Author Archives: Wendy

Moon Meditation

There is a special aspen tree in my valley that I have chosen as my world tree. I greet it each time I go for a walk, always seeing it in a different light and mood. And the changes to its cloak of leaves, as the seasons evolve. One day I placed my palm on its trunk, where it was grey and split, full of seams like the wrinkles of an ancient’s face. The marks of a life well lived. I could feel its pulse, and if I closed my eyes, I would start to rock back and forth on my feet. The next day, there were five green leaflets emerging from the very spot where I placed my hand. A special tree indeed. I have often thought it would be nice to perch in one of its branches, among its lush foliage, and observe the night world. These thoughts inspired this painting.

If interested in this piece, please email me at dudleyart1@gmail.com.

Moon Meditation Original by Wendy Dudley 10 x 12 $275

The Studio Cat

I live in a log home in the foothills of the Alberta Rockies in Western Canada. Further to the south of me, as in much further, are the mountain ranges of New Mexico. There are regions of New Mexico that remind me of my Canadian home, but still, I am drawn to the high desert county, and the various art and cultures in this Southwest state. So it is not unusual that its colours and themes seep into my work.

The Studio Cat Original by Wendy Dudley 10 x 12 $325

The feline in this art piece, called The Studio Cat, is modelled on my own orange cat, Kaila. She too often sits in the window, looking out, or if outside, balancing herself on the sill and looking in. If I were to have an adobe home in the Southwest, I imagine it would look like this, with Kaila ever-present in the window. For more information about this piece, or to purchase, please email me at dudleyart1@gmail.com.

The High Road Home

I often refer to the state of New Mexico as my second home, or my heart home. Its landscape, lighting, colours and cultures are a stung draw for the creative spirit. When I travel there, I always feel like I am returning to a place I lived in a long time ago. Whether studying the starry night skies of Chaco, scouting about the trails at Ghost Ranch, touring the northern Hispanic villages, or venturing into Zuni country, my heart pounds with the beauty. Thus, I often honour this in my paintings, as in this one called The High Road Home. For more information about this piece, or if interested in purchasing it, please contact me at dudleyart1@gmail.com.

The High Road Home by Wendy Dudley 12 x 16 $390

News! The Lost American Art Gallery and Museum, Longview, Alberta

Great news! Wendy Dudley now has her paintings in The Lost American Art Gallery and Museum in Longview, Alberta, Canada. This is a unique gallery in cowboy country, in the foothills southwest of Calgary. It is about as close to a Southwest Art gallery as you will find without crossing the medicine line. Pueblo pottery, turquoise, Navajo rugs, and where you can say the word “Zuni” without explaining what it means. The gallery is also carrying my photo cards, art cards and my illustrated book, Don’t Name the Ducks. Please drop by and say hello to Happy and Bob who own the gallery. This is the real deal, folks. Worth the drive alone.

These are the Wendy Dudley paintings currently on display and for sale in the gallery.

wendy dudley original painting, Lost American Art Gallery and Museum Longview

Waiting For The Storm To Pass Original 9 x 12 inches $325

His Magnificence by Wendy Dudley, Original Acrylic , 11 x 14, $375

Wendy Dudley art, Wendy Dudley painting, paint horses, pinto horses, the Lost American Art Gallery and Museum, Longview, Alberta

Painting Clouds. Original Acrylic 36 x 18 $1000

From Inside The Raven’s Nest

Inside the Raven’s Nest 16 x 20 $575

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a baby bird, nestled deep inside your nest, staring up at the passing blue sky and bright sun? And then to have parent birds fly down, towards your gaping beak, as they arrive head-first. What a view from your circular world, built of moss, leaves and twigs, cradled in the branches of a towering tree. This is the feeling I sought to convey in From Inside The Raven’s Nest, the outer dark edges of the nest circular and open to the rising morning sun and pale blue sky. I was inspired to do this painting earlier this week, while watching ravens somersault through the blue, their groaking filling the valley in which I live. If you call out to them, they do answer.

If interested in this painting, please email me at dudleyart1@gmail.com

The Red Tails Are Back

The red tails are back! Walking the dogs this morning, the sky suddenly split with the shriek of my favourite hawk, the red-tailed. Last spring, they nested in my valley and I grew accustomed to their day-long cries until late autumn. Reaching the open meadow, I spotted the pair, circling above the high hill to the north, at times their wing tips almost touching. Their call is so distinctive, deeper and of a sounder pitch than the weaker imitation by the blue jays that have been playing the hawk-mock trick outside my kitchen window for the past week. The hawk’s call cuts to my core, taking me over the hills, viewing the world from such an expansive perspective. Oh, to soar on the hot afternoon thermals, and to view things in the big picture. Later today, I watched a pair of ravens drift in the afternoon breeze over my barn. I called, and they answered. They circled back, looking down. And then I heard the wind of powerful wings. From the open field came the red-tailed, diving down on the raven. They disappeared behind the spruce tops. And then the hawk circled back, and, once again, in full throttle, sliced the air with its speed towards the black birds. Minutes later, I heard the ravens’ distant groaks, and then the pair of hawks once again returned, wheeling and wheeling. For now, they own this space in the sky.

Her World 20 x 20ins Original Acrylic $800

ANCIENT TEACHINGS

For some reason, we as a species find it necessary to label, categorize and to define within boxes. I work hard not to do this. I prefer to exist as is, defined more by my life experiences and natural evolution as I move along the life spectrum. And so, when it comes to beliefs, I cannot tell you what I am in a single word. As in an animist, a pantheist, a Buddhist, a Christian, or a pagan? I can only share my beliefs, and let them stand as is. I express myself through my words and art, so within each you will find a blend, a meeting of diverse wisdoms, a coming together of various stories, whether told by the skies, the ancients or medicine souls. What I can say is that I am attracted to the primal. As in the Old Age, which of course is carried into the new age by those who apply the teachings of the past. So while the Dalai Lama sharing a canvas with Turtle Island, shamanism, transformation, and the celestial may be to some a curious combination, it actually tells the story of how different beliefs share a common path. We may come from different directions, but we all seek a compassionate destination.

Ancient Teachings Original by Wendy Dudley 11 x 14 $450

Down The Path Of A New Year

DOWN THE PATH OF A NEW YEAR

And so here we are, the beginning of a new year, and the changes it will bring as it must. It will mean something different to each one of us. For me, this is a year of exploration: A year to absorb, to listen, to contemplate, to live as I think. If we are fortunate, we all find our path. It is lit by many lanterns, but all mark the trail to enlightenment. Awareness. Compassion.

We all seek this; but each of us takes a different journey to reach the destination. And, as I have been reminded, the journey itself is the destination. Whatever I experience will no doubt find its way to the art canvas, as it cannot help but do so. As always, I derive pleasure from sharing my journey with you. The journey begins with self, but it sprouts branches, reaching out as a way to teach, to provoke thought, to show the different ways. It is there for the taking, or for the leaving. Or for the pondering.

As some of you have noticed, many of my paintings depict walking in solitude, though the lone human almost always has company, whether it be a dog, a horse or donkeys, or wild animals, some in spirit and some in absolute form. Because

The Road Home, by Wendy Dudley

my thoughts and images most often come to me while walking. As a writer, this is when I compose. As a painter, this is when I visualize. As a meditator, this is when I dream. I am never alone, for my thoughts and the Others, in whatever form, keep me company. If you like what you see, let me know. If you wish to share, please do so. If you have questions, please ask. Giving and receiving are mirror images. They are partners in The Dance of Sharing.

Born of the Desert, an abstract

Original painting. Born of the Desert. Work in progress.

The finished painting.

For those interested in process, this image — Born of the Desert — reveals the backstory and development of such a painting. It started with the idea of a donkey being part of the desert, connected to it throughout history. The desert is the native home for our longear friends. So I decided to put down the warm colours as the background, letting the globs of paint do what they wanted to do. I then added salt, to give it texture, a sandy feel. I am purposely working the donkeys into the background layers, letting thick blobs of paint remain as their forelocks. And letting the vibrant colour run through them, as part of their souls. My wish is for the jenny donkey and her foal to rise from the desert, for it to be part of their existence. Those of us who own donkeys know the challenges of providing proper care for them in areas that are not arid and warm. They can become obese, and develop skin and hoof problems. But with good care and attention, they can thrive, as the adaptable creatures they have been throughout time. Enjoy!

Stone Art

I am beginning a series of paintings, introducing stone art. The first of which is She-Bear: Ursus Major. At the heart of this bear is Sodalite, a stone of intuition and higher knowledge, truth and perception. A stone of communication; a stone of writers and artists. Among some indigenous cultures, the bear is said to be my birth totem. My heart beats like a drum, its rhythm singing in the forest. It reaches the bear, and she listens, her heart drumming back a message.

She-Bear: Ursus Major , with Sodalite stone Original by Wendy Dudley $950