Flight of the Dragonflies

Thither the phoenixes do not come flying

The torrential rains of Tropical Storm Fay have passed and as the water dries up and things get back to normal I walked out my back door this morning and witnessed a miracle of nature. There are thousands of dragonflies filling the sky and fluttering in every direction. With their orange-yellow tails and slender, transparent wings moving at a mile-a-minute, they are a sight to behold.

In most native American cultures the dragonfly is a symbol of renewal and I heartily agree after 4 days shut in and nothing but dark gray skies and sheets and sheets of rain. With a bit of sun breaking through the clouds and these flying needles all around me I felt like a life form again.

In Japan, the dragonfly is the symbol of both strength and happiness. I have always admired dragonflies in Asian art and have myself tried to capture that spirit in a series of woodcuts I did a long time ago. The one at the top of this page is 12″x18″ from 1975 and entitled “Thither the phoenixes do not come flying” which was something I read in a book on Confucius. Today I feel like going out a making new dragonfly art in celebration of the flight of the dragonflies outside my door.

Have a great day everyone.