The pandemic has made organizing and hosting intimate concerts imposible and unsafe. As a result I’ve been putting my time and energy into making my own things to share with all of you. I’ve been feeling the need to paint for some time now and it gave me a lot of joy creating this. This teabowl is one of six unique pieces in this series.

It’s been a strange and challenging past twelve months with the pandemic. It has given me a better understanding and further realization that things must change in order to make way for others. New ideas, new ways of thinking, new priorities. Letting go of the past and beginning anew is a process. Trust is essential to that process to maintain hope.

The daffodil is a very interesting flower with lots of deeper meanings. It signals the coming of Spring and symbolizes the idea of rebirth. Not only can it represent the idea of a fresh new start, but it also symbolizes trust, forgiveness, radiance, energy, friendship, and honesty, as well as inner reflection and inspiration. This particular teabowl is very special to me for all the aforementioned, and it is one of the only two in the series in which clouds and sky have been added.

Having just celebrated International Women’s Day a few days ago, and several conversations about women’s issues that have sprung up, it seems appropriate to share this offering. Lilacs have a deep-rooted history originating in ancient Greek mythology. It was said that Pan, the god of forests and fields was hopelessly in love with a nymph named Syringa. One day he pursued her through a forest and she, afraid of his advances, turned herself into a lilac shrub to disguise herself and hide from him.

The meaning of the lilac flower has been diversified throughout the ages, and meanings vary throughout different cultures and time periods. The lilac comes in a few colors and symbolizes renewal, start of Spring, fresh beginnings, magic (for it’s intoxicating scent), wisdom, strength in overcoming obstacles, and spirituality (because it usually blooms near Easter. The light purple lilac specifically symbolizes “first love”. This may conjure memories of your first boy/girlfriend, some romantic partner, a parent and child relationship, but I think those subjects and this concept of one’s first love is flawed. I believe it’s most important for our “first love” to be ourselves. Learning to love oneself, to appreciate all the qualities that are the sum total of each of us, and falling in love with who we are and who we choose to be is the greatest love story we all have the opportunity to experience in each of our lives.

Here is another teabowl in my six piece Spring series. One of the things that make the yellow rose so special is that it indicates a true friend, and a true friend is a rare and wonderful gift indeed. Yellow roses also symbolize joy, warmth, communication, and strength during challenging times.

The Tree of Life is a fundamental widespread myth and archetype that provokes thoughts about past ages gone by and finitude of life. The ToL, connecting all forms of creation, and the Tree of Knowledge, connecting to heaven and the underworld, are both forms of the world tree or cosmic tree or sacred tree, and are portrayed in various religions and philosophies as the same tree.

Much like the life cycle of trees, our lives can experience seasons of darkness and light, death and re-birth.The ToL symbolizes personal development, uniqueness, strength, and individual beauty. It also represents re-birth, positive energy, Spring and new beginnings. Just as the branches of a tree strengthen and grow upwards to the sky, we too grow stronger, striving for greater knowledge, wisdom and new experiences as we move through life. All trees begin life in the same way, as they grow older, they weather nature’s forces and develop in their own unique beautiful ways.

Being among trees, going on hikes to remote locations helped me to discover myself and be the person I am today. This teabowl has a tree with many branches reaching out and upwards. Society tries to fit us into one convenient idea, neatly labelled, and simply represented, but each of us are so much more than what we do and all the little boxes we put ourselves into. We are made up of our life experiences and the lessons we learn. They begin in the womb, and we eventually discover that who we choose to be is not just our own decision, but that of our forefathers/society/culture, and some things must be unlearned to re-acquaint us with our true selves. Having courage to examine and deconstruct those learned behaviors is the key; Knowing, accepting, embracing and reconstructing thyself is walking through that unlocked door.

This is the sixth and final teabowl in this Hope Springs Eternal series. I share it on this special day, the Vernal Equinox, a day when night and day, light and darkness, are equal. A day the Earth returns to a place of perfect balance. The start of Spring represents an opportunity given to each of us to begin implementing changes required in order to grow and flourish.
The wildflower Silene Pendula, known commonly as the Drooping or Nodding Catchfly is an interesting flower with unclear meanings, symbolism and roots. Silene is the feminine form of Silenus, a Greek woodland deity.
The Vernal Equinox, this wildflower, and my love of wildflowers in general are the inspiration for this piece. I was filled with inspirational thoughts about clean slates, optimism, and anything being possible with Spring in the air. Joy, happiness, positivity, optimism, resurrection, and faith. I also thought about beauty, adaptation, thriving, being fierce, living free and having fun.
Like this wildflower, we must allow ourselves to grow in all the places we never thought we would, especially in uncertain times and circumstances. I think it’s important to try out new ideas, connect with life with a playful curiosity, approach daydreams and those new ideas with a light-hearted child-like spirit. And because this is the season of illumination, Spring brings clarity, and for this, it is one of my favorite seasons. This is the time of the year to get really clear on what we want in life … and if we have a clear vision, an open heart, an open mind, each of us has the power to transform our lives and make it so.