I adapted a fable called “Feeding the Right Wolf” from Pema Chodron’s book “Taking the Leap”, as fabulists are wont to do & made it my own called “Feeding the Beasts”:

“She came to me in a dream, her bronze, flower crowned, figure both youthful and ancient, exuding wisdom. I was crying, collecting my tears in a chipped green enamel cup. “Why, oh why, is there still violence & cruelty in this world?” I asked her. She said it was like the 2 beasts fighting in her heart, one was kind and had an open heart and mind with natural intelligence; the other was filled with anger and judgment, with no interest in expanding it’s heart or mind. “And which beast will win that fight in your heart?” Softly she replied, “The one that wins will be the one I choose to feed.”

As you can see she is feeding the Kind Beast a beautiful heart:

and the Angry Beast a piece of rusty chain:

The heart represents loving kindness and the chain represents the chains that bind us when we practice destructive patterns. The Angry Beast is fading into the rusty tin and is not as visible as the Kind Beast because that is the one we choose not to feed. Once again meaning shapes seeing!

I thought I had embarked on a new series of fable paintings and assemblages when I realized with my latest painting, “Pity the Blind” that I have been there all along. A fable imparts a lesson or sage advice and unlike a parable it often involves animals, plants, inanimate objects and forces of nature that are anthropomorhized- given human qualities. An author of fables is called a fabulist & the word “fabulous”, strictly speaking, pertains to a fable or fables though it has taken on the meaning of outstanding in recent decades.Don’t you just love that word “fabulist”!?

I just finished “Pity the Blind” this week- (and will have professional photos posted on my website soon)

It all began with my trip to Bali & Java last spring & the beautiful relief carvings that I saw of Bird Women with a Tree.  Please see my previous blog for a photo of one of the carvings. What was their story- their meaning? Not knowing, I made up their story: the Bird Women represent the sacred feminine & the tree became the Tree of Life. I chose the postcard “Pity the Blind” because metaphorically, for me & my story, it represented pity for those that are blind to the sacred feminine, to the beauty of this earth & the knowledge of the Tree of Life. The sage advice- given by the Bird Women-”Don’t be blind to all that is part of the Tree of Life including the sacred feminine & have pity for those that are”.

There is a sensuous feminine lotus bud in the center of the tree that blossoms into a lotus flower at the top. In Buddhism the heart of all beings is like an unopened lotus- representing love & compassion.  In Tantrism it is the symbol of the feminine principle. The pink lotus is reserved for the highest deity.The Bird Women are the guardians of the Tree of Life & the messengers of its knowledge for all beings.

The eyes see the knowledge- they are not blinded by ignorance, anger, prejudice or self absorption.There is a lot of texture in this painting- I used stencil paste to create it.

The background has animals- birds, insects, reptiles, water life and plants -painted so that it looks like a worn fresco.

When I was done with this painting I turned my attention to an assemblage that I have been wanting to create that centers around another fable. I took one of the doll heads off of my Burning Man bike & attached it to this old rusty can.

I also began creating another bird woman out of a bird body & a doll head.

I’ll tell you the fable & show the paintngs on the sides of the can of a fierce dragon & silly white unicorn/cow animal next time. I love being a fabulist- how about you!?

This is the first time I have seen a resemblance between myself & my paternal grandmother, Gammer- must be the hair! (black & white pinwheel bathing suit cap) actually I remember hers as slightly lavender.  Maybe since it was close to the Day of the Dead I was channeling her:Love the bustle- and having the bustle & a voluminous slip on under neath along with tights made me appreciate how difficult it was for the women, back in the day, who had all those under garments on and a corset, to go to the bathroom!!