Bones and Flowers

I did this series in 2009.  It was a response to learning I have osteoporosis and I was beginning another phase of my life with menopause.   I approached this theme from both a Buddhist perspective including traditional western flower meanings. 

In Buddhism bones are a reminder of one's impermanence.  That everything changes and is interdependent.  There are also Eight Auspicious Symbols that represent good fortune.  So using these ides as points of reflection I developed eight drawings of sections of bones, my insight into their connection to the Auspicious Symbols, and then flowers that correlated with that part of the body (metaphorically).

Here are five of the series:

Geranium in the cranium.

Seeing the Cosmos.

Tiger Lily.

Padma's Lotus.

Love.

Gianelli Cabin Trail Sketches

 

Powell Lake, Emigrant Wilderness. Our first day and night stop.  Long stretch of rocks in the middle.

We hiked up to the peak above Powell Lake.  Our dog Kipper likes to crawl under trees for some shade.

Y Meadow Lake, Emigrant Wilderness.  Very windy and the water surface changed constantly.

Saw at least 15 different type of wildflowers.  These five little asters were near our tent.

My favorite lake of the whole trip, Chewing Gum Lake, Emigrant Wilderness.  Had some wonderful swims in this lake.  Mind the horseflies though!

Day hike around Chewing Gum Lake, saw more incredible wildflowers.

High Hand Nursery sketch

Lots of beautiful still-lifes to illustrate at High Hand Nursery in Loomis.

Butterfly Day

Spring color!

Watercolor illustration inspired by a photo on Pinterest.com



The bees are back to our bee tree this year and visiting the blossoming trees near by.

Watercolor sketches at Tamarack Lake, CA

We backpacked up from Echo Lake to Tamarack Lake on Wednesday.  We like to go on weekdays because the lakes are usually a lot less crowded.  The weather was windy but warm in the sun.  I couldn't resist taking a swim.  It was great.  This cute Asian looking tree was right next to our swim spot.  

We set up our camp away from the water as is the protocol.  It is amazing what you can put in two packs.  We had our fold-able lightweight dog kennel, tent, hammock, light stove and cookpot, and J's radio equipment.  It was great.  On Thursday while J was climbing the peak next to the lake, I did yoga, this little sketch, and then listened to a meditation talk on my iTouch while laying in the hammock.  Pretty nice!

In the afternoon while J and our dog Kipper were napping after their hike, I went down to the lake and painted the little island that looked inviting to swim out to.  While we did go for a dip, we didn't swim to the island.  

The Pacific Crest Trail is along the ridge in the background.  On our way down to Echo Lake on Friday, we passed a lot of hikers and backpackers coming up for the weekend.  Glad we had had a quiet visit during the  week.

Watercolor sketches of Twin Lakes

 

To beat the 3-digit heat in the valley this week, we went backpacking in the Desolation Wilderness part of California's Sierra range.  This is the view from our camp site at Twin Lakes up toward Little Pyramid Peak.

Two gnarled Jeffrey Pines next to the lake.  The weather was perfect, about 75 degrees and cool in the shade with a light breeze.

 

We enjoyed swimming in the brisk lake to cool down from our day hikes.  This view is from under the gnarled pines looking across the lake at the granite strewn peaks.  We saw a huge goshawk with a speckled white head sitting on top of a dead pine.  He caught a fish right after.