#384 • Daffodil Faeries

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For a good part of the day I allow myself to meander down that marvelous and magical road to make believe. Some call it a form of insanity. Others, like myself, call it a mental walkabout for medicinal purposes - mainlining fresh air to the brain.

It all began when I noticed a minuscule bug flitting around my studio. It buzzed my face, sat on my painting, and seemed to be genuinely interested in what I was doing. He's most active in the morning, maybe happy to have company after a long night alone in the dark.

I catch sight of my new little bug buddy as it flickers through a ray of sunlight, or see it jump out of the way just before I put my brush to paper. It got me to thinking about faeries - is this one?, and then daffodil faeries - 'tis the season after all, and then daffodil faeries riding bunnies in the moonlight - reaching perhaps.

It's strange where the mind goes. Stranger still is where it lands.

Daffodil Faeries • 8" X 8" watercolor framed to 12" X 12" • $350
To see more of my work, please visit my website http://www.claudiadiller.com

#383 • Lightning Bugs

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Chasing lightning bugs was an annual event when we kids were growing up in Connecticut. There was a big field beyond our backyard that was loaded with them. I do remember catching a few in my gently cupped hands, which was an art form. Injuring one would be unforgivable. And I never used a jar. They were too magical to be caught and imprisoned. 

We used to call them lightning bugs, but I guess they were called fireflies beyond our neighborhood tribe.  We were correct in calling them bugs because they are in fact beetles, not flies, but beyond that,  lightning bug vs firefly depended on where you grew up.

"As meteorological researcher Jason Keeler noted, the areas where people say "lightning bug" seem to overlap with the parts of the country where lightning strikes are particularly frequent."

"In 1949, linguist Hans Kurath found that "firefly" was particularly popular in large cities on the East Coast. Later, the Dictionary of American Regional English found that "lightning bug" was the more common term in the South and Midwest, but not the Pacific coast."

Here's the whole story if you're interested.
https://www.businessinsider.coclm/firefly-lightning-bug-english-language-map-2018-7

Lightning Bugs • 8" X 8" watercolor framed to 12" X 12" • $250
To see more of my work, please visit my website: http://www.claudiadiller.com

#382 • Simple

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I passed this house on one of the islands last summer.  I couldn't get over the flowers. But looking at it again, the simple lines of the house are what catches my eye now.

I've found myself craving simple these days. Reorganizing work space, cooking space, de-cluttering drawers and closets - looking for clean lines and simple panes of color. It's a way of seeing I suppose, but these days maybe more a way of being.

Simple • 8" X 8" acrylic framed to 12" X 12" • $250

#381 • Maine Is Shut Down, But Not Our Neighborhoods

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Maine may be shut down, but it continues to slowly open up to spring. She's beautiful in her isolation - Maine that is. We may be glimpsing what she was like before she got herself marketed as "Vacationland." Flowers are coming up here and there. Farmers are tilling and planting their fields. Folks are digging up land in their backyards to plant gardens for the first time in a long time, or maybe for the first time ever. Animals are daring to come out of hiding, and so is the neighborhood.

We're learning to re-arrange our lives, to be creative and resourceful in order to accommodate the unknown. We're teaching ourselves how to deal with obstacles and bad news. We go for walks every morning with our neighbor, come back to work as best we can from home, and do chores around the house. Then we go for another walk after dinner.

We've tried to maintain a routine of walking to keep in touch with folks in the neighborhood. It's been fun. We're usually stopped along the way. I can't remember ever having walked through the neighborhood, stopping to chaw with folks on their front porches, in their garages or yards. It's been good for us.

Maine Is Shut Down, But Not Our Neighborhoods • 8" X 8" acrylic framed to 12" X 12" • $250

#380 • Spring Choir Practice

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Spring choir practice around the robinhood up here has been going strong this year. Screw the snow, they gleefully sing!

In celebration of Earth Day, it is my supreme honor to present a virtuoso solo by what could be a member of the Riverside Street Royal Red Breasted Robin Revelry Recital Choir.

Let it be a reminder that all of their wee little voices need to be counted in this global interspecies struggle to save the blessed Mother of all birdfeeders, Earth.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKMctAF6YMc 

Recording courtesy of  TheBackyardBirder - Corey Schmaltz

Spring Choir Practice • 8" x 8"acrylic framed to 12" X 12" • $300

#379 • Oh Mother, Let Summer In

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Like everything else going on right now, we have no idea what our planet is going to look like in the near future. Let's hope it's a lot better for a lot more people, and that damn, we don't forget how good the air looks right now.

Little white flecks are swirling all around me here in Kingfield. It's like someone shook my snow globe and put me back down where I was just a minute ago. The time has come to conjure up everything I'm made of, to beg and grovel on my knees, to cry lordy lordy great Mother almighty please let summer in.

Oh Mother, Let Summer In • 8" X 8" acrylic frame to 12" X 12" • $250

#378 • Keeping My Eye On The Ball

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Probably one of the hardest lessons I had to learn as a ballplayer growing up with three athletic younger brothers, was to keep my eye on the ball. It takes a lot of guts to hold your eyes wide open when you have a 60mph hardball coming at you from a brother you hope you didn't piss off. It's an act of courage to stand your ground, to stop the ball dead in it's trajectory to your head - even though he promised he didn't mean to bean you. But you have to do it if you want to play the game.

I'm using this memory to help me navigate the times. I'm going to keep my eye on the ball. Wash hands a lot. Don't touch face with hands. Practice social distancing. Wear a mask if it makes me feel better, but still practice the above. And don't forget to eat well, exercise and stretch.

I'm also using it to focus on that great white ball of light at the end of the tunnel. It's there. It reminds me I'll see my kids again in person. I'll be able watch my grandchildren play ball before they hit the majors. I'll be able to teach them to play tennis before I'm too old to lift the racket. I can hug my family, friends and neighbors before they forget what I feel like. And, God... I can start biting my nails again.

Keeping My Eyes On The Ball • 8" x 8" acrylic framed to 12" x 12" • $250