By Nanette Wiser
WORDS OF JOY For Pamela Joy Trow, creating art for those who live colorful lives is easy. From greeting cards to prints, shower curtains to coffee cups, her whimsical designs celebrate nature and her other passions which include growing sensational orchids. She was just selected by Creative Pinellas and Pinellas County as one of a handful of artists for the ARTWorks Signal Box Project. Look for her designs on a box near you! pamelajoytrow.com
This month’s inspiration is “Butterfly Garden,” and she encourages everyone to add plants that sustain and attract bees and butterflies. “Although ‘Butterfly Garden’ doesn’t use anthropomorphosis (a mouthful, huh?), I use it in many of my works,” says Trow. Anthropomorphosis is when we give human characteristics to objects and non-human entities such as gods and animals. According to ‘Psychology Today’ attributing human intent to non-human animals, spirits, robots, or other entities, real or imagined, is one way people make sense of the behaviors and events they encounter. It’s a form of communication. I naturally lean toward creating animal ‘humans’ in my art because the symbolism conveys the messages suggested in my work. So, when my art is animals as animals, hopefully, you’ve seen my other work giving animals human traits. When I get so literal with animals, it expresses my love for animals and my respect for nature. Animals do not lie, do not hate, they do not seek revenge, or treat humans any differently based on personality. They follow their inherent nature. I hope my art reflects the desire to revere them.”
MOTHER OCEAN Greeting the sunrise with a yoga pose and the sunset with photo is part of living in Paradise. And lucky for us, proximity to the seawater creates a sense of tranquility and harmony. More than 70% of the Earth is water and more than 60% of our bodies consists of this fluid of life, so it re-energizes our mind, body, and spirit. So do the ocean’s gifts (salt, algae, mud, and minerals), so apparent to those who enjoy sea-sonal spa treatments. The ancient Greeks praised the ocean’s health benefits and thalassotherapy” comes from the Greek words Thalassa or sea. Hippocrates recommended sea baths for those who suffered from rheumatism and sciatica. In 1865, French doctor Jacques de la Bonnardière rediscovered the importance of sea therapy and promoted it as a cure for mental and physical ailments. Today, thalassotherapy is offered in many wellness centers from saltwater baths to algae and mud treatments. Pollen allergies and even asthma can improve after a few days spent near the ocean. The salty ocean breeze takes on a healing role as it cleans up the mucous membranes in the nose and the sinuses, destroys allergens, and soothes inflammation.
SPRING DETOX Motivated by Florida’s fresh veggies in the weekly markets from Tuesday Gulfport to Sunday Corey Avenue, it’s time to up your plant-based diet game with two easy-to-use devices. I love sprouting seeds and beans in a quart glass jar with a mesh lid so you to rinse your seeds. To sprout seeds, grains, or beans, soak them overnight, then rinse once or twice daily for about five days (larger beans and grains can take a day longer). Spiralizers are fun, turning zucchini, squash, and carrots into pasta-shaped goodies, best topped with a protein-rich nut sauce and olive oil.