Become A Lake

After a challenging week, this story came my way...exactly, as needed.  I did a quick watercolor sketch based on memories of sitting by Lake Ontario, water of my birth, to serve as a visual reminder for myself of this parable:

An aging Hindu master grew tired of his apprentice complaining, so one morning the master sent his apprentice for some salt.

When the apprentice returned, the master instructed the unhappy young man to put a handful of salt in a glass of water and then drink it.

“How does it taste?” the master asked.

“Bitter,” spit the apprentice.

The master chuckled and then asked the young man to take the same amount of salt and put it in the lake. The two walked in silence to a nearby lake, and once the apprentice swirled his handful of salt in the water, the old man said, “Now drink from the lake.  As the water dripped down the young man’s chin, the master asked, “How does it taste?”

“Much fresher,” remarked the apprentice.

“Do you taste the salt?” asked the master.

“No,” said the young man.

At this, the master sat beside the young man who so reminded him of himself and took his hands, offering, “The pain of life is pure salt, no more, no less. The amount of pain in life remains the same, exactly the same. But the amount of bitterness we taste depends on the container we put the pain in. So when you are in pain, the only thing you can do is to enlarge your sense of things...Stop being a glass. Become a lake.”

“Become A Lake”, © 2012 Cathy Gazda, 6.5” x 10”, Watercolor.  ♥

The Chapel - Sketch

When we first moved to Sedona, 25 years ago, we lived in ‘The Chapel’ neighborhood for the first couple of years. 

“The Chapel of The Holy Cross” is a popular tourist destination and was practically in our backyard.  Conceived and built by Marguerite Bruswig Staude back in 1956, it’s a remarkably beautiful structure and architectural feat, set within the red rocks. 

Although the local St. John Vianney parish maintains the building, it’s not used for religious services and is truly a wonderful place for people of any faith (or non-faith) to sit in quiet meditation or reflection.  

Since 1956, millions of visitors have spent time in The Chapel, and many prayers have been offered in that space.  It has literally imbued the land and the building with a peace that is palpable. 

On days when I felt frazzled, I’d walk up the hill to spend a few minutes in the healing sacred silence.  This is a pencil sketch I did back then on crescent board. 

“The Chapel - Sketch”, © 2012 Cathy Gazda, 5” x 7”, Graphite.  ♥

Mountain Ayre

The beautiful, and sacred, San Francisco Peaks as viewed from the Mountainaire region in Flagstaff, Arizona. 

These mountains have been known, and were named in other languages, by the 13 Native American tribes who revered their sacred qualities long before the Spanish monks and Anglo settlers referred to them as ‘The Peaks’.  

These sister summits are a beacon, visible for 100 miles in every direction. 

Their song holds powerful healing medicine, on so many levels.  A distant view of The Peaks will flood me with peace-filled solace.  Lying under her aspen trees, or in one of her many meadows, brings me ‘to center’ instantly. 

“Mountain Ayre”, © 2012 Cathy Gazda, 6” x 8”, Acrylic on canvas paper.  ♥

Eclipse Encore

Last night Paul and I conveniently, and comfortably, watched the annular eclipse from our rooftop. 

Even though the eclipse was only partial here in Sedona, it made for quite a spectacular pre-sunset. 

Even the cattle recently down from the north, out on the Forest Service open range land, seemed to find it exciting, judging from the loud mooing that arose at different stages.  

Just before the peak of the partial eclipse, everything became very quiet.  Even the birds stopped singing.  The lighting took on a very ethereal quality, quite different from normal, as the moon’s shadow ‘almost’ covered the sun completely. 

At that point, the cows broke out into a chorus of moos. Personally, I think they were calling for an encore.

“Eclipse Encore”, © 2012 Cathy Gazda, 12” x 12”, Acrylic on stretched canvas.  ♥

Hereford Mama

The cattle are down from the north to graze in the open range, many of them with adorable calves ambling alongside. 

Often, several of them will find a gap in the boundary fence and make their way through the neighborhood, eating as much of the delectable plantings from yards and gardens as they can before "Dusty" (our local wrangler) herds them on back to national forest land. 

Usually, they are very timid, like this Hereford mama who kept a watchful eye on me, while her calf was udder feeding. When her calf was done, they both came over to say 'hello'...mooing sweetly to each other, and to me.

“Hereford Mama”, © 2012 Cathy Gazda, 8.5” x 9.25”, Pencil.  ♥

A Rose, Cicero's, Cicero's, Cicero's

I love ‘stream of consciousness’ journeys when our minds start out with one train of thought and end up somewhere completely different.  

My mind drifted along a stream of poetry, during the time I painted this simple rose.

Lines of poems kept running through my mind, beginning with ‘a rose by any other name’ from Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’...which then morphed into Gertrude Stein’s ‘a rose is a rose is a rose is a rose’ (from her poem, ‘Sacred Emily’). 

From there, my mind traveled back to a mid-70s performance by Toronto sound poets ‘The Four Horsemen’ (Steve McCaffrey, the late bp Nichol, Rafael Barreto-Rivera and Paul Dutton)...reciting a poem written by Steve McCaffrey titled ‘Latin Lines: for Gertrude Stein’.

I wish a recording of their performance could accompany this painting...as no description can capture the exquisite brilliance of this simplest of poems or the vitality of their performance: 

“A Rose ... Cicero’s ... Cicero’s... Cicero’s...”  repeated over and over, so what began as ‘A Rose’, ended with ‘Cicero's’ and sounded like 'a rose is a rose is a rose is a rose'. 

“A Rose, Cicero’s, Cicero's, Cicero's" (hat tip to sound poets, The Four Horsemen)
© 2012 Cathy Gazda, 5” x 5”, Acrylic on stretched canvas.  ♥

A Peak Sunset

A spectacular sunset and unobstructed views for miles around...moments like this make you take a deep breath.  I guess that’s where the word ‘breathtaking’ comes from.  

There are a multitude of reasons the San Francisco Peaks in Flagstaff, Arizona are sacred to so many...they hold space for all...for at least 100 miles in every direction. 

No matter which way I journey, when I can see The Peaks (in this case, still 70 miles away), it feels like I’m almost home. 

“A Peak Sunset”, © 2012 Cathy Gazda, 8” x 8”, Acrylic on canvas paper.  ♥

Canadian Ace

There’s a long list of great harp (harmonica) players...Paul Butterfield, Charlie Musselwhite, Sonny Terry, James Cotton, Junior Wells, Carlos del Junco, Sonny Boy Williamson, Rod Piazza, Debra Windsong...just to name a few.  The one who tops my list is, hands-down, the best harp player I’ve ever heard and the most innovative. 

During the Depression, he used to play on the street for spare change.  One day, someone suggested he enter a contest at the Canadian National Exhibition.  He blew everyone out of the water, winning a gold medal (over much older and better known players) at the tender age of 10.  He can play any style from blues, rock, folk, pop and country to classical...all with his own unique embellishments. 

Today, at 90 years young, he’s narrowed his harp collection down to a couple of favourite chromatics, which he still plays.  This sketch is of one of his old cast-offs – a Canadian Ace (made in the Republic of Ireland). 

It seemed a fitting title for this amazing harp player, who also happens to be my dad. 

“Canadian Ace”, © 2012 Cathy Gazda, 5” x 10”, Watercolor.  ♥

Turkey Vulture

The early sunrise hours were spent with some turkey vulture friends. 

Incredibly majestic and gentle birds, vultures have been much maligned.  Some people are repulsed and even frightened by vultures’ unusual looks; which fall outside the ‘classically beautiful’ bird definitions held by most folks.  ( I mean, really...how many of us actually fit the 'classically beautiful' standards set by modern culture? ).

Turkey vultures just need better press!  *wink* 

It’s awe-inspiring to watch them spread their wings in what’s known as the ‘horaltic pose’.  No need to say ‘hold that pose’, as they’ll do this for very long stretches of time, which makes for great sketching opportunities. 

This stance may serve multiple functions--from warming and drying the body, to helping kill bacteria trapped in their feathers by exposing it to sunlight...bacteria encountered from eating decaying remains. 

I bow deeply in gratitude and appreciation for the vital role these magnificent birds play in our ecosystem, keeping our roads and waterways clear of carrion.  

“Turkey Vulture”, © 2012 Cathy Gazda, 8” x 6”, Graphite Pencil.  ♥

Early Morning Cathedral Rock

Usually, I use 2-3 different sized brushes when I do these small paintings.

Today, I wanted to experiment and challenge myself by only using one brush (a 3/4" flat), in order to get broader (and, hopefully, looser paint strokes). 

I never get tired of the scenery around here.  Look in any direction, and there’s a breathtakingly beautiful landscape.  Nearby, is one of my favorite formations, Cathedral Rock. 

Early morning sun pouring over the mesas created lots of contrasting shadows.  Outside of a few quiet bicyclists heading for the trail, I had the place to myself. 

“Early Morning, Cathedral Rock”, © 2012 Cathy Gazda, 6” x 8”, Acrylic on canvas paper.  ♥

Lovely Lucy

Cats know how to relax. 

My friend, Lucy, and I spent some time together while her ‘two-legged family members’ were out of town. 

We ate, we played, we watched lizards and birds...then, it was time to relax. 

Sometimes, she cuddled in my lap; other times, she found a sunny spot on a window ledge or sprawled out on the dining room table. 

This was one of those lovely moments, between two friends...when you can each relax into your own thoughts and your own space...no words needing to be spoken. 

“Lovely Lucy”, © 2012 Cathy Gazda, 5.5” x 7.5”, Watercolor.  ♥

Mum

Mother's Day 2012:  As complicated as our relationship was, not a day goes by when I don’t think of ‘Mum’. 

She was a force to be reckoned with.  There was no question she was the Sun...while the rest of us were smaller novas in a family system that revolved around her.  Sometimes her gravity pulled us closer; other times, our free-falling elliptical orbit would take us further away.

After she died, my path went off-kilter, and it took awhile to regain momentum.  

Without question, she challenged me in ways no one else possibly could and was my greatest teacher in life.  She continues to be, after her passing.  I look at the lessons we shared along our rocky road, and I’m filled with gratitude. 

In her honour, I bought a chrysanthemum (she always called them ‘mums’) and paired it with a favourite B+W photo of her from many years ago, happily perched on the bow of a classic wooden speedboat my Dad lovingly built with my Uncle Bill.  Here’s to you, Mum. 

“Mum”, © 2012 Cathy Gazda, 9” x 12”, Watercolor, Pen and Pencil.  ♥ 

Fleabane – Erigeron divergens

One person’s weed is another person’s herb. 

Over 20 years ago, I walked the San Francisco Peaks with Theresa Boone-Schuler (daughter of the late, renowned Navajo herbalist Sam Boone), as she pointed out various native plants and their medicinal/sacred uses. 

Pretty much everything we stepped on was beneficial in some magical way.

One of the most prolific wildflowers in Northern Arizona is Fleabane, most commonly revered for its ability to repel fleas and other bugs/mites, as well as for its astringent, diuretic and many other medicinal properties. 

There are numerous species of fleabane...this is the one that flourishes on our property, providing nectar for butterflies and birds (and later, seeds for birds) in addition to being simply beautiful.   

“Fleabane – Erigeron divergens”, © 2012 Cathy Gazda, 8” x 9”, Watercolor.  ♥

BJ and Coco Take Katie For A Walk

Early morning, last fall, I was observing turkey vultures with another friend, Maureen, when Katie came along with her large black dog, ‘BJ’. 

As we were chatting, I noticed a black cat slowly making her way towards us. Every once in a while, she would dart under a bush...and still, she kept advancing. 

Knowing some dogs view cats as prey, I started to get nervous about how BJ might react.  Finally, I gave Katie a ‘heads up’ about the approaching cat.  She laughed and introduced us to ‘Coco’.  The five of us had a lovely visit, before Katie headed for home. 

I loved the image as she, BJ and Coco walked away. 

“BJ and Coco Take Katie For A Walk”,
© 2012 Cathy Gazda,7” x 7”, Acrylic on canvas paper.  ♥