 Musings of a Mountain Rambler is just that: musings of original oil and acrylic paintings, poetry and stories -- wherever the muse leads the day in this journey through life, we ramble on...The paintings are elicited from dreams and visions and whatever the canvas decides to share with me. None of the art is copied from any photos or an easel set up to paint a natural landscape somewhere. Some of the paintings are mystical art such as Mind's Eye. Other paintings have been painted sometimes years before someone sees them and says, "I've been there" and then proceed to tell me where it is -- hence, the "claiming" is where some of the paintings get their names. It never ceases to amaze me when that happens -- how can I paint a place I've never been, always quite a shock when that happens. Guess I've been traveling in my mind and not even know it until much later.
Some of the paintings have inspired a poem or two, or a short story. Some of the poetry is inspired by everyday life.
"The whole world speaks to those who listen --
One only needs to know how to listen."
Quote from an Indian Chief in the Northwest Territory,
Lewis and Clark Expedition
 MIND'S EYE
In the dark of the night
Within the depths of slumber
A twitch of the eye
and the mind takes flight...
All reality becomes illusion
And illusion is the reality
In the dream time
Lost in the night.
 Up Over the Mountain
Up Over the mountain
Another sunrise
Red, purple, orange and gold
Do you recall the story
- the dream -
That has been told?
If we are wise,
We will pay attention
Within the dream,
Through the Mind's Eye,
We are told His intention.
In the depths of slumber,
Or just eyes closed,
Tapped into the energy
All is exposed.
Who can hide
From the most powerful
Of sight?
Does not take two eyes to see
Only one
- The Mind's Eye -
To fully understand
What and how we are to be.
As He states,
All will be told
When the sun sets Red, purple orange and gold.
 Spirit Wind
The gold wind whisking around appears to be "a woman scorned" wreaking havoc upon the mountain that was once her castle. The murderous thugs that took her life thought they would overtake her home, but she refused to let them have it, even in death. Her presence was so strong, and her practical jokes taking on maniacal tones, the winds whisking through the halls, blowing out the candles struck such a fear in the hearts of the cowards that they abandoned her former home in fear, and the once stately castle so overgrown with vegetation now appears to be a craggy mountain that she will forever guard and never leave.
 Night Angel
The night of the new moon when all is as dark as can be, just a twinkling star, the moon hidden by the clouds, an angel appears all dressed in gold floating across the sky - make a wish - if she hears you, her granted promise is her reflection upon the water.
 Spirit of the Woods
The light flickering and filtering through the lacy leaves deep in the forest caress the edges of the branches of the trees and shrubs giving life to the faceless presence of a young woman who lost her life and is now the "Spirit of the Woods" -- you have just entered her domain.
 Enchanted Forest
At dusk all is glowing before the total dark of the night settles in, the sun casting a fleeting glance upon a medieval angel dressed in mauve as her curiosity brings her into the physical world from her lofty realm, if only for a few minutes, as the day turns into night.
 Lost in the Woods
Deep in the woods, everything is dark and foreboding. The trees look larger than they really are, not knowing what to expect, what just might pop out from behind the eerie landscape, nerves on edge, reality is surreal when you are Lost in the Woods.
 The Matriarch
After a dry spell of lack of the muse, I felt the need to create so I picked up the paints, brushes, found a blank canvas and set upon a new landscape. After completed I noticed the big white cat that seemed like it was coming down to the river for a late evening drink before settling in for the night. A few weeks later I was told of my ex-mother-in-law having passed away in mid-September. This was painted on the 12th or the 14th right in the timeframe of her passing. Up to that point the painting was not named and then it became evident with the big white cat, in legend and mythology, and the fact of her being white, obviously she was a spirit that had passed on, the only title could be "The Matriarch".
 Hidden Pond
Around 1991 this was created and a year later I had to give it a name to put in a gallery exhibition so I came up with the name "Hidden Pond". After the gallery opening and a couple years gone by, on a lazy afternoon drive through the countryside and ending up in the Harrison-Crawford State Park in the southern part of Indiana, I noticed a State lookout pullover. Out of curiosity I pulled over and made the short trek to the lookout point. Was quite taken aback as I stood there and looked out over a little pond with a backdrop of the woods, looked to my right and there was one of those state park wooden signs with the name Hidden Pond carved into it.
 DOUGLAS LAKE SUNRISE
This was painted in 2000 and what I call "claimed" in 2001. Someone saw the painting and exclaimed, "That's Douglas Lake where I fish". Up to that point it was just paint on canvas with no name. After the claiming, it has a name.
 Harvest Moon
As autumn falls upon us,
the harvest is in,
Halloween is the night
to gather with family and friends
-- On the night when the veil is thin,
Open up and let the spirit in --
Time to give thanks
Before winter sets in.
 Monet Impression
This was painted in acrylics around 1984 and received it's name when time and time again people commented, "It looks like a Monet". I'm not so sure of that but it needed a name so it became its own pun, "The Monet Impression".
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