Art & Poetry: Wings & Words Series
This page presents a collection of paintings working with the imagery of birds to express the experience of integrating different ideas or emotions through mind, body and soul. For me, a bird represents integration insofar as it possesses the ability to exist in flight and on the ground, seamlessly moving from one space to the other -- as one organism. In some of the work, the birds are the visual focal point, while in others, they play a smaller role (like some small doves), but in each piece the birds have a meaningful role in the composition of, and intention behind, the art. The poetry accompanying each painting offers one way of interpreting the art.
#1 "Beyond Here"
Oil on canvas, 24" x 42" (sold)
Beyond Here
When all the doors
To where I long to go
Seem to have closed
All there is left to do
Is leave all the doors behind
And float deep into the woods
Where it is just You and me
Where the world is still
And then
Among the humming
Of Your otherwordly creations
I remember:
You are the Maker of the doors
And a humming stirs within me
To long to see a new door
That waits for me to fly through
#2 "The Kaleidoscope"
Oil on canvas, 36" x 48" (sold)
The Kaleidoscope
In a chamber
In my mind
This soul You gave me
Resides among many voices
Some are harsh and unforgiving
But this soul is pure
And she is ready
To see all the parts of me
The way You see me
With love
At the very edge
Of this chamber
In my mind
Where the worlds meet
She steps out of the shadows
The light passes through her
Refracting to reveal the parts
In so many colors
Reflecting shattered vessels
Like a kaleidoscope
In the chamber
A mosaic appears
Made of all the broken parts
That I gathered to be whole
Now I understand:
She and I
Are one and the same
Longing to be one
With all the parts
And with You
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#3 "Between Worlds"
Acrylic on canvas, 24" x 24" (sold)
Between Worlds
Coming
Going
Longing
To be somewhere else
To be something else
How did this come to be?
Eyes closed, a deep sigh
The relief of Your presence
Washes over me
For a moment, I accept
And continue gathering sparks
You left for me on the path
Slowly learning
To reveal the sparks within
#4 "The Heart Awakening"
Oil on canvas, 30" x 30"
The heart is awakening
Inside me
And our collective heart
Awake in the silence
For the things that have no words
In the silence that guards me
From speaking against
My brother, my sister, myself
In the silence that grounds me
Among the flames
נר ה׳ נשמת אדם
The light is within us
And accessible to us
The light of souls
Coming and going
Between the worlds
Like flames reaching up
That can’t be extinguished
Like flames reaching up
To warm a broken heart
#5 "The Reclamation"
Oil on canvas, 24" x 36"
The Reclamation
Here under the trees
We have a reintroduction
To a sacred knowing
From a place of kindness
Without judgment
So we can reclaim
The sacred knowing
With love
#6 "The Wall Between Us"
Acrylic on canvas, 30" x 40"
The Wall Between Us
So close but just can’t reach
Through this invisible wall
That stands between
Me and him
Me and her
Me and the self I’m not ready to see
Me and the wounded feminine
Me and the wounded masculine
Me and the Divine
A rupture old as time
Since the first garden
? איכה
Where are you (hiding from yourself)?
This wall that separates
How did it come to be?
Collateral damage
The residue of pain
Built to protect my fragile heart
But now it separates me
And the one on the other side
Who is bonded to me
Like turtle doves: for life
The scars of our past are
Like turtle doves: offerings
Sacrificed by a mind and body
Disconnected from their source
The only way around this wall
Is through this wall
If I go within
Face my wounding and my shadows
Stop hiding, protecting, pretending
And when I can finally feel
That I am worthy of being loved
This wall will shatter
Extracting the gold trapped within
Giving way to
Closeness, presence, empathy
And life itself
Waiting on the other side
#7 "The Embrace"
Acrylic on canvas, 24" x 36" (sold)
The Embrace
Is this burden I carry
A heavy weight?
Or the cloak of a queen?
Teach me to embrace it:
My burden, my struggle, my shame
Like a coat of gems
When I stop resisting
The life You chose for me
Instead of the life I planned,
And when I forgive myself
For the choices I can’t erase
Instead of what could have been,
Then maybe I can resurface
Out of the mud
And feel the warmth of the soil
Firmly replanted
As a prelude
To an invitation to fly
#8 "Welcome Back, Wild Bird"
Oil on canvas, 30" x 40"
Welcome back, Wild Bird
Welcome back
Wild bird
Fire creature
Feathers running red
Until the red paint runs out
And the pain runs out
Then our disgrace fades away
As red turns to white
Oh, the purity was always there
Hidden within the red space
Who can hold you, wild bird?
Who can hold you, divine anger?
There is space for you here
In this gentle hand
Because I simply cannot be
A quiet white dainty dove
Everyday, in every season
So welcome home
And stay awhile
And we can be alive
Together
#9 "The Journey of the Neshama
Oil on canvas, 30" x 40"
The Journey of the Neshama
Alone, the neshama waits
Like a lonely dove
Perched atop a cliff
Staring into the abyss below
It appears as a raging sea
Deep and dark in the storm
How can I make this journey
She wonders, in fear
How will I make it back to the light
On the other side of the abyss
When my wings will be clipped
And I cannot fly across
I cannot descend, she protests
I see there will be so much pain
And I see that in my pain,
I will hurt other people
And I may harm myself
Please do not send me there
Then, a still small Voice whispers
My dove, do not be afraid
There will be pain on this journey
But also so much joy
And the pain will make you a vessel
To receive and reflect My light
My dove, I will be with you
Whenever you feel alone
You can get still and quiet
And I will be there in the silence
Reminding you, in your pain
To be kind to yourself
I trust you to carry this burden
To bring light into My world
I will be waiting, says the Voice
So she holds on to the light
Guards it somewhere within
As she prepares to descend
#10 "The Shadow"*
Oil on canvas, 30" x 48"
What will grow in this shadow?
Out of this darkness?
From Divine roots
Already in the soil of my shadow
Waiting for exposure to the light
To sprout the redemption
*This painting is a companion to "The Kaleidoscope" (above)
#11
[To come]
[Poetry to be uploaded soon]
#12
[To come]
[Poetry to be uploaded soon]