Spring Equinox

Spring, mixed media on wood panel. c. Lea K. Tawd

Here in Oregon, the clocks have been changed, the rain has been getting warmer and everything is blooming.  My snail mail for the season has been mailed (did you miss it? Make sure to send me your real-life address so I can send you the next one!), the evenings are getting lighter and I feel embraced by the hope of warmer days.

I am not a very good gardener, but I am thinking about what to plant in my modest garden beds for my youngest and I to enjoy.  Figuratively I am planting seeds for what I want to see more of in my own life (love, prosperity, community) and for the collective (more of the same, with a big dollop of the downfall of all of the systems working against us). 

I do believe that whatever we do for ourselves has a ripple effect in our communities.  And at the same time, now is not the time to neglect magic for the wider world.  Plant seeds for building the life you want to live and more for dismantling oppression in all of its forms. 

Familiar Phases Series: Winter, Spring, Summer, Autumn, mixed media on wood panels. c. Lea K. Tawd

When I painted this little series awhile back, it wasn't until I was nearly finished with three of them that I realized: these are the seasons!  I love word play, so when the phrase "Familiar Phases" popped into my head I knew it was a perfect title.  The phases of the moon and the turning of the seasons are familiar to all of us, and each figure sits with her animal familiar.

Each piece is painted with acrylic and Posca paint pens on a wood panel and embellished with 24k gold leaf.  As of this writing they are not yet on my website, but you can email me at Lea@LeaKTawd.com to claim one (or all) for your own.  I hope they inspire a little bit of peace in your heart and hope for the future.