

 

Chose wisely my friends. Chose as if your life depends on it, for it does. Chose as if the lives of your grand-children depend on your choice now, for they do. Chose now to believe the science, that the Earth is in great need and we can turn this trajectory around if we all work together and be our best selves. We can.

We have but one home. It is beautiful. It is magical. We must do better to respect and protect it. We start now.



Saturday, August 8, 2020

An invitation to join a world-wide meditation TONIGHT at 8 pm local time

 

Greetings Everyone,

I know this is very short notice. I literally JUST found out myself. There is an open invitation to join a world-wide group to meditate for the healing of our world. If you would like to join in with us, there is a specific format we are all asked to observe. The details can be found HERE.

Come join us if you can. The program-workshop will be repeated tomorrow on August 9th in case you miss tonight's event.

If you want to read this in your home language, this link takes you to their webpage that offers the same information in a variety of languages

Here is the core of the invitation from their website:

" Our intuition, dreams and exchange tell us that right now humanity stands at one of the decisive crossroads. One road leads towards a complete robotisation of our society and control over the individual. The other road leads towards co-creation with the beings of this wonderful Earth, those visible and invisible, and towards peace among peoples of the human race. 

A relatively large group is needed to express the decision, which of the two paths we want to walk in the next years and onward towards the future. We believe that each of us collaborating here already made her or his decision to follow the path of life and freedom. The purpose of this telepathic workshop is to communicate our decision to the beings of the Earth and the Universe and to ground it in the body of the planet as well as within our body. We do this as a holographic piece (fractal) of humanity as a whole. "  -from "Telepathic workshop "At the Crossroads"

 

 

Saturday, August 1, 2020

SUPER 30% off sale for a limited time! Stock up now!

Dear Readers,
  Like you I've been challenged in learning how to live with the new parameters of life due to this pandemic. But creativity has been my guideline when all else seemed unfamiliar. I'll have more to share shortly on the goings on here in my studio but I've JUST received word this morning about a super duper sale at Amber Lotus, the wonderful company that publishes my calendars and I HAD to let you know! Here's the scoop:

You can order any calendar related products from Amber Lotus from now till August 5th at 10 pm, pacific time and get THIRTY percent off !!! This is as big as it gets when it comes to discounts! 
You can get my latest calendars, of course:
The NEW 2021 Wall Calendar is only $10.50 !! (click on the image to see more)
https://www.amberlotus.com/fairy-houses-2021-wall-calendar


Or the New 2021 Mini Calendar is only $5.60 !!
https://www.amberlotus.com/fairy-houses-2021-mini-wall-calendar


There are loads more items available at this great sale price and you can read all about them in my new blog post on my website HERE

Don't miss this generous sale! Calendars make wonderful gifts and these will surely uplift the spirits of friends and family near and far.

Stay safe,

Bright Blessings



 

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Of Reliquaries and the Sacred Time we are navigating together


I must confess that the desire or ability to do any writing for this blog has been most elusive in the past 6-7 weeks. Like everyone else I’ve watched in profound sadness and with feelings of helplessness as so many families have faced such loss and tragedy dealing with this new pandemic. The loss comes in many forms and no matter what sort of shadows of sorrow, fear or disorientation have crossed your doorway, we are all in a profound moment of pause.

It seems to be an opportunity most of all (for those of us who have the luxury to not be on the actual front lines of this ravaging virus or the economic shock waves that will be difficult to ride out in the coming months) to take stock and ask ourselves some crucial questions about just exactly how are we going to take up our lives again when are able to do so.

As an observer of the intersection of the visible and invisible worlds, I cannot help but notice a few things about this moment…and yet finding the words to articulate what I am seeing and sensing is very difficult….but I shall try. Modern human beings have been hypnotized by the hollow promises of capitalism as it is currently imposed upon the globe for nearly 150 years now. The decision to value money(and therefore profit) more than the vital, living resources of this planet will be our doom if we do not change our ways. This moment of global pause comes just as the global movement towards questioning capitalistic values and Ecocide was starting to take hold in the likes of Greta Thunberg, the Green New Deal, Polly Higgins and all the other voices which were beginning to rise up and speak out (and be heard) on behalf of the planet. I do not think this is an accident.

 
Invisible forces have a way of reaching into the psyche of human beings and teaching from within. That process works best when human beings slow down, disengage from the busy outer world and take a pause. It can be in a few minutes of deep breathing. A dozen minutes of meditation, or yoga. An hours-long quiet walk in a park or out in nature as you can find it. It can be in a day off from one’s normal routine brought on by illness or unexpected weather events. We’ve all experienced times in our lives where we took a “time out” and allowed ourselves to connect with our inner thoughts and feelings. It is in that liminal space which opens up in those quiet moments when the invisible forces can speak to us and move us to make deep and lasting changes in our lives…usually for the better.

 We are currently collectively experiencing a “time out” like no other in living memory. That this moment comes when all of those who speak for the Earth are saying that we are poised on an edge like no other cannot be “just” a coincidence. I believe we are being asked by Nature itself to stop and listen… to pay attention to what we know is true and have not been able to face: that modern life as we currently live it will kill our beloved home and the plants and animals with which we are supposed to co-exist. I know this is difficult to hear. Like everyone else, when I face the facts of climate change I feel overwhelmed and powerless. I feel guilt and shame. I feel that no matter what I may do it won’t make a difference.


I’m here to tell you that those feelings, while they may feel real are not true. Nature has profound capacity for healing if it is just given a chance to do so. We have been shown that over and over again in these past few weeks as news reports came in talking about all the positive effects people were noticing in their immediate environments due to the shut-down of “normal life”. The canals of Venice were transformed and wildlife was cautiously returning to the tranquil waters. The air in Delhi and Beijing were clearer than anyone could remember. The trampled vegetation of Instagram hot spots was recovering to lushness once more thanks to a lack of too many tourists. Birds were being seen and heard in places where no one thought they lived. There are literally hundreds of such stories all around the world. Nature is speaking loudly thru these examples saying : “Look how I can heal if you just give me a chance!”


So we have to ask ourselves: When we start back up with our daily lives what are we going to differently so that our lives can be a more cooperative/harmonious collaboration that respects the Earth, her resources, her creatures AND all human lives across the globe? What are we going to commit to radically changing in our own lives to bring ourselves back from the brink of Ecocide?


What needs to change is us.

(To read the rest of this post, please head on over to my website to read the full blog and watch a movie from the Findhorn Foundation that I think you will enjoy. Just follow the link below)

https://sallyjsmithart.com/notes/from-the-heart/of-reliquaries-and-the-sacred-time-we-are-navigating-together/

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

A time for Prayer and action

(From my new blog which you can find HERE )

 
   Like many sensitive souls around the world, I am feeling overwhelmed with the suffering and turbulence that is our lived experience at this time. To give some perspective – there are people that I know, you probably do as well, who can ignore the raucous sounds around them and filter them out with relative ease. The radio or TV can be blaring and overwhelming to my ears when I walk into their space, but they don’t even hear it and begin carrying on a conversation. I cannot filter noise in that way. It is painful to me.

   In the same way, when there is great suffering on the planet and great loss of life, particularly the loss of animal and plant life due to natural or human-made events, I FEEL it in my soul. It is a weight and a pain in my heart that I cannot lift or ignore or deny. This, I know is the shadow side of being able to feel the beauty of nature to such a profound level… it is the cost, the price of that gift. I know most folks can feel a certain sense of loss for human life when tragedy strikes some person or group of people…and we all mourn these losses together especially if we feel identified somehow with the loss. For me, because so much of my heart is wrapped up in the natural world, I feel the grief more acutely than most when Nature is in pain and struggling.

   When the Tsunamis hit Indonesia and Japan, I was in deep despair for a long time. When the oil well burst in the Gulf of Mexico deep sadness prevailed for many weeks. When Hawaii was altered by the volcano burning and birthing the land it affected me too. The same thing can happen to me when I hear of massive agricultural losses due to flood or fire…it is a strange form of suffering that affects me and mostly I don’t speak of it much…but try just to work my way thru the passage knowing that all things change and that no matter how dark and gloomy it may feel now, it will be better eventually… until the next thing arises…but it too will pass.

   But things are speeding up now it seems. The pauses and respites between calamities and disasters seems to get shorter, the tragedies deeper and some of the losses, due to extinction level events are almost impossible to bear. What is happening now in Australia is hitting me (and MANY people like me) extremely hard … and I live on the other side of the planet! I cannot imagine how those on the front lines of this devastation are coping.

   So, to turn my grief into action (always a good healing tactic) I have created a small piece of art which you are welcomed to share and use if you like. In addition, I’d like to share some reputable charities that could use our help if you have the means to make donations. If not, Prayers from the heart are equally valuable if not more so and cost nothing only a moment of your time. The power of Prayer cannot be discounted… there are many anecdotal stories and actual scientific studies that affirm the power of prayer, especially collective prayer… so perhaps this is a good time to be reminded of that power and participate if one can.

Here is a list of organizations that are in need:

Kangaroo Island holds a special reserve where rare species are nurtured and helped towards recovery. Unfortunately they were his hard by a big fire. You can read about their sanctuary and their efforts HERE and donate HERE

The Port Macquarie Koala Hospital specializes in Koala rescue and rehabilitation. You can read more HERE.

WIRES native animal rescue has a useful information page with many ways to donate HERE

The RSPCA of New South Wales is fighting to save wildlife, pets and all domestic animals who have been affected by the fires. HERE

Once the fires have passed there will still be years of recovery work ahead for these organizations. The land will not be able to support the animals for a long time ahead, so expensive restoration and relocation projects will be needed. Please do not be swayed if it seems they have already received considerable support – the need will be ongoing. Or you can find other organizations that perhaps are not as well advertised that still need help. And equally important is to pass along this information to your own social networks, it really makes a difference. Thank you.

Monday, September 23, 2019

Holocene Twilight

This post may be disturbing for some readers. I make no apologies. As an artist who creates visions of idyllic fantasies I often question my purpose and my work. I have spent much time “soul wrestling” as one of my teachers calls it… the process that happens when we are waking up to an uncomfortable truth yet we do not yet have our course of new action/purpose fully charted yet.

Watching and listening to the Climate Crisis protests this week-end has been so deeply moving. That this was conceived of and organized by the youngest members of our global humanity was so inspiring. Greta’s fearlessness and tenacity show us that nothing is impossible if we just decide to make a difference, be mindful of our choices and then take persistent, focused action. And do not give up!

I dedicate this work to her spirit and to all the people who are rising up, speaking up, and supporting policies and people who are on the frothy edge of this transition…may the wave continue to build and may we all pull together to change our course before it is too late.

EDEN HOUSE:
An idyllic home set in an abundant, lush location brimming with life. Golden sunshine dappled thru the apple tree on the edge of the clear water, dragonflies hovered and zoomed… it was heaven on earth and we had our place in it all beautifully made.

Holocene Twilight
















As twilight settled, we were blissfully unaware… but something was wrong and it was of our own making.

Holocene Twilight

At first the shock of what was happening so suddenly made it impossible to focus or understand… was this a dream? How did this happen? Yet it was clear…. our home is burning.

Holocene Twilight

















Will it be too late?

Holocene Twilight
















I urge everyone:
  • educate yourself to what the science is saying
  • stop denying what is happening to our planet, to the oceans and to wildlife
  • figure out what you can do in your own life to make positive choices that support a better future
  • read, read read. Listen, listen, listen. Be humble.
  • Be fearless. You are not alone.
  • support politicians who support policies that protect the earth, wildlife and indigenous cultures
  • use your power as a consumer to bring about positive change. Plant-based dining is here now because consumers demand it. Electric vehicles are here now because consumers demand it. The cost of solar panels has dropped phenomenally in the past decade because consumer demand has businesses scrambling to make a good, clean living.
  • question all the ways you have been programmed to want “stuff”. Capitalism as it is currently built is unsustainable.
  • do not give in to hopelessness. We built this problem, we can solve it. The time to act is now.

Monday, September 9, 2019

Too close for comfort

Greetings Everyone!

I have a new post in my blog over on my website. I'll let you know why I sometimes make Faerie house images that look like this:


Come check it out by clicking HERE.

Have a great week!

 

Monday, September 2, 2019

A new post about my photo editing process

Greetings Everyone!

I've just written a new post over on my website blog which talks about how I go from this image:
 



to this one:



As well as a few other tidbits of news. Come and check it out!
 https://sallyjsmithart.com/notes/news/photo-editing-a-before-and-after-example/

Cheers,

Sally

Monday, August 26, 2019

New post available now in my website blog

Greetings Everyone!

I have a new post available in my blog on my website. Here is the link:
 https://sallyjsmithart.com/notes/greenspirit-arts/faerie-houses/the-haicyon-hydrangea-days-of-summer-fairy-house/

And here is the image...enjoy!

 


Welcome to the enchanted world of Environmental art and Faerie Houses sculptures created by Sally J Smith. Here you will find photos of the artist's unique art-forms and hear some of the stories from behind the scenes as she shares with you her creative process.