Cosmic Dance page

Elizabeth's words about "Cosmic Dance"

"I was so pleased with the outcome of this painting. I began the preliminary drawing of a Shiva (or Kali if you prefer) dancing with the extra limbs of multi-dimensionality, emanating fire from her palms and the open eyes of her breasts. She dances with fire at her feet above the eons-old scorpion, upon the shell of Venus, within the ring of heavenly human bodies emerging from the mouths of fish. To her left shines the night, to her right the sweetness of day. The cosmic dancer is suspended above the flaming blood in the cup which drips into the hourglass of time over the river. The two cosmic faces uphold her universe and melt into abstraction at the edges. The earth revolves around her head and her male counterpart smiles above the electric strands of her curly hair.

Thus far, I feel 'Cosmic Dance' best expresses how I interpret the magic and mystery of love and life through painting."

We would like to present the following poem generously shared by a close friend of ours:

SHE

I am turning into this woman.
I can feel her swelling in my breast,
I can feel her tightening the muscles
of my neck, and in between
my legs.

She is tall.
Her eyes are wide and soft blue,
like little skies, resting within
the framework of her face ;
the angle of her nose, the curve
of her cheekbone -- appearing
almost sculpted, as if by the hand
of some giant, adoring potter.

She is tall, and strong.
Her arms lift me to eye level
where I dangle, fully clothed.
Her eyes wonder past my eyes
and into my soul,
like glass.

Gently, she disrobes me.
First my thoughts, and then my fears.
They surrender themselves freely, and quietly,
like battered soldiers, too tired to fight
They hand over all arms
almost gratefully, like children
called in from a hard day's play.

She is tall, and curious
to know me. Her breath envelopes me : following the slope
of my shoulder, moving across my throat
and down to my right breast. Lingering there.
She will return her eyes to mine,
to show me what I have shown her,
to let me know what she now knows.

She is tall, and when she
smiles -- cows turn into lightening
and a thousand breaths escape
my throat. Tiny and sacred,
they dance backward,
toward the sun
soundlessly, like spray
from a waterfall.
Like rain,
returning to its maker.

poetry by Cathleen Cole
thejohnstones@middleforkriver.com

This painting was created on acid-free french watercolor block paper. In recent years, Elizabeth has favored watercolor paint for creating psychedelic imagery because of its intense jewel-tone color range, glowing transparency, and non-toxic nature.

Cosmic Dance

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