Jen Jovan Art Musings and Random Thoughts

Avifaunal Emissary

6/14/2019

"Avifaunal Emissary" - acrylic on cradled wood panel, 14" x 11" x 1.5". Ready to hang. Available here and at Artfinder.

It was winged messenger week here in the studio, where stories of birds, photos of birds and visits from birds have been a constant theme. My front yard crow friend is enjoying his new bird spa and majestic, columnar perch. Hummingbirds flitter and tweet without fear as I water the plants. Feathers upon the path.

At the same time, I am reading The Dharma of the Princess Bride, a buddhist philosophy book using the famed fairy tale as a teaching tool. If you've followed this blog for a bit, you know I adore the movie, and could not resist this change to take something so dear to my heart and find a deeper side to it. And true enough, author Ethan Nichtern makes it happen.

In the chapter called "Mercenaries or Besties", Nichtern asks us this: "Given that most friendships begin by coincidence, how do you choose your friends?" And he goes on to stress that "each time we choose to cultivate a friendship with someone, we are making an important choice."

Avifaunal Emissary

Bird Spa

Nichtern has me thinking about how many times I have (or have not) actively chosen to cultivate a friendship, rather than just following coincidence and happenstance. Hmm.

He further explains that a mandala (sacred circle) is an artistic mapping of relationships in our lives, and could sort of be called a depiction of a personal ecosystem. Whoa. Ecosystems are sensitive both to the elements within them and to outside influences. Thinking of my sacred circle of friends as an ecosystem gave me a lightbulb moment.

It isn't easy to be choosy about our sacred circles. Especially if we grew up in an incubator without healthy boundaries (like I did). But in The Princess Bride we see that not every friend has good intentions, and Nichtern teaches that not every friendship is a healthy one. But how do you know? Here is his answer: "The difference between a healthy and unhealthy relationship is not whether you love each other, it is whether you help each other wake up." Put that in your thinking cap.

In the meantime, enjoy this little clip of Vizzini, a notoriously ill-intentioned friend, engaging in a battle of wits.

7 Comments

Carl Stoveland

6/14/2019 12:35:49 pm

OMG the colors. I love this one! Looking at the last two posts I am promising myself to play with a gesso / watercolor combination when I get back from your neck of the woods.

jen

6/14/2019 01:29:43 pm

Yay! Thanks, Carl! Gesso is the magic mattifier (sp?) that makes everything chalky but vivid! I just love it.

I can hardly believe you are on your way to the magical land of the PNW! Prepare to have your socks knocked off. :)

6/15/2019 09:31:19 am

I know right. I have kept the planning for my exploring down to a minimum to get the full wonder. I did same with the camping part of the trip Shawn Moss made such detailed plans I can watch the landscape unfold for two weeks. So excited! Looking forward to seeing you guys in a few days.

Dotty Seiter link

6/14/2019 01:17:55 pm

Jen, love being able to click on the image and then have the opportunity to get up close and personal for an extended tour without setting off gallery alarms or being approached by a guard. The textures, the brushwork, that elbow, the darks and lights, the neon red-pink glow, the hardworking back-flapping wings, the geometric symbols/mark-marking: GLORIOUS.

And this gem: The difference between a healthy and an unhealthy relationship is not whether you love each other, it is whether you help each other wake up.

Thank you on all fronts!

6/14/2019 01:31:30 pm

Dotty, you crack me up! No gallery alarms of guards here. ha ha! Thank you so much for your up-close feedback. This piece was a pure labor of love and appreciation for a universe that keeps speaking to me, even when I am a very slow learner. :)

And the book! Whoa. So much wisdom. And so approachable.

Carol Edan link

6/15/2019 01:02:13 am

The riddles and hidden meanings. Just love the little drawn :"de Vinci" diagram. "whether you help each other wake up." sums it all up! In this new digital era we can develop friendship across borders, reach people we never met or may never meet, but the bond is still there!

6/15/2019 11:59:06 am

YES! Carol, you are one amazing friend I never met! ha ha! And a waker-upper if I ever met one. :)

Avifaunal Emissary

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