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Lily is a baby Indian elephant born at the Portland, Oregon zoo. I created this colorful version of that beautiful baby and decided I had "gilded the lily"!

I continue to be drawn (no pun intented) to painting elephants. Ganesh, the elephant headed Hindu diety, is widely revered as the Remover of Obstacles and more generally as the Lord of Beginnings and the Lord of Obstacles, patron of arts and sciences, and the god of intellect and wisdom.

Elephant's medicine includes strength, royalty, connection to ancient wisdom, removal of obstacles and barriers, confidence, patience, using education opportunities, commitment, gentleness, communicating in relationships, discernment, intelligence, compassion. If this is your animal guide, these virtues are a part of your natural character.  In Buddhist tradition, the Buddha picked the form of a white elephant as one of his many incarnations, thus the rare appearance of a white elephant is still heralded as a manifestation of the gods.

Elephants can teach us that gentleness, commitment, and communication in relationships is very powerful and necessary to keep relationships alive, trusting and loving, whether it be friends, family or partner. Deeply committed to all creatures with whom they have relationships, elephants are tough when protecting others and gentle when nurturing them. The matriarch (the oldest, most experienced female leader of a herd) leads in a way that is both gentle and inclusive.

I am one of those people who has a hard time letting go. I hate good-byes. But I am at a place in my life where I need to begin to move on, in order to pursue my dreams. I'm in the midst of de-cluttering my life, starting with my closets and moving out from there. So many things, kept because of emotional ties, but not being used.

This painting comes from that space of letting go. 

Reason, Season, or Lifetime

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.
When you figure out which one it is,
you will know what to do for each person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON,
it is usually to meet a need you have expressed.
They have come to assist you through a difficulty;
to provide you with guidance and support;
to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.
They may seem like a godsend, and they are.
They are there for the reason you need them to be.

— Unknown