Archive for the ‘myth and mystery’ Category
in the shelter of the covered bridge – vantage point for planets
If there are clear pre-sunrise morning skies this week, we will be able to see a rare view of several planets in the morning sky – Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Mars and Jupiter. For a description of the event, see http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/visible-planets-tonight-mars-jupiter-venus-saturn-mercury
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Last year, on February 21st, we saw the conjunction of Mars, Venus and the Moon. On that evening, as my husband and I drove through our local covered bridge, we startled a hare. I will never forget its long-eared shadow as it fled the bridge. The conjunction of planets and moon, and snowshoe hare and truck, were inspiration for a drawing and poem …
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March 1, 2015 ‘conjunction’ Jane Tims
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conjunction – February 21, 2015
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Patrick Owens Covered Bridge
Rusagonis River #2
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planet and moon light scamper
into crevasses in the covered bridge
Venus and Mars, chin velvet
and sickle of mid-winter moon
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headlights of the half-ton enter
overwhelm planet shadow
startle a winter hare
erect on haunches, paw lifted
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frosted by sky-gaze, worshiping
the sliver of moon, dismayed
at desecration, round glare
of the truck’s predatory eyes
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fright to stop a heart
or flight to mobilize
hind- legs straighten
before fore-legs turn
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and long ear shadows
quit the length of the bridge
ahead of whiskers, nose
and rabbit wisdom
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previously published in a post March 2, 2015
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Copyright Jane Tims 2016
Here’s looking at you!
Just finished a new series of paintings for my son’s store Meta GameZ at 98 Regent Street in Fredericton. The store specializes in Magic the Gathering and other games for those who love fantasy worlds. Dragons are a favorite theme, so here are five dragon eyes, looking at you. Hope you can stop in at the store and have a look at the originals! All are 10″ by 10″, acrylic, gallery edges.
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November 30, 2015 ‘yellow dragon eye’ Jane Tims
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November 30, 2015 ‘blue dragon eye’ Jane Tims
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November 30, 2015 ‘purple dragon eye’ Jane Tims
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November 30, 2015 ‘red dragon eye’ Jane Tims
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November 30, 2015 ‘green dragon eye’ Jane Tims
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Copyright 2015 Jane Tims
something orange
I love the colour orange. It must be so – it is one of the most used ‘tag’ words in my blog postings.
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This is a rather whimsical ‘side-view’ watercolour of an orange mushroom I saw recently in our cottage woods. I published the ‘top-view’ in an earlier post.
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November 22, 2015 ‘side-view of an orange mushroom’ Jane Tims
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November 5, 2015 ‘woodland floor’ Jane Tims
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Copyright 2105 Jane Tims
Calling all Dragon Kind
Congratulations to my son who, today, opened a new store in downtown Fredericton, New Brunswick. The store, Meta GameZ, specializes in collectable card games, including Magic the Gathering, Pokemon, Force of Will and Star Realms. There is also a large comfortable space for tournament-style play of the card game Magic.
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To show my son how proud I am, I gave him a gift of my newest painting, ‘Dragon Kind’ (acrylic, 40″ X 40″, gallery edges). Dragons are a recurring theme in the fantasy worlds of many collectable card games and I hope the players will enjoy the painting.
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Copyright 2015 Jane Tims
ordinary magic
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ordinary magic
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small blue jar
emptied of face cream
reveals a false bottom when held to the light
a bright inverted inner shell
hovers untouchable
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the peel of an orange
spurts flammable oil
cantrips of fire
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press a shell to your ear
murmur of ocean
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Copyright 2015 Jane Tims
Elf on the Shelf
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My Elf on the Shelf has been with me since the 1960s. For many years, she stayed in a back corner in a bag with the other stuffed folk. Then, last year, I learned about the new popularity of the Elf on the Shelf.
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Now, she has a place of honour among my Christmas decorations .. or should I say places? Each day, she pops up in a new place, to make her own commentary on the Christmas season!
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Elf on the Shelf reading her Christmas books …
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Elf on the Shelf is shy but she tries to sing with the other carolers …
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Elf on the Shelf dreams of a white Christmas …
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Copyright 2014 Jane Tims
watching for dragons – on paper
As you will know if you follow this Blog, I have been learning to work with watercolors this summer. So far, I have painted from views associated with my virtual adventures in France and England. But today, almost against my will, two dragons popped out on the paper. They are also determined to appear in this post, so here they are, along with a dragon I did in soluble colored pencil back in May.
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May 2013 ‘dragon #1’ Jane Tims
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July 20, 2013 ‘dragon #2’ Jane Tims
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July 20, 2013 ‘dragon #3’ Jane Tims
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Copyright 2013 Jane Tims
a dragon on a wall – biking log book Day #9
I am continuing with the third phase of my virtual bike trip through central France. For Phase 3 of my trip, I am biking in 12 days from Exireuil to Magné just west of Niort.
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Log Book: March 5, 2013
Area travelled: from ‘outskirts of Niort’ to ‘edge of Niort’
Distance: 30 minutes 3.0 km
Notes: only three more days to go on my virtual trip to Magné!
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Distance Travelled Feb 21 to Mar 5: 27.0 km (270 minutes of stationary biking)
Total Distance Travelled Jan 30 to Mar 5 : 58.8 km (595 minutes of stationary biking)
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map showing distance travelled (map from Google Earth)
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On March 5, I finally made it off the train track and entered the city of Niort. It is a neat city with lots of one-way streets, enclosed yards and lots of greenery.
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As in many cities, there were lots of interesting sights to see. I grabbed a bottle of Perrier to drink as a Perrier truck passed by…
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Perrier truck (image from Street View)
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I saw a school yard where the children seem to have hung up their artwork to dry on a line between two trees…
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school yard and art hanging on the line (image from Street View)
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I was able to visit yet another Pâtisserie… yummmmm!
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patisserie (image from Street View)
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I also saw what looked like remarkable graffiti on one fence, a rendition of a dragon…
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dragon wall (image from Street View)
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wall dragon
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he peers from under
a fall of vines
growls at the passing cars
ignore him
fueled with their own
bellyfuls
of fossil fire
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closeup of dragon wall (image from Street View)
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Best View: a charming enclosed yard in Niort
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Do you think the homeowners had the dragon painted on the wall, or was it ‘noncommissioned’?
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Copyright Jane Tims 2013
eerie evening
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Fears
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I saw a light in the woods tonight
low, through the tangled branches of spruce
and the crowded stems of fir
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white in the dark –
a gleam where only night should stir
like the lamp of a stranger, lost
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but the glow was steady and still
and in less than the catch of a breath I knew
all I saw was the rising moon
beyond the hill
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I heard a cry in the woods tonight
soft and low through the tangle of spruce
and the thicket of fir
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a moan in the dark
a sob where only the wind should stir
like the frightened tears of a child
alone
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but the cries held no human word
and in less than the catch of a breath I knew
the wail of a wildcat on the prowl
was all I heard
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Copyright Jane Tims 1990
keeping watch for dragons #8 – campfire dragon
Late summer is the time for campfires. We have to be careful, of course, to make sure there is no risk of forest fire and campfires are permitted. But on an evening when the fire index hotline says OK, and we have a small stack of wood beside the fire pit and a bench for sitting, there is no better way to pass an evening.
Campfires are great places for telling stories. They are also good places to dream and remember. A campfire means getting smoke in your eyes, so the images can be a little blurry. You can watch the sparks lift from the fire and ascend into the dark night. The question is, are they also watching you … ?
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campfire dragons
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dragons prowl
in balsam
back crawl in amber
blisters of pitch
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dragons lurk
under mantles of smoke
blacken the stones
spurt throatfuls of fire
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dragons leap
to the Drago sky
watch us grow small
with sparking eyes
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close their lids
and sleep in flight
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© Jane Tims 1998
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