Message bottle

I was in the mood of a castaway and had a painting on the same subject in process. After the situation in Ukraine became terrible, I had to change perspective and gain a little hope.

I felt anxious because of all the people who were in the middle of the shooting, which was destroying their peaceful life and future. At a distance of less than a thousand miles from my home. How is it possible?

I prayed for peace, and if possible together with a democracy option. Then I put my prayer into the bottle, asking the whole Universe for help.

Love and peace for all of you!

Ivana

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Power of the heart

Many of us have experienced a broken heart, perhaps more than once. But how to heal it? Most common answer is that time heals. Agree, but on which basis?

According to my understanding, the heart is endless source of love that springs even from a broken or injured piece. I perceive love as the emotional equivalent of blood. That’s why everyone is capable to love, without exception, without excuses.

And it is love that nourishes and heals the emotional part of ourselves, just like the blood nourishes and heals our body. Time helps, but the most important is to let the heart work and love, even for the smallest things in the world. The more love you exhale, the healthier your heart is.

People often confuse broken hearts and injured ego, which is a completely different thing. Unfortunately the ego doesn’t have a self-healing capability. The ego is more self-pitying and self-destructive. It remembers old pains and wrongs well, as if patiently waiting for a cosmic apology or satisfaction.

I believe, that we don’t become bitter because of a broken heart, but because of an injured ego that refuses to let go and forgive.

I decided to send a bunch of love into my ego today, so it would not feel rejected or unwanted. Also, a big bunch of love to all of you, my readers!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Ivana

Hearts

Today’s painting – drawing is one of therapeutic. A wave of sadness came over me suddenly, so I needed to realize the power of hearts.

I believe, that the result shows clearly what was going through my mind 🙂

There are huge number of variations, each heart is unique in its capacity and depth of experience. Some are cheerful and others are recovering from their injuries. They all have the ability to heal if we leave them open. And sharing always helps.

Thanks for reading, my heart is beating with you.

And happy Valentine’s day!

Ivana

From the moon to the galaxy

In recent days, my painting has been somehow attracted directly to the night sky. I was thrilled with the challenge, but worried about the result. So I needed more attempts.

In addition, I am not a landscape lover and I promised in summer that I wasn’t going to paint any. Half year later, I wished to combine the night sky with the silhouette of wooded landscape!

We have a proverb, which I cannot translate well, but which exactly corresponds to that situation. It’s something like “You always get the biggest slice of the rejected bread”.

It’s exactly me, and such situation is repeated again and again. Whenever in my life I said with full conviction “No, thanks, this is not my way”, sooner or later I just wanted to do it. Does it happen to you too? If yes, how often?

I think about the source of it, while the last layer of my watercolor galaxy is drying. Looking at the painting, I see the endless possibilities that are stupid to limit by frightened beliefs. And that leads me to realize that the problem is not that I don’t know myself enough and still don’t know what is and isn’t my path.

The whole galaxy says that we create boundaries in our lives and usually make them much tighter than they are given to us. Not only me, but many.

I wish for all of us that the catcher from the first painting would capture our fears and nightmares, and we could open the door to a wide galaxy of possibilities.

Feel free, stay safe and happy holidays!

Ivana

Paralyzed by COVID impact

The whole world is paralyzed by the new coronavirus. People dying, economy collapsing. Science and research are seeking a vaccine, testing existing drugs, including experimental ones. The governments are doing the same. No one knows the recipe, but it could be a mistake not to try.

In my country has been declared emergency state. Schools, restaurants, sports facilities, most shops and services are closed. We are obliged to wear facial mask of any kind, groups of more than two people are prohibited, except the family. It’s strictly recommended to go only to work – if you still have one, and then stay at home. What else? Watch TV full of depressing news, empty interviews and other restrictions?

No, that’s not entirely true. You can see a lot of positive things as well. Nameless heroes among medical and rescue staff, food and drugs suppliers, who face the risk of infection every hour, every day. There’s also admirable army of volunteers. Thousands of people sew facial masks for themselves as well as for medical professionals. Many help in many different ways. Innovators convert diving masks to respirators or print them on 3D printers. Others develop effective protection based on nanofibers.

I’m grateful to see and feel so much humanity and good hearts. It brings me the hope to overcome the impact of the new coronavirus and enter a new yet unknown era.

Take care of yourself and your family, stay healthy.

Love, Ivana

P.S. Forced to spend a lot of time at home, I finally decided to face my fear of wet techniques. The image above belongs to my very first attempts in watercolor. It looks like painted by a schoolchild and that’s how I really felt. Please be benevolent, I keep trying.

Miracles of the Light

Light was a first act of G*d creating the earth and living on it.

Light is an essential for most living creatures. It’s a part of nutrition without which we suffer and die. 

Light is a symbol of hope. It’s a lighthouse in the stormy waters of life, leading our steps to safety. 

Light attracts living beings and brings them to socialize and create community. 

Light helps to measure time and set milestones between seasons. 

Light phenomena in the sky were often a subject of various prophecies. 

Whether we call it Solstice, Hanukkah or Christmas, now it’s the right time to celebrate miracles of the light. 

Enjoy it!

Ivana

 

Rose of my heart

Many call it weed, complain about ugly smell of blossoms, but they run to it for help in case of heart weakness. Yes, I’m talking about hawthorn (Crataegus) from the Rosaceae family.

I love hawthorn since childhood, mom taught me to know its taste and healing value. To be honest, I prefer hawthorn to a thousand beautiful roses. All the fragrant roses fit into well kept gardens around noble houses, but it’s not me.

I have a thorny nature and hard stone inside. More likely you can meet me on a walk in the forest or wild nature than elegant in the city or artistic garden. I can do it as much as hawthorn. There are cultivars that grow in urban parks, but they almost lost their healing effects through breeding.

I spent a long period of my life in a busy city and I wasn’t unhappy. But I was slowly losing my basic essence, which was pointed out by my physical body. When I was finally willing to admit it and change my lifestyle, the body began slowly to recover.

My whole lifestyle has changed from busy to slow but I have time to see the beauty of life in great details and enjoy it better. From time to time I watch things that I already knew as a little girl. And that’s why I devoted my colorful drawing to all the hearts and healing power of weed roses like hawthorn.

Love, Ivana

The Holiday Card Project

I decided to take a part in the Deviant Art Holiday Card Project because I think its simple idea is great. Who wouldn’t like to please those who have not enough luck, pleasure or even health? Additionally, you can do that, which also enjoys you and what you consider to be your hobby.

The word charity usually involves donating money or things needed for life, more precisely for the physical part of life. But doesn’t soul feel hungry?

At school, I learned that there is a pyramid of values, the basis of which is just physical needs – food, drink, clothing, shelter. And if these are not saturated, you probably do not care about what is on the higher floors of the pyramid – values like love, belonging or self-esteem.

Traveling and aging brought me a little different experience.  With my own eyes, I saw huge number of people who were really poor, yet they lived in love and with supporting community, and I don’t think they had the problem of respect or self-esteem.

And of course, I saw and see a lot of people, who have their basic needs more than saturated, yet they didn’t open their hearts either for love or for the support of others.

I believe that donating money helps to change the physical reality of many people, which is great. But I also believe that giving joy feeds their souls and helps them accept what cannot be changed or paid for money.

And so I put my love and positive energy into a simple drawing, hoping to send pleasure and joy even across the ocean.

Thanks to the creative people in Deviant Art for inspiration and their excellent work.

Ivana

The evolution of parenthood

I had a chat with my friend about the public discussion whether homosexual couples can adopt or educate children. All speakers seem to be guided by the future prosperity of the children, having arguments about missing patterns, confusion in traditional values and a wide range of potential risks.

One part of my self understands such debates as manifestation of democracy and a gateway to liberal legislation. The second part considers such debates to be useless or even waste of time.

In my opinion, sexual orientation has such influence on the quality of parenthood as a place of birth. Neither of which we can change. But regardless of place of birth or sexual orientation, each one of us can have enough love and ability to take care of another human being. And this is, again in my personal opinion, the only meaningful optics to read the issue.

Perhaps the same discussion was led by the representatives of the plant kingdom a few million years ago. For a long time, they couldn’t agree on the rights of male and female plants, about competencies and responsibilities for offspring. Perhaps even a war has occurred and most of the plants with declared sexuality have been destroyed. Only a few resistant species remained like nettle, and since then it has been said that nettle couldn’t be burn even by frost.

A large group of peaceful plants that considered offspring higher than ego went through an admirable transformation. In order to avoid fighting of genders, they began to create both – male and female organs in the same flower. And this concept is dominant in the plant kingdom today.

I am afraid, that humankind is far behind the plants in evolution. But I still hope in healthy mind and loving heart.

Ivana

What’s wrong?

I’ve been walking through the colorful landscape, accumulating sunshine of amazing Indian summer, and suddenly came to me a burden of emotions, requiring immediate drawing. Fortunately, I was ready for a similar situation, having a pencil and paper in my backpack. Sometimes it’s exhausting to use nature as a partner for spiritual conversation 😊

Still in the heart of landscape, I drew a rough sketch and was surprised how the original intention developed. My first emotional load was supplemented in a breathtaking way, which was ugly and true at the same time.

I had to draw a bigger sized picture in colors just after returning home, but nothing could change the story that screamed from the depth of my soul.

The lovely proclamations and prayers are directed to the sunflower instead of the sun and the pink lady opens heart to the whole world except to the person with whom she’s connected.

And the other person is shivering in the cold directly under sun, waiting for apology and satisfaction, instead of taking luggage and leaving the board.

Both are stuck together and both are waiting for the other to change. Nobody’s happy. What’s wrong?

I sent a question for solution to the universe and immediately got the answer. I’m going to draw it in colors, but the sketch is already done. Do you have tips what might be there? 😊

Hope you like the picture even though it’s not much about hope.

With love, Ivana