World Lion Day

 

It is World Lion Day.  And in honor of my most favorite of creatures, I am sharing this beautiful and captivating painting - Una and Lion by Briton Riviére.  The painting is an illustration of the the English epic poem The Faerie Queene.  There are several interpretations to the meaning of this poem.  None of which apply to what I, personally, love in this piece of art.  

 

If you've read this blog for its duration, you are aware of my love for lions and possibly even of the story of the little lion I cared for whose name was Daniel.  If you are new and unfamiliar with my little Daniel's story, you may read it here.  

 

Caring for Daniel was extraordinary and life changing for me in many ways.  As I bottle fed him and did his daily therapies, I grew in unexpected ways.  I am currently working on a project to tell Daniel's story more fully.  I am very excited about it.   I'm not sure how long it will take to accomplish.  But I am enjoying the process.   I want to wait for it to be revealed in its completion but I will share some sneak peaks with you along the way.  

When Daniel was 13 months old, he passed away due to the injuries he had endured where he had previously lived.  I have always believed that I will see Daniel again one day and we will rejoice and laugh together at how miraculously God used him in my life.   The first time I saw Riviére's painting it took my breath away as the image was nearly exactly what I've always pictured of Daniel and I one day.  The little dancing lamb is the perfect addition to set the mood of joy, peace, and serenity.  

I am very sad to say that lions are in great decline in the wild due to poaching and loss of habit.  Their numbers have declined in the last 50 years to a level that is frighteningly low.  Unless the current trends change, there are predictions that there will be no more lions 10 years from now.  Surely this must not happen.  

Wind and Honey Creations
Creative Pencils - Online Drawing Lessons

Faces From Eureka Springs

 

These are the faces of some of the friends we made while in Eureka Springs.  We spent an afternoon with them thoroughly enjoying their company.   These beautiful cat faces belong to some of the residents of Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge.      

 

The refuge takes in all kinds of big cats that need a home - usually because someone thought they could keep a wild cat as a pet.  Then one day the bobcat started spraying all over the house or the cougar shred the couch.  Or the tiger began to show some aggression acting like, .... well, a tiger.   Imagine that?!

  

What in the world makes people think they really can make a pet out of these cats?  No one loves them more than I do.  No one would absolutely love having a lion lying around the studio more than I would.  But its just not realistic.   And even if you could, it isn't fair to the cat to be so confined.

 

Turpentine Creek is a sanctuary so they do not do any breeding or selling of the cats.  They simply provide them with a safe home.  They attempt to make their habitat as conducive to what is best for the cat as is possible.  They are a non-profit organization.  So, funds are always an issue.  Some of the cages are smaller than is ideal while they wait for funding.   I wish I had a bundle to share with them to make all those cages as large as possible

 

My son is a gifted photographer.  He took lots of great shots for me. I will be able to use them for art reference.  I'm so excited to get started.

Wind and Honey Creations

Quite A Pear!

The images for this mixed media collage came from the Crowabout Challenge.  I couldn't resist doing something with this lion.  I've played with the placements of the images digitally.  Then I embellished it with paint, colored pencil, ink, and a couple of metal pretties.  The image is then adhered to a vintage book cover.   The finished piece measures 5.5" x 8.5"  and is titled Quite a Pear!

On another note, I found this quote the other day in my stash.  I have no idea to whom to attribute it.  But of course, I love it!   "Veterinary research has learned that a cat's brain structure is similar to a human's and that cats make decisions by processing data from the five senses."