For weeks I watched its stems and leaves unfurl from soil and climb into a lanky silhouette, stretching for sunrise. It seemed to be a flower of some sort, and I was curious for its culminating shape and color to emerge. But when it did, I was surprised. Wispy white tendrils burst from the center. Not…Read more Sacred Center Holds
spiritual journey
A Secret Garden That Changed My Life (In Vietnam)
We explore a silky summer evening, airbrushed with cool mountain air and golden sinking light. Newly arrived in Steamboat Springs, we wander west. The river is gift enough, flowing like laughter between us. One of those rare series of moments when you feel so alive, so present to where you are, so thankful to love…Read more A Secret Garden That Changed My Life (In Vietnam)
Alive, truly alive
Truly he was alive in a way that few attain. Many aspire, but only sweat, tears, and blood yield this type of alive-ness. It wasn’t his choice to lay it all down at the feet of suffering. But he did choose, by the grace of God, to keep living. When I was “stuck” in Kenya,…Read more Alive, truly alive
Summer Will Come
Ok, I’ll admit it. I’m enamored with a single dying weed. So far, it has inspired five paintings in as many months! Click the following links to view the paintings in their original blog entries: (left to right) Songs in the Valley, Reach, Always, Loving You Still. There’s something about it – the pathos as it…Read more Summer Will Come
Touch the Sky – Tree Parables
When my soul is lost and storm-tossed, there is a sacred space I love to go and pray. Amidst towering pines in the heart of Black Forest, I trace a pine needle-carpeted labyrinth to the center. Scent of sap and earth, breezes sifting treetops, glaze of sun on my face, peace settles silky like layers…Read more Touch the Sky – Tree Parables
Seeing clearly – Colorado fires
Dirty haze suspends a sinking sun, blazing orange. Massive flames lick the orb. People watch in disbelief, black silhouettes on a tempestuous rim. Smoke hovers like an ashen blanket. Beyond, proud mountains bow, at once victim and enabler, fuel for an angry monster. We see the creature kick up its first cloud of fury into…Read more Seeing clearly – Colorado fires
Go Deep – Progression of a Piece
Lately I've been digging into the past. It's almost like the last decade or so rolled over me too fast, like a crashing wave with my heart flailing in the tide. Seaweed and treasure alike tumbled by, and I landed on the shore dazed. Now, I find myself filtering through the debris, trying to make sense of it…Read more Go Deep – Progression of a Piece
Loving You Still
His laughter crackled like a campfire, trickled over dappled streams, whispered in aspen groves, twirled through mountain meadows, reverberated from ridge to ridge. His whole life, he laughed. His eyes twinkled when he laughed with me, as if he delighted in some secret wildflower field in my spirit I had yet to discover. Memories of those dancing eyes…Read more Loving You Still
Moment between death… and life
On the night he almost died, eternity brushed my cheek. Ephemeral, yet solid. I knew on that night, more than ever before, that forever is. He knew it, too. He would later talk about that passage when a massive stroke shook him like a rag doll in the mouth of a vicious dog. He would…Read more Moment between death… and life
Texture and patina – in art and in life
I have grown to love texture and patina. My husband and I live in a 100 year old house with four active children and a dog, so perhaps it is simply a subconscious decision to accept the inevitable. But, actually, I think it might be rooted in wisdom. Earlier in life, I strove for pristine…Read more Texture and patina – in art and in life
Colleen Briggs Images & Writing 