“Wisdom of the Matriarch” – the painting

There’s a new relationship in my life. It’s with a whole species of trees – the weeping willow.

My new painting, “Wisdom of the Matriarch” is both a tribute to my communion with these magnificent beings and to my mother.

It all started during my September visit to Ottawa, when I visited my mother in long-term care for the first time.

This willow tree stopped me in my tracks as I was walking from the bus stop to her nursing home. I was in awe. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen one.  They’re definitely not common on the rocky island of Newfoundland,  where I live.

I’ve always loved trees. I’ve hugged them, photographed them, painted them – even had an exhibition called Treedom to honour them.

But I’ve never felt as strong a connection, a communication, an attraction to a species as I did to weeping willows during my 2 weeks in Ontario.

You see, it wasn’t only this willow that held me in its dancing breath every time I went to visit my mother. It was every single weeping willow during my road trip to southern Ontario with my father to visit the land of his ancestors.

We passed millions of trees driving. No matter if it was close to the road or off in some field, every weeping willow turned my head and joined me in spirit to my mother.

I was even called to deviate from my father’s bucket list by going for a short walk at the deserted Guelph Lake Conservation Area. It turns out its weeping willow trees have been a draw for years. No coincidence, I’m sure.

There’s more to it, but I’m still discovering the layers of our connection.

One link became clear as I shared all this on Facebook. One of my friends reminded me that willow branches are used to make dreamcatchers.

I was still in the process of writing the Dreamcatcher Prayer to go with the painting I’d finished right before my trip – see previous blog post.

So I knew this was an evolving relationship – a connection with one of our planet’s sacred Treedom communities.

When I returned to St. John’s, I knew I was meant to explore this relationship further through an energy-painting featuring a weeping willow.

It was an intuitive process. I painted the background not knowing what would come next.

It evolved layer by layer from the intricate structure of the trunk to the many depths and shades of leaves.

As I kept painting, I knew I was covering up its iridescent frame, but every layer called for another. And I listened. It was a deeply meditative process – much slower than shown in the video above.

It wasn’t about the look. That was getting so methodical and busy. Still, I kept layering weeping branches, eventually adding 3-D leaves.

After all that intricate work, I came into the studio one morning inspired to cover the whole structure with 3 colours of opaque and transparent pours.

I wish I’d taken a video of that freeing, liberating stage. It didn’t even occur to me in the burst of creative energy and satisfying release.

Ahhhhhh……

So much paint went into this piece, like with many of my pieces. Layers were lost but are still energetically present. It was as much about the co-creative process with Spirit as it was about the final look.

Once it was done, I received an intuitive message not to price it as I do other 24″ x 36″ paintings. I was told I’d receive an offer for it and to accept it. I was also told not to name the painting – to let the customer do so.

Part of me was hesitant as this was a tribute to my mother and I wanted the name to reflect that. It couldn’t have turned out better.

The day I posted the photo of the final painting, one of my clients sent me a Facebook message saying how she cried looking at it. It reminded her of her friend who had just passed.

She came to see it and later made me an offer to be paid over the span of a year. I gladly accepted.

On her way home, she received its name. “Wisdom of the Matriarch”. It’s no coincidence that the name also honours my mother and our connection through weeping willows. It’s part of the divine plan.

The weeping willow – Salix babylonica – is from the watery realm of emotion and intuition. It’s also a symbol of creativity, patience, and adjusting to the seasons of life.

According to Avia from my favourite symbolism website :

“The Celtic meaning of willow has a long history of symbolism associated with metaphysical and ritual practices.

Specifically, the willow wood has been (and still is) used in ceremonies intended for enhancement of psychic abilities,honoring the moon as well as increase the essence of love in our lives.”

It also encourages flexibility – to adjust with life rather than fight it.

I got to witness this on the afternoon that the tornado hit Ottawa. As I left my mother’s residence, the winds had picked up dramatically. The willow was dancing wildly as I watched it shake off a few branches that someone was harvesting. But its core was strong, bending and swaying – alive with resilient energy!

I can see how all this relates to my mother – her strength over the years, flexibility, intuition, and acceptance of the rhythms of life.

I love you Maman! I feel you Maman!