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It is now 2006. I moved to London in 2005 so that I could be closer to my ailing Mother in Kent, First one year in Barnes, and then with my friends Rosie and Charles Fletcher in Maidenhead. In 2008 I found a bolt hole in Hampton south west London. A place that allowed me to go back and forth to Kent as well as airports for my teaching assignments in Europe.
After twelve blissful years of living in Crickhowell….I missed it so much, however, I am content to take the beautiful scenery, memories and wonderful friends with me. I visit as much as possible…and stay with my dear friend Gareth and Sally Rees at Curlews…one of my favourite places.
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I had already signed up to facebook where I immediately saw its potential.. I began to post images of my paintings…and for no reason in particular, other than people seeming to like them, my hummingbirds.
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Anyone following this story will note that I was first introduced to hummingbirds in Flat Rock North Carolina in the 1960s. Over the years and more specifically through my wonderful friends the Kearns clan (who I first met in Westtown in the early seventies) – I was able to visit the southern states of the USA and spend hours observing these amazing flying. jewels.
From the start they took on a magical quality for me. They symbolised the ‘unseen’ in our world. We humans tend to focus only on what we can see and touch, but it is my belief that it is the unseen energy that surrounds us which is more important.
In my little book Christeve the Cat Finds a Home of Her Own. it is the magical hummingbirds that guide her……
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During this period, I am commuting back and forth to Kent to oversee Mother’s care and her house and home. I did everything.I could to keep her in her own home but ultimately after she became more and more unwell, I had to bring her to – a nursing home just a five minute walk from my bolt hole in Hampton.
At the same time I was teaching and painting in France, Brussels, Wales, Portugal and other parts of Europe – only returning to my Hampton bolt hole to rest and spend time with my Mother at Hampton Care. ……..
Christeve the Cat surrounded by magical hummingbirds……
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Then a fellow artist suggested that I post my paintings on ‘twitter’…something I was not keen on doing…however, I gave it a go and within a week a woman from Texas (Misty Johnson) contacted me to say that she had a website Hummingbirdhq.com which dealt with all things to do with hummingbirds! She began to represent my hummingbird images.
It was also at this time that I began to write my blog…..which I believe is one of the most personally nourishing things I have done. It was the early days of blogging and so when asked what a blog was…I would simply say ‘I don’t know but it feels right’.….thank goodness I followed my intuition.
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On my next post….teaching and all that it has given to me and what it means to me.
From my book ‘THE APPLE EXERCISE’
‘ The more we exercise and practise our creative thinking, which is what the Apple Exercise is all about, the easier and more fluent this process will become enhancing all areas of our lives….’
Your hummingbirds are fabulous. You really capture their beautiful and essence.
Thank you so much Timothy:)
I really appreciate your honest words and light, joyous hummingbirds. Thank you.
Thank you so much for reading and commenting…Janet
I’m again struck by how beautifully and organically your life has unfolded Janet. I love your hummingbird paintings and perspective on them being flying jewels and reminders of the unseen aspects of life. To hummers, friends, blogs, and dancing with the mystery.
Thank you so much Brad for reading and commenting. It means a great deal to me…X
Thank you for taking the time to write your blog Janet. Like your humming birds your musings are the jewels in my in box. Xxx
Thanks for this lovely comment Kit…it has made my day:)Xxx
You have definitely left your unique signature on your hummingbird collection, Janet. Wonderful.
Thank you, Carol X
Your hummingbirds are magnificent. Hummingbirds, to me, represent the fleeting quality of joy – it is with us in one instance and then gone. They remind me that some things cannot be caged, so we must enjoy in the moment. We only have one type of hummingbird here – the ruby throated. When we visited Arizona we were awed to discover no less than 15 variations. Delightful.
Thank you so much VJ for this lovely comment:)
My pleasure, Janet
They are indeed magical and spiritual–you capture that in your paintings completely. When my parents lived in Arizona, we used to watch them all the time with great delight. (K)
Thank you so much :)X
These are absolutely beautiful!!
Thank you, Amy
I just love hearing about your art roots and how you have become such an awesome inspirational artist!
Thank you so much Tiffany – I really appreciate this comment:)
I’m glad you followed your intuition too. This is one of my favourite blogs 🙂
Thank you:)
I have followed your pieces on Facebook and your blog for years and have wondered what sparked your creative love for hummingbirds. My friends in Cambridge tell me there are no such birds in England, which is sad. I have two feeders on my patio and have delighted in feeding the delicate but fierce creatures for several years. Thank you for sharing your art and your world with us, Janet!
Good morning Susie. Thank you so much for this lovely comment. Your friend is correct we do not have hummingbirds in the UK…and so you can imagine my delight when I discovered them in the States. When I lived in Pennysylvania, they came to visit me. I painted a colourful wall mural just for them which they seemed to love. I will look to see if I can find a photo of the mural to post on FB. When I read about them and learned that they went into a state of torpor each day……I then understood why the indigenous peoples considered them to be spiritual creatures. And yes they are so fierce:) and of course so very beautiful. Have a lovely day…JanetXxx
Such beautiful paintins of delightful little birds – I am interested that you were drawn to painting such colourful creatures at a time in your life which must have been pretty challenging.
Perhaps that’s why…I needed the colour and other worldliness of the hummingbirds. Thank you Emma.
I love hummingbirds too. I like the idea that they represent the unseen things.
Yes…:)