Out of Commission With Owls

 

I used to lay on the cold linoleum floor of Holy Innocent’s Preschool in Lahaina with a big pile of markers to the left side of me and a huge 18″ wide roll of white butcher paper rolled out in front of me.

I would be immersed in my own little world, tuning out all the other kids sleeping on their red and black plastic mats, and teachers hovering about…and I would just draw- when I was supposed to be napping. I think the teachers were just grateful that I was quiet and I wasn’t asking a million questions. (A million questions, something that hasn’t changed- if you know me- you know.)

I am always thinking and asking.

The running commentary in my head would be a lot for most people, but for me it is normal and not taxing. I believe in elementary school on my 3rd grade report card I was referred to as “inquisitive” in the nicest possible way- as opposed to, Mika asks too many questions. The too many questions comment came in 8th grade English from a stern teacher who I don’t think liked me.

 

I am always wondering about how other people live their lives. When I drive by houses at night and I can just barely see in their windows, through the folds of the fabric of their velvet dining room curtains and the yellow cast of the overhead lights at the dining table- a glimpse into their living room and a corner of their brown leather couch- all of that sparks a story in my head of who they are and what they are doing. It is one of the reasons I used to drag my former partner to open houses every weekend for homes I had no intention of buying (sorry- I know…it was a drag). I just love seeing how people live and I am inspired imagining their lives and writing their biographies in my head.

 

Having this recent time away from my creative outlet really showed me how much I rely on being able to express myself creatively as a means to just BREATHE. Not being able to reach for a paintbrush or write a thought made me feel suffocated and antsy.

I am not an artist for a living, I am an artist to live….fully.

 

Of course there’s always a standby of talk to text, but it’s not the same. I need the organic feeling of moving my arm and having a thought materialize on my lined notebook paper and covered with my loopy cursive writing, or holding a paintbrush in an intimate handshake of creativity and having a color or shape appear on my textured watercolor paper.

It is a far more intimate experience for me compared to talking something into my phone that then shows up as a text, especially because of the myriad of typos that come from predictive text on my phone. I crave intimate connection with people, art, nature, everything. I can’t/won’t do superficial. I will laugh at your jokes because they are funny. Every compliment I give you is sincere. I just want to be respected and appreciated, and I will do the same for you.

 

During my time away from my art studio, I filled it with activities outdoors. My sister and her husband came up to visit and we joined the Ojai Raptor Center for a Red Tailed Hawk release, which was incredible. It was a female hawk who had been found on the side of the road, hit by a car, I think- back in May 2024. The hawk’s rehabilitation was a great success and it was a highlight to watch her fly back into the wild- I have the slow-mo video to memorialize the occasion.

 

With my free time, I also went for some bird walks, sat on the deck and listened to music, visited with many friends, went out for way too many meals (cooking was a challenge), and also just enjoyed being still and thinking about my next project.

 

Time away made me even more grateful to have my art studio space, and grateful to have you all here to be able to talk to and share with, so thank you for hanging with me.

 

Moving ahead, I’m spending time with the intuitive painting series a bit more. I’ll be posting on my website the beginning of the piece as compared to the final piece so you can see how it starts with those random lines and marks that then appear as a picture to me. Often times in the finished piece you will still see those random lines appear in between the paint and adding texture to the background.

 

For this intuitive watercolor, I saw a Great Horned Owl or something that closely resembles that. He came out a bit more serious than I was anticipating, but again, the paint kinda has its own idea and I just honor it. He has something to say, not sure what it is yet. I’ve named the piece “In The Northern Lights- Guardian Of The Sky”.

Another reason is that owls surround me where I live on the Central Coast of California. Every night I go for a walk and I follow the sounds of the owls up to the eucalyptus grove. I often hear the Great Horned Owls at night. They seem to cohabitate in a neighborly fashion with the Barn Owls in the same grove, which was a little surprising to me, but I’m happy to be able to enjoy them both. I seldom see the Great Horned’s, but I hear them more often than not. They have the signature owl hoo-hoo that you are probably familiar with.

 

I do see the Barn Owls almost every night. I always seem to catch the flash of their white wings above me and it’s an intoxicating sight- I often gasp and feel like it is a private, magical show just for me- and it usually is, as I am often the only one around at dark hanging at the top of the street and the bottom of the grove.

Every night this occurs and I am still not used to it- I am charmed each and every time. I usually hang out well past sunset and straggle home starving for dinner but satiated from my owl encounters. What about you? Have you seen or heard any owls before?

I think my next project will be a Barn Owl. I’m just letting the inspiration percolate a bit more. It’s nice to be back in commission now.

 

I hope inspiration is percolating for you- and if it isn’t, reach out to me and I will ask you a million questions to create the spark of an idea.

Thinking of you. With aloha, always, Mika Harmony