Grace is Poured Out on Your Lips

You are fairer than the children of men, and grace is poured out on your lips, amen.

A Clear Voice Resounds...

For behold, a clear voice resounds and cries out against the darkness! Amen, Alleluia.

The night air was velvet warmth on my skin. The fields of wildflowers stretched for miles in all directions. Columbines and astors and delphiniums surrounded me as I was blown about by the night wind on a sea of dark green leaves.

In a clearing surrounded by foxglove and mint stood John the Divine, waiting to show me the Holy Grail. It was sitting on a book (now I remember that the book's title was simply "Lux"). There was a serpent issuing from the chalice and it spoke of flames and burning leaves. I had a very difficult time understanding the serpent except for those few words.

At this point the Saint interrupted the serpent and told me of the horrors the serpent was predicting. He said to me that the vile snake was speaking of the coming of the Burning Bush. The Saint was frightened of what this meant for he had seen in a dream that there was a bush on fire and it had a magical voice and was able to numb the people to voilence and anger. He then told me that it was responsible for the death of Saint Sebastian.

I was then told to search out this Burning Bush and find out all I could before the moon turned full again. I vowed to return.

The snake simply laughed.

The Vandiver Gallery will have an opening for the extraordinary artist Edward Swift with an opening on April 1st. He has shown in galleries in New York and now for the first time in San Miguel. He is also an accomplished writer and his books can be found on Amazon.com. Please attend the opening where we will be serving a special exotic cocktail created especially for Edward's show.

Saint Sebastian

Will post story tomorrow...

El Alcatraz

Calla Lilies...

These magnificent lilies were once used by early Romans to celebrate the Winter Solstice. The bulbs would be forced to bloom during the coldest time of the year culminating on the day with the longest night. It is told that the Romans had calla lilies that grew seven feet tall! Some would be decorated with tiny gold wires which is where the phrase "gilding the lily", comes from. Believe it or not, this tradition of celebrating the Winter Solstice with callas fell out of favor and was eventually replaced by evergreen trees decorated with lights!

"Because these plants were so profuse at the darkest time of the year, they became associated with funereal themes. When Katharine Hepburn declared, 'The Calla Lilies are in bloom again!' it was a subtle classical reference to the dying of the light." from "The Calla Lily" by James Monaco

I chose the calla lily as my first of a new series of paintings in celebration of the Loteria! Loteria is a game much like bingo that is a favorite game of Mexican children. Yes, I know I started with the number 2 but my idea for the first card didn't work out so I started with the second idea. The next painting will officially be number one even though it's the second painting. I know...confusing.