JAGUAR LOOKING BACK
From a thought to an image…
Jaguars have always fascinated me — the way their lithe, heavy bodies move silently across the forest floor, every step deliberate yet effortless. I didn’t plan to paint this one; she crept into my mind then onto the paper. Back turned, watching me with a steady, unwavering gaze. Is there strength in her stillness? I feel it, though I don’t have the words yet. After all, this is meant to be only a ‘study’ — whatever that means for me.
The deep red beneath her was always meant to be. I remembered a painting I’d seen once, where this exact color seemed sacred, and it lodged itself in my mind. On paper, it behaves differently, but I can imagine how it might sit on canvas in oils. The background pulses with something ancestral, older than me, something that hums quietly beneath the surface.
Loved painting Calla lilies…
The calla lilies appeared almost of their own accord. I don’t remember how but I have never painted them before. I love their velvety richness, and where I live they grow nearly wild. They carry elegance, resilience, and endurance. TI looked up their symbolism and ithey speak to renewal and transformation, subtle shifts and new beginnings. And like the jaguar herself, I feel they hold a soft, commanding pull..
I added other symbols too — an oak leaf, an embossed dragon, an infinity sign. Perhaps I’m not meant to explain them. For now, they speak of stillness, even power, inner strength, and presence. The Orb in the glass was difficult. I wanted a transparent glowing orb but couldn’t make it work. My skill? The scratchy paper? The golden earth with South America highlighted, the home of the Jaguar. Strangely another image of protection like the polar bear. Why is this coming to me I wonder?
She seems to beckon me…
I’m not entirely sure what she’s saying. Perhaps she wants to become a full-size painting someday. Perhaps there’s more here for me to explore in my own world that others might be drawn to. I love the idea of the etched champagne glass, a new focus, though I’ll have to practise my glass painting skills!
There’s something else in the air — a feeling that reminds me of the Bengal tiger in my Smudge book, ‘the Benevolent Uncle.’ I’ve always imagined him saying, “Well, what are you waiting for?” — a mischievous nudge from an old friend. I painted him at the beginning of this century!
In this Jaguar’s gentle aura, I sense she might be waiting for something in me. Maybe something to change, to transform. My shoulder accident has put me in a stage of reset, yet there is meaning in it for me— If I choose I feel like I am being called to recognize a time of transformation, like many of us at this time.. Maybe her grounded energy tells me that she is here to remind me that we are here as custodians of the Earth and all who share her. We must honour, protect, and guard the earth in the most subtle meaningful ways.
Thank you so much for reading. Love that you visit…
See you soon ……blaze
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