By the boab tree

Until a friend mentioned the song, By the Boab Tree, (playing alongside this art blog for now) it basically had gone right over my head even though I had watched Australia several times and liked the movie very much, especially the aboriginal spiritual belief that they can sing someone to them-- in a spiritual sense. Maybe we cannot do that but it's nice to think someone can.

Although boab trees are often leafless, I will pretend this one is during the rainy season and it's leafed out lushly like the love song that inspired it. In reading about the boab trees, I learned they only are in western Australia's Kimberley region. They provide food, medicine and shelter. The belief is their seeds came on the ocean waves from Madagascar and Africa as they are a relative of the baobab trees.

Some have asked why I do digital since there is no end product. The no end product is its main appeal. It costs me no dollars or space in the house since I already have the computer. It lets me explore my creativity and spiritual ideas in a way that doesn't end up with canvases piling up.

These little digitals are a meditation time for me as when I am working on one my mind can't be thinking about anything but it. While painting does the same thing, with painting I am more critical of the product. Here I am not. I am free to just do and give my brain a time out for awhile.

Sometimes one comes out in such a way that I think it might make an oil and the digital has served as a preliminary sketch. Mostly they serve their own ends.