Life - A Motley Canvas

Set not aside your inner child,

Your sense of wonder born of faith—

Without restraint, heart reconciled—

But also real and conceived wraith.

’Cause it’s life’s past, hidden ages,

Joy and fear abreast unmet needs

That shape your story, life’s pages,

Even when bogged down in the weeds. 

 

Let bittersweet tears of heart beguiled

By siren call, shadows of gold,

Flow triumphant when heart gone wild

Guides inner child ‘cross new threshold.

Life’s not a blank canvas, nor stalemate,

Chime in boldly, ere it’s too late.

© Ilija Lukić 2025

Joyful Touchstones

Memorabilia in studio on Cobble Ridge, Pittsboro NC

Solstice Rhythms

Great wheel turns anew

Winter shadows yield to light

Sunlit soul soars high

© Ilija Lukić 2025

When celestial and earthly rhythms align, introspection navigates universal truths—timeless, undeniable and foundational understanding of the human condition and physical world.

Sunlit Soul Soars High

Ebenezer Church Point on Jordan Lake NC

Winter Solstice Rumination

Long winter nights fraught with barren darkness

Test depths of resolve ‘round hearth fire night.

Shelve discontent, enjoy winter’s harness,

Till hushed twilight cedes dominion to light.

© Ilija Lukić 2025

On the shortest day of the year, a walk-about at Jordan Lake’s rock-strewn, eastern shore replenishes wells of wisdom and creative inspiration. Wrack lines of seagull molt feathers at the rugged water’s edge are akin angel down, whispers of divine music.

The contrast between the immovable and the buoyant speaks to the duality of the solstice—a time of balance between opposites. My imagination soars as my heart absorbs the symphony of ethereal gifts. It’s a potent moment to align with universal truths and rhythms.

Ethereal Symphony

Ebenezer Church Point on Jordan Lake NC

Poor Man's Weathervanes

Countless ring-billed seagulls overwinter at Jordan Lake NC. The mostly ice free, shallow waters are rich fishing grounds and the surrounding countryside provides ample opportunities to scavenge and forage. 

At daybreak they congregate on deserted beaches to socialize, preen and soak up gentle celestial fires kissing the world awake with a symphony of warmth and light. A sunbath at dawn chases away night chills and coaxes life into the winged marauders.

There is something mesmerizing about a vast flock of white plumage facing and enjoying the music of celestial spheres—like an array of weathervanes turned into the breeze—squawking, forecasting warm embraces of longer days. After all, the winter solstice is just days away.

© Ilija Lukić 2025

Poor Man's Weathervane

Ring-billed gulls at Jordan Lake NC

Winter Maker Moon

On December 5th the last full Moon of this year—a super Moon—lights up celestial and Earth realms. Named the Winter Maker Moon by the Abenaki tribes indigenous to Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Quebec, the storied orb validates native American lore. After daytime highs in the mid-30s, temperatures plummet below the freezing mark after sundown. Crystal clear night skies amplify its mythos. I make time for a look into our back yard and clear as day spot two deer grazing. 

Here’s a short compilation of other monikers for this celestial phenomenon used by native Americans tribes in by-gone days: Long Night Moon (Mohican), Cold Moon (Mohawk), Hoar Frost Moon (Cree), Frost Exploding Trees Moon (Cree), Moon Of The Popping Trees (Ogalala), Snow Moon (Cherokee), Mid-Winter Moon (Ojibwa). 

© Ilija Lukic 2025

Winter Maker Moon

Ebenezer Church Point on Jordan Lake NC

Life's Eventide

Lifelong toil and troubles sap hearts and minds,
Then winter’s brume haunts dying of their light, 
Until divine twilight man's heart unwinds,
'Cause heaven’s light spills hope, to soul’s delight.

© Ilija Lukić 2025

A moment of reflection always draws me closer to God by acknowledging His grace and faithfulness in providing divine help in times of troubles and especially transitional periods of my journey—such as my life’s eventide.

Ebenezer Eventide

Ebenezer Church Point on Jordan Lake NC

Hope Is A Lifeline

Hope dawns when light triumphs over darkness

And highlights vile chaos born of shadows,

Cast by evildoers that would harm us,

By tethering your soul with their dark throes.

© Ilija Lukić 2025

“Tis the season of hope, a lifeline and anchor for the soul rooted in faith. Hope is not wishful thinking. It’s an active, looking-forward and striving-for-good-things process that blends desire with purposeful action. St Nicholas of Myra embodies the spiritual roots of hope and selfless generosity…historically continued by Santa Claus, as a potent symbol of hope and goodwill.

Beacon Of Hope And Goodwill

Detail from larger oil painting by local artist Frye

Unflappable

Mother Nature huffed a laugh at daylight,

After she flooded lake shoreline acres—

Expecting protest, clamor and much plight—

Yet spied a heron and trees in hip waders.

© Ilija Lukić 2025

Does Mother Nature ever get annoyed, surprised or exasperated, when she unleashes all manner of furies across creation; yet, the Earth and her denizens tenaciously just roll with the punches? Unlikely, since her ascribed furies are driven by physical laws of the universe. Personifying them helps humankind cope with challenges beyond our control.

In life’s journey we must strive to become an unruffled person, who lives mindfully in the moment and endeavors to know oneself. Pause before reacting to challenges and accept what you cannot change, then, adapt and overcome. Most importantly, cultivate spiritual inner peace—become unflappable.

Unflappable Serenity

Great Blue Heron on Seaforth Peninsula at Jordan Lake NC

Purposeful Elegance

During early morning hours, a Great Blue Heron’s elegance emerges when the stealthy, wading bird discards superfluous movements; and, the complexity of prey pursuit by this masterful shoreline and wetland hunter transforms into something visually simple, yet appealing. Its laser focus, purposeful stalking, deliberate statuesque poses and its patience before that inevitable instantaneous strike are a harmonious blend of beauty and functional artistry, where design meets purpose—a paragon of elegance.

© Ilija Lukić 2025

Purposeful Elegance

Great Blue Heron on Seaforth Peninsula at Jordan Lake NC

Transformative Silence

Nature communicates without speaking a word. Yet, the fleeting moments one spends adrift upon her sacred breath—as revealed in the palpable, ethereal silence of a lakeshore woodland at dawn—unburden minds, reveal fundamental wisdom, and replenish wells of physical and spiritual inspiration. Said moments of quietude are uniquely suited for constructive daydreams, beneficial to shed fresh light on milestones in life’s journey of infinite possibilities. When the heart, mind and soul communicate, dreams and mindful visions help navigate our personal odyssey and define who we are.

© Ilija Lukić 2025

Transformative Silence

Great Blue Heron on Seaforth Peninsula at Jordan Lake NC

Old West Iconography

While Old Man Winter here in Central North Carolina tries to decide on snow, sleet or rain…my cowboy heart and soul romanticize about days of the Old West. In the fertile fields of mind’s eye, I create nostalgic portrayals of the American frontier experience; then, use contemporary images I created some years ago—albeit with a degree of artistic license—to showcase classic visuals of life in bygone days on the High Plains of Eastern New Mexico.

© Ilija Lukić 2025

El Vaquero Viejo

"The Old Cowboy" Ilija in New Mexico c. 2013

9th US Cavalry Regimental Standard Bearer

Re-enactment at Ft Stanton Days in New Mexico

American Great Plains Icon

Bison bison aka American Buffalo on Llano Estacado tablelands north of Clovis, New Mexico

Pioneer Spirit

Timeworn hopes and dreams haunt abandoned homestead near Broadview, New Mexico

Rodeo Partnership

Cowboy foresight ensures clean roping run,

With focus on gear, as a matter of course,

Because his horse knows what needs to get done.

Good strategy means partnership with horse.

© Ilija Lukić 2025

During our years on the High Plains of Eastern New Mexico, rodeos were exciting waypoints in the cultural fabric of the Western way of life. Cowboys entered the rodeo arena with clear plans, well-prepared gear and horses, as well as a can-do mindset ready to execute a high speed task with precision and control. 

Gear Check

Cowboys check ropes and tack before steer roping event in Clovis NM c. 2008