{"id":1912,"date":"2015-12-17T20:30:59","date_gmt":"2015-12-17T20:30:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.donnaionadrozda.com\/lifecycle\/?p=1912"},"modified":"2015-12-17T20:39:25","modified_gmt":"2015-12-17T20:39:25","slug":"buffeted-by-the-storm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.donnaionadrozda.com\/lifecycle\/buffeted-by-the-storm\/","title":{"rendered":"Buffeted by the Storm"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to our weekly art\/life trail ride. We’re coming up to the close of the calendar year and as we peer out we can see…up ahead…here on the path; a sign post.<\/span><\/h4>\n

\"yinyangtree\"<\/p>\n

Clear indicator\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

Notice\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

Look ahead<\/span><\/h4>\n

The winter solstice on December 21 is\u00a0a day of equipoise…a day of equal light and dark…\u00a0<\/span>
\na day\u00a0to consider the juxtaposition between shore of birth and shore of death. The point on the natural calendar of the year where dark and light are in equal measure. A prime time to consider the ever-mysterious\/mystical topic of arriving and leave-taking. <\/span><\/h4>\n

On December 21 you can\u00a0open to possibility. You can\u00a0invest the day in balancing your art\/life. So much waits to be born. So many parts constantly dying and passing away. <\/span><\/h4>\n

Look \u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

Notice<\/span><\/h4>\n

Acting dead? <\/span><\/h4>\n

Being Alive? <\/span><\/h4>\n

Notice<\/span><\/h4>\n

Look\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

\"annvernonpainting1\"<\/a><\/h4>\n

Harbinger, Ann Vernon, 2012, size unknown, Acrylic\/paper, private collection<\/span><\/p>\n

This week I pay homage to dear friend \/ art\/life colleague Ann Vernon<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

\"AnnVernon-studiopainting3\"<\/a>\u00a0Ann Vernon painting, Drozda 2014<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/h4>\n

Ann: force of nature \/ Wise Woman \/ Mother to 4 beautiful daughters \/ Confidant \/ Mentor \/ Artist \/ Public speaker \/ Curator \/ Educator \/ Civil rights –\u00a0All Living Being\u00a0rights -Arts rights activist \/ Community leader \/ Gardener \/ Social butterfly \/ Lover of Living Life<\/span><\/h4>\n

Ann stood her ground as Heroine of highest order…additionally the past four years she has played the role of elegant and exceptional Bionic Being.<\/span><\/h4>\n

\"annvernon3\"<\/a>‘My Mechanical Heart’, Ann Vernon, 2012,\u00a024\u00a0x 18\u00a0“, Acrylic\/paper, private collection<\/span><\/p>\n

On Sunday, December 13, 2015 Ann Vernon’s art\/life boat bumped up against the shore of death<\/a>. \u00a0She returned from an evening at the Virginia symphony with good friends, went to sleep and in her dream-time she slipped through the veil.<\/span><\/h4>\n

\"DidIdreamthis2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2018Did I Dream This?\u2019, Drozda, 2006, 18 x 24\u201d, Acrylic\/wood, \u00a0Private collection<\/span><\/p>\n

Her passing brings to mind the stunning poem (which I’ve taken the liberty to feminize)<\/span><\/h4>\n

\u00a0by<\/span> Stanley Kunitz<\/a>:<\/span><\/h4>\n

The Long Boat <\/span><\/em><\/h4>\n

When her boat snapped loose<\/span><\/em>
\n from its mooring, under<\/span><\/em>
\n the screaking of the gulls,<\/span><\/em>
\nshe tried at first to wave<\/span><\/em>
\n to her dear ones on shore,<\/span><\/em>
\n but in the rolling fog<\/span><\/em>
\n they had already lost their faces.<\/span><\/em>
\n Too tired even to choose<\/span><\/em>
\n between jumping and calling,<\/span><\/em>
\n somehow she felt absolved and free<\/span><\/em>
\n of her burdens, those mottoes<\/span><\/em>
\n stamped on her name-tag:<\/span><\/em>
\n conscience, ambition, and all<\/span><\/em>
\n that caring.<\/span><\/em>
\nShe was content to lie down<\/span><\/em>
\n with the family ghosts<\/span><\/em>
\n in the slop of her cradle,<\/span><\/em>
\n buffeted by the storm,<\/span><\/em>
\n endlessly drifting.<\/span><\/em>
\n Peace! Peace!<\/span><\/em>
\n To be rocked by the Infinite!<\/span><\/em>
\n As if it didn’t matter<\/span><\/em>
\n which way was home;<\/span><\/em>
\n as if she didn’t know<\/span><\/em>
\nshe loved the earth so much<\/span><\/em>
\nshe wanted to stay forever.<\/span><\/em><\/h4>\n

<\/h4>\n

Here is a snapshot of Ann’s\u00a0<\/span>recent art\/life<\/span><\/span>\u00a0story…<\/span><\/h4>\n

\"annvernon4\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Collapse II, Ann Vernon, 2012, size unknown, Acrylic\/paper, private collection<\/span><\/p>\n

In August of 2011 Ann Vernon collapsed with a heart attack while wandering in\u00a0her flower garden. She was\u00a0discovered by her companion in the nick of time whisked off to hospital where it was discovered she was a candidate for an exploratory technique called L-VAD<\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/h4>\n

Watch a news video here<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

This surgery gave Ann a unique distinction. She was\u00a0one of a select few who would be able to go forward living ‘bionically’…active and engaged in the art\/life despite conditions imposed by the L-VAD apparatus.<\/span><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"lifesaver-annvernon\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Life Saver, Ann Vernon, 2012, 24 x 18″, Acrylic\/paper, private collection<\/span><\/p>\n

After the L-Vad implant Ann’s art\/life unfolded with the consistent\u00a0beauty and attention to goodness as it ever had. Then…in December 2012 at\u00a0lunch with Ann and another dear friend\u2026as the three of us discussed a\u00a0public art project; the two being\u00a0my ‘Life in Transit’ mentors. Ann excused herself from table twice and we hoped she was doing okay. She assured us she was fine, nothing to worry about. The following day we received news that during the night Ann suffered a massive stroke.<\/span><\/h4>\n

It was very hard work coming back from that edge and yet we were able to witness Ann and her\u00a0capacity to slowly acclimate to the conditions that the stroke forced her to deal with; compromised movement and ‘word salad’ speech patterns. However she did bounce back and continued, as this video link shows, to inspire the community<\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

\u00a0This week on the trail I share a\u00a0personal homage to Ann and her extraordinary journey.<\/span><\/h4>\n

\"AnnVernon-studiopainting1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Following the stroke Ann and I regularly shared studio time in the atrium of her assisted living facility<\/span><\/h4>\n

\"AnnVernon-studiopainting2\"<\/a><\/h4>\n

Both Ann and I have been actively engaged as volunteers with Tidewater Arts Outreach<\/a><\/span> for many years. In 2013 area artists were invited to turn a\u00a0donated musical instrument into a work of art. <\/span><\/h4>\n

There had been a solo exhibition of Ann\u2019s paintings at Mayer Fine Arts Gallery<\/a><\/span> followed by a news article featuring images of her work\u2026I used the newspaper images and the donated guitar as my opportunity to salute the beautiful visual music that Ann’s heart-song has\u00a0brought\u00a0to the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

\"guitar6<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/h4>\n

<\/h4>\n

\"guitar2a\"<\/a><\/h4>\n

<\/h4>\n

\"guitar5\"<\/a><\/h4>\n

\"guitar5c\"<\/a>
\n\"guitar-for-Ann4\"<\/a><\/h4>\n

\"guitar5b\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"me<\/a><\/p>\n

Donna Iona Drozda and Ann Vernon, Instruments of Art Gala, Tidewater Arts Outreach, 2013<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Ann-Martine\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Ann Vernon and Martine Strohmeyer , Tidewater Arts Outreach Gala, 2014<\/p>\n

Take note during this winter solstice week: <\/span><\/h4>\n

If you were arrested and had to prove you\u2019d been creative, how much evidence would be found?<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n

Who infuses your art\/life with inspired wisdom and compassion in action?<\/span><\/h4>\n

Ann Vernon will ever be\u00a0my Model for Possibility<\/strong> no matter what the physical challenge required.<\/span><\/h4>\n

\"Painting<\/a><\/h4>\n

As a working\u00a0Heartist\u00a0<\/em>with more than four decades of practice my\u00a0commitment is on\u00a0mutual support. I choose to\u00a0encourage and\u00a0to live the creative best within the art\/life.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/h4>\n

I invite you to join the art\/life trail ride. Scoop in\u00a0your tribe and\u00a0let joy BE your vocation<\/strong>.<\/span><\/h4>\n

Connect with\u00a0the uplift of \u2018Luna See\u2019 our moon\/month newsletter and explore\u00a0Lifecycle<\/a>;\u00a0time\u00a0management tools to see if they feel like a fit for you.<\/span><\/h4>\n

With Lifecycle you and I work together aligning with natural creative rhythms.<\/span><\/h4>\n

\"me<\/a>Discover and uncover the ecstatic thrill of \u2018making life the master peace\u2019 as we travel the art\/life trail\u00a0into realms of calm and continuous\u00a0renewal.<\/span><\/h4>\n

…discover and expand your ability to experience,\u00a0express, create and contribute your deepest,\u00a0authentic heart-song gifts to this beautiful world.<\/span><\/h4>\n

Donna Iona Drozda, Wren House Studio\/Lifecycle All rights reserved. \u00a9 2015<\/span><\/h4>\n

<\/h4>\n

<\/h4>\n

<\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Welcome to our weekly art\/life trail ride. We’re coming up to the close of the calendar year and as we peer out we can see…up ahead…here on the path; a sign post. Clear indicator\u00a0 Notice\u00a0 Look ahead The winter solstice on December 21 is\u00a0a day of equipoise…a day of equal light and dark…\u00a0 a day\u00a0to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[36,79,99,2,3,32],"tags":[110,105,37,22,107,109,106,43,49,10,38,16,108],"class_list":["post-1912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-artlife","category-buddhism","category-donna-iona-drozda","category-natural-time-management","category-slow-time","category-starting-over","tag-ann-dearsley-vernon","tag-ann-vernon","tag-artlife","tag-donna-iona-drozda","tag-heart-health","tag-instruments-of-art","tag-l-vad","tag-lunar-phases","tag-masculinefeminine-time","tag-natural-time","tag-natural-time-management","tag-slow-time","tag-tidewater-arts-outreach"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6htPT-uQ","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.donnaionadrozda.com\/lifecycle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1912","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.donnaionadrozda.com\/lifecycle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.donnaionadrozda.com\/lifecycle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.donnaionadrozda.com\/lifecycle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.donnaionadrozda.com\/lifecycle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1912"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.donnaionadrozda.com\/lifecycle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1912\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1951,"href":"https:\/\/www.donnaionadrozda.com\/lifecycle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1912\/revisions\/1951"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.donnaionadrozda.com\/lifecycle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.donnaionadrozda.com\/lifecycle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.donnaionadrozda.com\/lifecycle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}