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Hi Everybody,

I have a new blogspot! Please click on the link to go to my new site and to hear all the news. We're in Africa right now!! Woohoo!

http://johndelzellart.blogspot.com/

John

I Dare.... I Do

Thanksgiving Day 2008

Dear Family and Friends,

Well, another year has gone by and so much has happened since I last wrote. I hope you all are doing well!

So…for starters and the biggest news flash in my life ---- I’m ENGAGED! The girl who declared she was never marrying and was going to live a single, scot-free life has fallen in LOVE with me!! The love of my life is Jenna Marie Barton. She has such wonderful energy… an artist herself, a nature enthusiast, fun-loving, caring and understanding, a great listener, and an absolute joy to be with. Did I mention her cooking? YUMMM….. And she loves cats (and all other four footed creatures) - Sedgie is in seventh heaven!

We met on the porch a year and a half ago at my neighbor’s place. I needed help with my art business and starting art classes for children and adults. She wanted lessons and a chance to fulfill her creative calling. We have worked together since then, a beautiful friendship that turned into love.

We have such a wonderful time together. We love taking long hikes in the Cascades, playing card and board games, doing puzzles, painting, drawing and teaching together, watching movies, taking beach walks with the dogs she pet sits and, of course, talking up a storm.

This year we did a lot of hiking in the Mt. Baker and Cascade Mountain Loop areas. Our first big hike was climbing to the top of Mt. Pilchuck – Jenna underestimated the degree of difficulty and we had rubber legs about two-thirds of the way up and that continued all the way down! We ate at the top in the lookout tower and then took pictures of the beautiful views of Three Fingers, White Horse Mountain and the Islands to the west. I have already made several paintings from the photos I took. Check out the last blog.

We loved exploring the Mt. Baker area – our last hike of the season we walked three trails covering 15 miles in one day! The last trail was at Artist Point and from there we could see some of the other trails that we had walked – such a great feeling of accomplishment!

Of course, art is a big passion for both of us. We love working together on projects, whether it’s drawing, painting or brainstorming artistic ideas. We have a large mural that we are doing for the local elementary school, Utsalady, on Camano Island. The eagle is their mascot so we designed an eagle mural for the entry wall space. We’re planning on painting this project during Christmas break.

Art classes have been going great. We have three children classes and two adult classes. We teach drawing and acrylic painting and work together designing lesson plans, advertising and teaching. This experience has given Jenna a strong desire to become a teacher and continue to work with children.

I also substitute teach in the Stanwood-Camano School District. Jenna has been volunteering at the different schools, helping out in the classrooms to get experience in her future career. She’s looking forward to working with elementary or middle school children and having the summers off to “travel the world” with me.

Here’s another news flash!: I am changing my name back to my birth name: John Scott Delzell. I've been thinking about changing my name for a while and this seemed to be the perfect time to do it. A new start to an exciting life! I'm very excited to get back to my Scottish roots. And Jenna, literally, will NOT be ‘scot-free’ anymore!

The story of the name Delzell is quite fascinating: Way back in 842 A.D, in a battle in Scotland, King Kenneth McAlpin’s son had been captured, stripped naked and hung. The King threw out a challenge to anyone who would dare to bring back his son’s body and my ancestor said, “Dhail Zhail!,” which means “I Dare”. The mission was accomplished successfully, and the man was made an Earl. Dalziel is the original spelling that eventually became Delzell - there are about 6 different spellings for Delzell. Originally it was pronounced De’EL, but in the U.S. it’s commonly mispronounced with the “z”, the z is silent in the Scottish language). Since I’ve learned this, I’ve decided to go with the original pronounciation being simply De’ EL.

Jenna’s mom and dad are delighted to have me as a son-in-law and are very excited about our marriage. Right now, we’re busy making plans for the wedding. We’ve decided to have a unique wedding – we’re going to snowshoe up to Artist Point, Mt. Baker! And we’re hoping to add some Scottish elements to the wedding ceremony. We’re going to do a traditional hand-fasting which is literally “tying the knot” with the Delzell clan tartan. Our rings are being made in Scotland and we hope they arrive in time! Another Scottish tradition is the honeymoon, which means having a little honey wine every night for a full moon/month. Maybe we’ll do the sparkling grape juice with honey version! And of course, there is the traditional Scottish oatcakes to enjoy after the wedding if we wish. There are lots of tradtions to choose from- quite a process!!

We met a wedding officiate on one of our hikes this summer who is happy to perform the ceremony on snowshoes. It’s a 5.5 mile roundtrip hike to Artist Point and we have a guide who is willing to take us up. We’ll have the ceremony up there with a few friends (hardy souls indeed!), or if the weather is too daunting, we’ll have the ceremony on a lower trail. We have just decided on the date – December 21! We wanted to have the wedding during winter break so that we’ll always have these two weeks off for our anniversary in the coming years. So much to do in so little time but thrilling, too!

We will let you all know how the wedding goes and post more pictures later in January.

May you all have a wonderful Holiday Season! John

Looky Loo

Sometimes you have only one choice- if you want to get the right image you have to go there by foot.. or is it feet? Everytime we plan a trip it seems to take longer than expected… I mean you try to get up early but one thing leads to another- between packing food and water, getting your maps together and making sure you have the right gear for the day’s weather… the time slips by and once again we find that we’re not on the trail until after noon. Which is okay because the days here in the early fall are beautiful and the earlybirds are already on their way down .. and we can check in with their experiences.

Our first trip up Pilchuck was a bit of a grind- but well worth the effort to pull ourselves away from the Olympic games and do something heroic ourselves. Our legs weren’t accustomed to the demands of a rocky climb but fortunately I had my camera that needed to appreciate all the views and that allowed for many short rests to catch my wind (or let it out!). Just for laughs I asked hikers on their way down if there were any treats left at the top from the ice cream social.. most of them looked at me like I was a bit out of my mind.. naturally, but when we got closer to the top there actually was a group coming down that still had on their party hats … so the joke was on me!

The views are fantastic—if you can get around all the tired huffing and puffing hikers that crowded the lookout tower. Everyone was scarfing food and taking photos like they were at the Olympic games or something… well we were all pretty proud of our efforts and while nobody was handing out gold medals or ice cream we all felt like winners.

The trip was so inspiring that the following week I worked on three paintings! Rocky Rumba is a view from the top looking south to Mt Rainier. Looky Loo gives views to the west, the Puget Sound Islands and the distant Olympic Range. And of course Pilchuck Palette, half way up, displays the rocky range that we had conquered!

This weekend, September 13th and 14th, the paintings will be shown at Art at the Plant Farm- 15022 Twin Lakes Ave. Marysville, WA - Smokey Point exit south of the new Costco. Hope to see you there!

One Small Step

So how does that saying go? When God closes a door, somewhere He opens a window.

My cats- Sabrina and Sedgie, have a thing about closed doors- they have expectations you see- for Sabrina when the door is almost closed- say an inch or so to the jamb, she’ll meow and meow- quietly- in a way that very slowly reaches your subconscious until you make the connection and help her out. But if it’s open just enough to get her paw through- well no problem- she’ll pull it open and announce to the world her achievement.

Now Sedgie has a whole other approach- she prefers to use the slider- or rather she prefers to have the doorman- me- use the slider for her. If she’s outside and sees me inside she’ll sit patiently watching my every move with a kind of “what’s your problem?” look on her face- and she’ll wait a very long time. Now she has a well-used cat door and will gladly use it if I’m not around. But for her it’s all about service- with a smile please.

Doors allow us access from one space to another. If they’re locked- sorry, come back another time. But if you have the key- you’re wish is my command. The “key” is not always accessible however- as my cats have found… they’ll cry, wait or try another access- -God’s window. We, on the other hand (or paw if you wish) are able to process things a little differently. We can knock or ring a bell. We know, like our pets, that doors can lead to special things- like warmth, food, fresh air and other opportunities. We can go through a door and it can change our lives- a new home, a flight on a plane, an education, or a job- so many doors we can walk through..

My painting, The Portal, is based on such potential change… walk between the cleft rocks and you are drawn into a mesmerizing, enchanting world- where you end up and how you’ll feel is a bit of a risk- and it may help to take along a buddy, a good ol’ pal, a friend. Your journey may be quick- or it may last a lifetime- but you never know unless you walk through.

May 9th, 10th and 11th is the Camano Island Studio Tour - www.camanoarts.org - we hope you'll be able to take one small step towards an adventure that won't be too quick but you may end up acquiring a painting that will last many lifetimes... come out and bring your buddy- you'll be glad you did!

The Essence of Tail Thumping

Here’s Eddie!!

Personable… silly, sad, wild, playful, tail thumping, jumping, anxious, hungry, tired, sleeping, …. What else can you say? Dogs have personalities that reveal so many attributes- they’re downright human!… Except, maybe, for the tail thumping part... maybe. Their ears perk up and flatten back, the eyes sparkle and plead for attention, they roll over and give you that touch me, rub me, scratch me look that is most impossible to ignore. They can’t wait to be fed- gobbling up their food in seconds flat and don’t even realize that they’re full as they wag their tails for more!

Walking these days is an act of pure humbleness… we know that they need a lot of exercise to stay fit and in shape, (don’t we all?), so we walk for several miles, we pick up their poop so as not to offend our neighbors, and we keep them leashed so that they stay out of gardens. Now, I don't mind the walking part - it's the poop handling part that has added a new dimension to a walk- but no one - I repeat, no one- enjoys stepping in poop... so well, there you have it.

I tried to capture the essence of man's best friend in my portrait of Eddie- an American Bulldog/Pit Bull for the Camano Animal Shelter Association's Annual Auction(http://www.camanoanimalshelter.org/), being held on Saturday October 6th. I give homage to Norman Rockwell for his charming portrayal of dogs in his Saturday Evening Post covers. And I hope that anyone who gets a chance to see it will remember that dogs- or any animals- that are treated with respect and love will truly return it ten-fold.

The Magic of Puzzles

I absolutely love puzzles. I’ve always been fascinated by how all those weird little shapes with odd bits of color and lines can be joined together ever so slowly and in an amazing transformation create a magnificent larger image. When I made a combination bunk bed/bureau/desk/shelf piece for my daughter it was very similar- starting with a vision- planning and adjusting- measuring, cutting, fitting together all the pieces to make a whole… simply delightful.

And of course being an artist I find the same satisfaction with painting all those little strokes, again adjusting/changing, and after much frenzied deliberation they come together like magic to create a brilliant painting. Kaleidoscope embraces this technique of choosing a more radiant palette, which engages our eyes by combining brilliant colors with a myriad of shapes.

Now I find that I am the puzzle!! -And that the many parts of myself as an artist and teacher have begun to merge into a new cohesive pattern. It’s like we have all these aspects of ourselves that have come into being over time and are now drawing closer together to create a fresh picture… still vibrating from past energies but now reacting to the latest input- just like a turning kaleidoscope. Brilliant, energizing, passionate and open to a new contribution by a simple twist of the tube!

Life in Transition

When I painted Life in Transition I was hardly aware of the deeper meaning and significance that such a title would bear. That was back in April shortly before our annual Mother’s Day Studio Tour. I remember the incredible energy I was trying to display in this magnificent beautiful old snag. There was a particular expression of release and fulfillment with sparkles of energy emanating from the snag as well as the surrounding trees. I was compelled to use warm hues that spoke of healing and rejuvenation.

Since then my own life has been in flux and I have found strength from this painting. For many years I have been juxtaposing a life of teaching and creating art. I have kept my artistic enterprise at bay while trying to keep my teaching career from lapsing. But now I am in a position to renew my focus on my art and with that comes a certain risk and at the same time an undeniable leap in faith.

There is a wonderful gift in every life transition and one of the keys to making a healthy one is your faith in yourself, coupled with the faith of your friends, of your family and your neighbors. Once you’ve made the commitment and fully believe that you are doing it… the rest comes easy… well sort of.

All transitions require time to adjust to…there’s a need for quiet contemplation, and letting go of old patterns, habits and attachments. It’s through letting the past go that we open ourselves for new experiences, thoughts and gifts of the spirit. And that is where the fun begins! When everyday is wide open to the positive energy of the universe… miracles happen. It’s actually a given for nature but as humans we get caught up in the melodrama of our life and tend to forget just what an incredible gift we have… what a miracle our body is, how amazing it is to think and share our ideas, and to have such feelings that are often hard to contain! Life in Transition expresses that incredible energy that is impossible to contain! In effect every day we have that chance to renew ourselves… and re-invent who we are… and it’s by having joyous faith in yourself and in the powers of the universe to bring it on that it happens.