Thursday, November 16, 2017

Bits of Inspiration ~ Dragonfly

First of all I must brag about my daughter, Carrie. She is Artist Relations Director at Art Colony Association Inc. and they are the producers of the Bayou City Art Festival. It is an important event in Houston. We are so proud of her. It would take pages to write all the work she puts in along with staff to bring all this talent together in our city. 



At the this year's Bayou City Arts Festival I discovered the beautiful art of Ann Byrd and purchased two prints.  One print is a dragonfly.


I really love how she describes her art. "My pieces tell a story, but not the whole story. They are windows into certain glimpses in a narrative that is already in play. Visions of things you catch out of the corner of your eye, but cannot be sure are real or merely ghosts of your imagination."  Ann Byrd

I'd like to share the totem meaning of the dragonfly and quotes with you.

The dragonfly totem carries the wisdom of transformation and adaptability in life. As spirit animal, the dragonfly is connected to the symbolism of change and light. When the dragonfly shows up in your life, it may remind you to bring a bit more lightness and joy into your life. Those who have this animal as totem may be inclined to delve deep into their emotions and shine their true colors.

"Time is for dragonflies and angels. The former live too little and the latter live too long."  ~  James Thurber

"It's very far away/It takes about a half a day to get there/ If we travel by-dragonfly." ~  Jimi Hendrix
Who would deduce the dragonfly from the larva, the iris from the bud, the lawyer from the infant? ...We are all shape-shifters and magical reinventors. Life is really a plural noun, a caravan of selves." ~ Diane Ackerman

Also the painting is titled "Tipping Point." 
tip·ping point
noun
1. the point at which a series of small changes or incidents becomes significant enough to cause a larger, more important change.

So for today's challenge I would like you to write an original poem about a  dragonfly/dragonflies. It can be in any form you choose. Please post it on Mr. Linky and visit your fellow poets to read where their wings took them.

Note: I've contacted Ann and have been given permission to use and share her  dragonfly print. If you use the dragonfly art print on your page, please credit Ann Byrd and link it to one of her art sites. The first link I used is to her Facebook page. The second is her website. 


15 comments:

Margaret said...

Thank you, Susie - I've been so busy and not taking time out for myself lately - glad to be back with a prompt from you. Looking forward to reading everyone's poems...

Sanaa Rizvi said...

Loved the prompt, Susie!💞 It allowed me to think outside the box. Happy Thursday, everybody!💞

Kim M. Russell said...

I adore this prompt, Susie. I wear a dragonfly necklace all the time and own two dragonfly brooches, one of which was left to me by my grandmother. In the summer, dragonflies come up from the river to haunt our garden. Thank you for a summery prompt on a grey winter's day.

Rosemary Nissen-Wade said...

Congratulations to your talented daughter! And I too love the Ann Byrd picture, but chose something different to illustrate my poem. Dragonflies have a very particular significance for me.

Susie Clevenger said...

Margaret, good to see you here. Maybe things will slow down a bit for you. Thank you

Sanaa, thank you. Art is a great place to open avenues of inspiration.

Kim, thank you. Goodness what a blessing to be left such treasure. I live next to a small wooded strip of wetlands. Dragonflies fill my backyard.

Rosemary, thank you, My daughter actually has a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in theater. She is a gifted director so it works perfectly with what she does now.

Fireblossom said...

Gah. I wait until noon and fond things already in full swing! I should have checked earlier!

Fireblossom said...

find not fond

Sherry Blue Sky said...

Hi everyone. The Art Festival looks amazing and your daughters are both so accomplished, Susie. This prompt brought back a memory of an event with First Nations people in the 90's.

Vivian Zems said...

Hi Susie! I've learnt quite a lot about the symbolism of the dragonfly. Glad to take part!

Susie Clevenger said...

Fireblossom.... It went live way early. I forgot about the noon posting.

Sherry, Thank you. The Art Fair was such a wonderful experience.

Vivian, Great!!

Anonymous said...

impossible to resist this prompt Susie - enjoyed the video and getting a flavour of the incredible art fair - some organiser your daughter is!

tonispencer said...

Congratulations on your daughter's wonderful work! And thank you for this lovely prompt. It took me back years ago... And what a wonderful art event.

Susie Clevenger said...

Laura, thank you. Once I saw Ann's art I knew I wanted to use it for a creative prompt. Yes, my daughter is quite an organizer. I am in awe of her.

Toni, thank you. Carrie is quite gifted.

brudberg said...

Sorry for missing out on the prompt... I might write something later, but the week has been intense, and I have a lot of backlog to read. :-)

Susie Clevenger said...

Bjorn, that is fine. I know how busy life can get.