Pensive Dancer
Posted on March 5, 2015 Leave a Comment
“The eyes are the most important thing”‘ they say.
So that is where I decided to start.
Could I capture the look in his eyes?
My friend, Jessica Saxton, had caught the moment perfectly with her lens. She’s a brilliant young journalist who gets to travel to all sorts of places and capture the moments with her words and photos.
For this photo she had been travelling with the traditional dance groups from the NPA (Northern Peninsula Area) where we all lived in Far North Queensland, Australia. This little fellow was dressed and ready, waiting to go on for their next performance. He was with Uncle Seriat and the Kuraureg Dancers from Umagico (Alau) . Uncle Seriat is often found teaching the young ones to dance. So many traditions are passed down through this medium. It’s a part of culture that is taken very seriously. Having been privileged to see many performances and practices, to have the dances explained in detail, i wonder if we in western cultures miss out greatly by not dancing with our youth.
This kid is not sad, but rather, a little anxious. The Laura Dance Festival is a huge deal. For all the laughing and camaraderie during the festival it’s a very serious business. Every two years all the Aboriginal groups throughout Cape York come and celebrate their culture and who they are. He is about to showcase his people.
Lynda Symons ©2014
“Splish, Splash, He Was Taking A Bath…”
Posted on March 3, 2015 Leave a Comment
The sheer exuberance of a bird taking a bath is enough to have me smiling for days as I remember that moment.
little yellow feathers fluffed in anticipation, eagerly awaiting the event.
He nestles down into the clear coolness and wriggles his chest even deeper.
Wings flapping upwards for balance
Water flying everywhere with total abandonment. Who cares where it goes! It’ll dry and we are having such fun!
(The dog looks up with disgust as she gets showered with unexpected water.)
Back down the canary goes for another round, and yet another until all those little fluffy feathers are hanging water-laden and plastered against his tiny body.
(Dog moves to the other side of the room.)
Elated and successful, in a single bound that bird is up on the perch and shaking them all free. From here he spends the next forever carefully preening each feather, and I am still sitting there entranced by his afternoon ablutions.
Delighted and grateful for this afternoon gift.
Lynda Symons ©2015
New Beginnings
Posted on March 2, 2015 Leave a Comment
Dreams are a beautiful thing. Hidden away in our hearts they call to us… motivate us to greater heights. and i am grateful for this.
Although I wanted my dream I have to admit to being secretly pleased that it was just a dream and not reality…it wasn’t yet time. All those years that I carried that dream I was busy giving my time to homeschooling our five gifts. Homeschooling them was a joy and privilege but it was also a convenient escape.
What if I wasn’t any good at art?
What if nobody liked it?
What if..?
What if..?
What if…?
While it was still a dream there were no answers to those ‘what if’s’. Yet, I noticed them quietly sapping away the impetus and ‘happy’ from my possible reality.
No more, I say!
So, here’s to new beginnings. A place to share with you all the fun and excitement I intend to find finally doing art and reaching for my dream.
It’s going to be good!
Grateful for the gift offered to me to make my dream become a reality.
Lynda Symons Artistry 