Rachel Smith Maher ~ Artist and Poet

Twelve Noon on New Year's Day.  Happy 2014!  I absolutely love New Year's Day...its a new beginning, a fresh start.  Its a chance to grow, learn, change, appreciate, and love...just a little bit better, a little bit more, than the year before.  Building upon all that I learned, I journey forward into this budding pathway.  I have some new things I want to try, some new thoughts I want to think.  Join me in this voyage we call life...the adventure of a brand new year!   AND, as is tradition at Dragonfly Arts, the first painting of the year ("Comes the Dawn" pictured above) is given to the first person who asks for it...free!  (This one is painted on aquaboard and is 5"x7") My email is dragonflyartsofmaine@yahoo.com 

Dan Fogelberg's most famous Christmas song is Auld Lang Syne, of course.  "Saw an old lover in the grocery store...la da da da Christmas Eve..."  But he breathes new life into this 19th Century Christmas hymn and it has become one of my all time favorites.  You can find it on his "The First Christmas Morning" CD--highly recommended--as a collection of beautifully written or resurrected pieces that point to Christ, the whole reason for Christmas.  Enjoy!  In the Bleak Mid-Winter In the bleak mid-winter, the frosty wind did moan The earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone Snow had fallen softly, snow on snow on snow In the bleak mid-winter, oh so long ago Our God, heaven cannot hold Him nor the earth sustain Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign In the bleak mid-winter a stable place sufficed For the Lord almighty, Jesus Christ Oh what can I give Him, woeful as I am If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb If I were a wiseman, oh I would d...

Ocean's Edge 16"x14" $275 framed   Maine's coastline is as variable as the weather...rocky here, sandy there...smooth sailing one day, storm front moving in the next.  Hearty beach roses are among the flora and fauna that frame the sea, their beauty showing forth despite salty air and challenging conditions for growth.  I love sitting on the rocks watching the waves crash and the seagulls diving for dinner.  Sometimes a lobsterman cruises by, stopping to check his pots next to the colorful buoys.  Capturing the tides on canvas, the ebb and the flow, reminds me to remain flexible and moving, growing and loving every day.                                                                                    Prout's Neck Tides and Roses ~~sold SPLASH!! ...

It's been a while!  Summer morphed right into fall before I could even catch my breath!  I have missed writing and posting here...and look forward to a bit more activity in the coming months!  Life has been incredibly busy, but oh so very good.  I relish the sweet moments time has given me...now tucked away as fond memories of family, fun, and fulfillment of my dreams through painting.  God is good, all the time, and all the time, God is good! ~~This painting is in a private collection in Maine~~

Spring flew right past me this year!  All of a sudden it's June and I haven't posted on my blog in a long time!  I had a little fun with acrylics a few weeks ago.  They are the opposite of watercolors in technique, but one can still achieve a similar "watery" effect.  I named this painting "Hope" because Spring always brings with it a promise of hope...the cold winter melts into greens and purples and pinks...the quiet snowflakes give way to chittering, chattering birds...the frosty air turns fragrant and warm.  It's not that Spring went by without my noticing...it's just that I was busy marking time in Nature, not online!  The violets carpeted my lawn, the daffodils laughed in the breeze, the tulips smiled before each faded petal fell, the lilacs and honeysuckle scented the garden then gave way to the irises and lupines.  And so it goes...and so it goes. God's mercies are new every morning...He brings forth the flowers and the rain...

Crystal blue skies and daisies in the field.  All is well at the farm.  A quintessential summer day.  Farmers love these kinds of days, because so much work can be fit in between sunup and sundown without obstacles like mud or cold.  But farmers have a lot to teach us about how to live out our lives.  Sunny days are great--but rainy days are just as important when growing a crop.  Seeds are planted along with the faith that  rains will come to soften the shell so new growth can emerge.  Faith that after the rain, the sun will warm the soil so roots can reach deeper still, enjoying the nutrients found in the layers found beneath the surface.  The faith of a farmer--simple, elegant, and rich.  This painting is in a private collection in Maine.

The Owl Moves A calling She slips from the flannel envelope of her Slumber And mind Beckoned by the stillness The chill The darkness to gaze Amid the barren branches of the winter's night A voice Created, of a creature An oral beacon that echoes in the cavern of time Louder, still louder "Speak, my heart listens; guide, I will follow" Distant diamonds of light Wings brush the dawn Her flight  By RMM 1/28/13