Be Still my Heart

Dimensions: 14 x 19 x 16
Inspiration: The Rubaiyat dates to the 12th Century, composed by Omar Kyyam, a Persian scholar and scientist. Omar was something of a cynic about philosophy, and dedicated his Rubaiyat to the beauty of nature, women and the consumption of wine. There are about 500 quatrains (a four line verse) in The Rubaiyat, two of which are represented by "Hearts Take Flight". Hearts literally take a flight of fancy from a book of translations by Edward Fitzgerald. I use the word translations loosely, in reality he is paraphrasing Omar Kyyam to make the first, second and fourth lines of each verse rhyme.

Dimensions: 12 x 12 x 1.5
Inspiration: another dash of birds a muskrat swimming upstream kayaks dip their wings coming to land for the night cherry dotted I on blue ink wash

Dimensions: 14 x 10 x 5.5
Inspiration: I interpreted a poem by the late Lucille Clifton (1936-2010) titled “Dream of Foxes”. In her poem she envisions a world where women are safe from harm and are surrounded by love. My piece depicts a wee fox girl riding her horse in a land of tame foxes with a cherished childhood stuffed fox. She is relaxed in her world filled with safety, free of violence, and experiencing love in nature.

Dimensions: 32 x 24 x 2
Inspiration: Whenever the heart and soul needs replenishing a walk in nature will restore you.

Dimensions: 16 x 12 x 1.5
Inspiration: The Hummingbird has held the fascination of mankind since the beginning of time. The lyrics to the Hummingbird song describe our experience of seeing the hummingbird as spiritual, as if they are holy creatures sent from heaven. We would love to fly as they fly and are spellbound for a moment in their presence. ''Oh hummingbird Mankind was waiting for you to come flying along, Heavenly songbird. We were so wrong, we've harmed you. Oh hummingbird. Lend us your wings, Let us soar In the atmosphere of Abha, Lift us up To the heaven of holiness, Oh source of our being Oh humming ... bird. Hummingbird don't fly away, fly away. Hummingbird don't fly away, fly away. In you I've found a fragrance, I'll love 'til I die. I just love you love you love you. I don't even know the reason why.''

Dimensions: 12 x 12 x 1.5
Inspiration: My piece is about grief, as symbolized by the empty chair in dull colours. Outside of the “room” with the empty chair, life goes on for everyone else, symbolized by brightly coloured shapes on a rich gold background.

Dimensions: 24 x 36 x 1.5
Inspiration: After experiencing personal trauma, what followed was confusion, overwhelm, anxiety and a deep longing to understand the depths and complexity of the situation. In the months following, it often seemed impossible to navigate the path forward that was littered with insurmountable obstacles and so much unknowing. I had read Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez some years ago, and had recently re-read it where this line from the story resonated deeply with my own life.

Dimensions: 24 x 24
Inspiration: My name, "Alannah", actually means "mountain meadow of wild flowers". I am often drawn to finding the mountain meadow in my art. These spaces in the world are simply magical and poetic to me and I love to immerse myself in describing this beauty through art materials.

Dimensions: 25 x 21 x 1.5
Inspiration: In this work I am exploring the relationship of my great grandfather with my great grandmother. The layer from my great grandfather is a 'love' letter from my grandfather to my grandmother written on the night before their wedding. He asked why she was unable to say she loved him, he thought her 'cruel'. Layered as well is a page from my grandmother's diaries in which she talks about the unpleasant first time he tried to put his arm around her. On their 60th wedding anniversary my great grandfather said 'choose your ancestors carefully'... There are at minimum 40 people who carry their genetics.. Emily Dickinson best describes what I look for when I think about my own struggles with expressing love. "Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul And sings the tune without the words And never stops - at all-"

Dimensions: 12 x 12 x 1
Inspiration: ...my favourite line is the coast: long stutter of islands and islets and on a particular beach, a shifting line moving to some equation: where the tide advances and returns across the level slip of sand.

Dimensions: 14 x 17 x 1.5
Inspiration: The posture of the impalas suggests two young lovers, possibly on a first "date" and looks to be a tender encounter.

Dimensions: 31 x 26.5 x 1.5
Inspiration: My image for this poem depicts the longing of a love long past and the pull of a new love, and the inability to attain either. Using a window as a metaphor that prevents forward motion, and a figure, ambiguous in blurred motion turning the the shadowy past, the viewer is left wondering if the tension between the two worlds of past and future will ever be resolved.

Dimensions: 20 x 24 x 1.5
Inspiration: Ever walked in the woods at night by yourself? The road was blocked so into the woods ... as I walked I realized how noisy the forest was. Every crack, every creek, every snap, every flutter, every wisp of wind, hoot of an owl, drop of a leaf, scamper of tiny feet was amplified to orchestral heights. It was music to my ears.

Dimensions: 24 x 24
Inspiration: My name, "Alannah", actually means "mountain meadow of wild flowers". I am often drawn to finding the mountain meadow in my art. These spaces in the world are simply magical and poetic to me and I love to immerse myself in describing this beauty through art materials.

Dimensions: 11 x 15 x 6
Inspiration: The author writes himself as a calm voyeur who has blended into the natural environment to watch the march hares frolic in love. My piece depicts a hare that is so peacefully watching in his meadow that he is blending in amongst the small creatures and plants. The hare, like the author, is watching from a place of experience and knowing as both have enjoyed many seasons in the meadow.

Dimensions: 20 x 18 x 1
Inspiration: "Fall Petals", written by Dani Shea when she was a middle school student at Spencer Middle School, has been performed both as a song and a poem. When I recited “Fall Petals” on an anniversary of Dani’s death, the image depicted in the artwork came strongly to my mind. However, it was a few years before I was able to be at an emotional state where I could create the piece. The textile work, entitled “Evelyn-Prija” (my daughter’s middle name), is a celebration of youth and vivaciousness. The girl dances beneath the pomegranate tree, in the drifts of jewelled leaves, oblivious to all else. The white around her ties in with the “fields of snow”. I revisit the image of fall petals drifting around my daughter, much as the speaker in the poem does. "Evelyn-Prija" is inspired by my daughter's poem about love, longing, and the power of remembrance. "Fall Petals" Fall petals drift around me. Not a soul here yet you surround me As the street lights flash their colours, I know you are here. As the sky turns to grey and darkness to light I can feel you near. Two paths, both leading to infinity Yet you are all I see. As the fall petals fall around me I can feel you near. I am older now, I still dream of you, in my hometown even though I’m far away. Fall petals still come my way. They travel through fields of snow Just to tell me all I know. Fall petals drift around me.

Dimensions: 18 x 12 x 1.5
Inspiration: The connection is to have know the loss of a loved one, I have a deep conviction of love remaining for eternity. Also, the path represents the path of memories that have developed on this journey of love. Memories are our remaining connection with our loved one, while we are separated by death.

Dimensions: 20 x 20 x 1
Inspiration: I love abstract & mixed media art. When we live near the Okanagan Lake, boating was a favorite past time for our family. Even the storms created wonderful memories. This mixed media evolved from beautiful memories.

Dimensions: 16 x 22 x 1.5
Inspiration: There is an incredible depth of feeling which I have on observing the relationship of my friend to her severely developmentally challenged child. The day is never static and peaceful. She has to constantly watch over him for seizures, shift him around, manage his tube feeding, and more. All of which she does with a constant good nature. In one moment she taught me more about love and joy than any other human alive... This was one of the moments when we talked about abortion. None of her prenatal tests had come up positive for any birth defects. She has her own poetry which she will one day share..but for now Sylvia Plath's poem 'You're' inspired me to capture both the madness and the joy of motherhood. 'Clownlike, Happiest on your hands, Feet to the stars, and moon-skulled, Gilled like a fish. A common-sense Thumbs-down on the dodo's mode..

Dimensions: 15.5 x 18.5 x 1.5
Inspiration: Elephants families and friends stick together for their entire lives. In good times and bad, they love, support, celebrate and mourn each other, unconditionally.