An amazing spectacle appeared in the western sky above Cedar Mill yesterday. Thunderheads reaching 30,000 feet or more blanketed the sky around me like caldera of puffy meanness. They encroached from the north, the east and the west, while to the south the remnants of a sunny spring day’s baby blue sky retreated. I was awestruck by the massiveness of these storm clouds and the fact they are seldom witnessed in April in Portland.

About a half hour later they began their rumbling, not close enough to frighten this small child at heart, but loud enough to frighten Noni, my year old Bengal tabby. I was drawn out to the patio to see that the southern sky was now an ominous purple slate and off to the east the light had changed to a pinkish gold.

The loudest clap was likely 15 miles away; day changed to night and the down pour began. I heard it hitting the roof and the metal chimney box and looked outside to see pea sized hail pummeling the driveway.

It faded off as quickly as it began and then within another half hour the sky cleared in the west and the sunset colors replaced the grey.

zetti style journal page done in my personal smash journal. prismacolor pencil, oil pastel, watercolors, gelly pen, pigment ink, graphite. bird images from my dover collection. fashion magazine cut outs altered by artist.

this is truly a ‘mixed’ genre of landscape with cartoon characters. I am displeased there was no room left for larger text and so i had to use sticko sticker letters. :beware of darkness: is a song by my FAVORITE beatle: George Harrison.

I am happy the mood came through as fearful and dark; two feelings that i experienced when i was hospitalized at Christmas for severe depression. I am coming out of this slowly but surely, but still have bouts of uncertainty and disillusion. I avoid certain triggers, but somehow they creep in to destabilize me.

Fortunately, creating ART prevents the unwanted thoughts; I am trying very hard to maintain my balance.