✨ Different venues, different themes — but always the same hope: that my art brings a bit of wonder and awareness and wonder to your day.
On October 24, I’ll be exhibiting at the Bank of Romney in Romney, WV as part of the Hampshire County Arts Council’s Art in Public Places program. This show will be called “Pretty Appalachian Pollinators” and will feature pollinating butterflies and moths of our region. Inspired by my participation in the national butterfly count this summer, these new works highlight both the beauty and the fragile future of these winged wonders.
Shattered Midnight Series September 2025 at The River House, Capon Bridge, WV
✨ 2025 Art Events & Exhibits ✨
🎨 August 15 – September 14 → Gallery Show at The River House, Capon Bridge (featuring the “Shattered Midnight” series)
🗣️ September 5 → Artist Talk at The River House, 6–8 PM
🧺 September 13 → Artisan Market at The River House, Capon Bridge
🌌 September 14 → Final day of Shattered Midnight series exhibit
🌲 September 20 → Art in the Park, Lost River State Park, WV
🦋 October 24 – December 19→ “Pretty Appalachian Pollinators” at the Bank of Romney (Art in Public Places program)
🍁 December 6 → Artisan Market at The River House, Capon Bridge (weather permitting)
“Some works featured here have already found homes, but I continue to explore these themes in new paintings”
A striking image of a fawn curled up within dense greenery, painted with stained-glass-like segmentation. The fawn’s warm orange tones and white spots contrast against a backdrop of richly patterned foliage, where intricate black-and-white designs layered over green leaves suggest both complexity and shelter. The effect is at once decorative and deeply emotive, as though the animal is part of a fragile, fractured world.
This painting is part of my Shattered series, which resembles stained glass but carries a deeper meaning related to my own sense of brokenness. The design emerged organically — the silver-inked patterned leaves appeared simply because that’s what the painting asked for, not from a deliberate plan. Though the fawn is beautiful, it carries emotions I haven’t fully defined. It is at once vulnerable, quiet, and reflective of an inner state I can’t entirely put into words
This painting has already been sold. I look forward to painting more!
Please feel free to use the form below for commissions or gallery appearances. I will answer your request as soon as possible.
Check out my other paintings at www.tobitokens.com or find out a little more about me at About Tobi! Visit Disclosures to find out how I establish these short stories.
Visit my Social Media for more up-to-date happenings!
Six tiny sparks of life, fireflies, their bodies pulsing with a soft, internal luminescence, have somehow drifted into the still, colored world of the stained glass.
High above, against a backdrop of deep, almost velvety blues, Ignis, a lone emerald gleam, dances a rebellious twirl, a tiny beacon against the moonlit panes. The largest of three red mushrooms, its cap a whimsical pattern of scarlet against crisp white dots, holds the reflected glow of three clustered fireflies on its textured underside, which looks like delicate, pale gills. Stella, her light a warm gold, is utterly lost in the intricate beauty of these feathery surfaces.
Beside her, Glimmer zips with a rapid blue staccato of pure excitement, his light a fleeting streak within the defined black outlines of the glass. Nearby, Luna, a gentle silver shimmer, traces the unfurling edges of a smaller mushroom nestled amongst darker green foliage, a sense of wonder in her soft glow. In the distance, a sixth firefly, Umbra, blinks with a slow, deliberate amber light, a solitary point against the deep indigo. “Life!” Ignis exclaims, his emerald spark flaring against the rich blue. “Isn’t it glorious?” “Everything here… the way the moonlight softens the edges…” Luna breathes, her silvery light catching the faint glow filtering through the lighter blue and white sections of the glass, illuminating the unfurling form before her. “It feels like a cathedral of light, just for us,” Stella murmurs, utterly captivated by the delicate texture and the defined patterns on the large, fairytale-like cap above. “Gotta soak it all in!” Glimmer buzzes, a streak of blue energy darting within the black-lined segments of the glass. “Every single spark counts!” Umbra, from his distant vantage, emits a slow, grudging pulse of amber. “All this… ‘beauty’… doesn’t change anything.” A soft rustle announces Delilah, a large white-tailed deer whose coat holds the gentle hues of browns and tans. Her gaze, landing on the fireflies, radiates a quiet kindness. “Welcome,” she says, her voice a low, calming melody. “You seem to have found joy in this… still night.” “We have!” Ignis declares, his light flashing with enthusiasm. “Life’s a blink, but oh so sweet!” Umbra gives another slow blink, his amber light a skeptical flicker. Delilah offers a slow blink, a knowing warmth in her gentle eyes. She sees their vibrant delight, their fierce embrace of each fleeting moment within this space framed by bold black lines and bathed in a diffused, moonlit glow. She understands the ingrained rhythm of their existence, the innate knowledge of their brief dance. But they don’t know. They can’t perceive the timeless stillness, the way they’ve drifted from the fresh air of the clearing into the eternal embrace of the stained glass. A quiet dilemma settles within Delilah. Does she reveal the truth, shattering their precious illusion of a finite life within this dreamlike, colorful enclosure, even for the grumpy one in the distance? Or does she let them continue in their joyful celebration, each “day” lived as if it is their last, even though their existence will now stretch into an eternal now, bathed in the perpetual moonlight of the stained glass? Delilah considers. The brighter fireflies continue their luminous ballet against the backdrop of the deep blues, the whimsical red mushrooms, and the dark, enchanted foliage, while Umbra remains a more subdued, steady point of amber in the distance. A decision forms. She will let them be. Their joy, their vibrant dance of life within this still, beautiful world, is too precious to interrupt, even the quiet defiance of the distant one. Let them live each flicker, each glow, each precious moment as they always have, even as those “moments” extend into forever within the defined panes. Let them believe their time is short, and in that belief, paint each “day” within the stained glass with a masterpiece of joy. The secret of their eternal existence remains with her, a quiet understanding held within the heart of the ancient cathedral, a gentle smile in her knowing gaze as the soft, painted moonlight illuminates their dance, and the steady amber glow in the distance.
“Shattered Midnight Fireflies” is a Gansai watercolor painting by Tobi Dannemiller. It will be on display at The The River House in Capon Bridge, WV July 2025 Go visit this Shattered Midnight Series in person.
Please feel free to use the form below for commissions or gallery appearances. I will answer your request as soon as possible.
The cathedral whispered secrets, not the rustling of leaves or the chirping of crickets, but the quiet murmurs of dreams, the silent stories woven from moonlight and magic. In a quiet corner of a stained-glass window, nestled beneath a large red mushroom dotted with perfect white spots, lay a tiny field mouse named Flicker. Two smaller mushrooms provided a cozy cushion on either side of him. His fur, a mosaic of browns and creams, shimmered with an ethereal light, reflecting the starlight filtering through the repaired seams of the window. Flicker wasn’t asleep. He was gazing upwards, his bright, curious eyes fixed on the vast expanse of the night sky, visible through a gap in the cathedral roof far above. His tiny paws fidgeted, his whiskers twitched nervously, a restless energy buzzing within him.
By day, he flitted from window to window, his restless spirit driving him to explore every corner of the cathedral. But at night, he found solace in the stars. They calmed the whirlwind of thoughts that constantly swirled within him. He loved their distant glow, how they made him feel small, yet strangely alive. He would point his tiny paw and whisper their names, names he’d overheard from passing humans, names he’d misremembered and made his own: “Surferuss,” he’d call Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. “Poldarkiss,” he’d murmur to Polaris, the North Star. “Andromediaa,” he’d squeak to the distant galaxy, imagining it as a beautiful princess trapped in the sky.
He remembered his first days in the cathedral, searching for Lumina’s magic, the magic whispered in the legends. He’d searched every window, every corner, every point of light but found nothing. He felt like he was searching for “something” his whole life. Then, one night, he looked up. “Flicker! Must you dash about like a comet?” Nyx, the red-morph screech owl, would scold, her feathers ruffling in annoyance. “Some of us are trying to concentrate!” Delilah would sweetly say in her lovely, calming voice, “What Nix means to say, is that it’s time to meditate, little mouse.”
But nothing seemed to quiet the restless hum that vibrated through his tiny frame, until he looked up. Up at the stars.
As he gazed at the tiny flickering lights, he felt a warmth spread through him, a feeling of contentment he had not experienced before. The worries, anxieties and constant restless energies that plagued him during the day seemed to melt away, replaced by a sense of peace, a quiet joy.
He wasn’t just a trembling, annoying field mouse anymore. He was a part of the cathedral, a part of its magic, a part of its story. He was a stained-glass mouse, forever gazing at the stars, forever connected to the vast universe, forever at peace. The restless energy that had always driven him now flowed into a quiet sense of purpose, a connection to something larger than himself.
And as the moon climbed higher in the sky, casting its silvery glow upon the old, forgotten cathedral, Flicker remained there, lost in the wonder of the stars.
Suddenly, a burst of joy filled him. An exciting revelation that he just had to share! He threw all of his tiny paws up in the air and yelled, “Delilah! Elvis! I’m meditating!” The echo bounced off the cathedral walls.
From the shadows, a sleepy voice responded, “Shhhhh!” and a startled, angry screech owl began to trill.
“Shattered Midnight Mouse” is a Gansai (Japanese Watercolor) painting. It is a dark painting depicting dark blue forest floor. featuring 3 red and white mushrooms. The middle mushroom is large and one smaller mushroom on each side. There are shadows of leafy plants to compliment the mushrooms. Centered in the middle is a little field mouse gazing upwards on it’s back under the mushrooms with it’s little paws on it’s belly.
Please feel free to use the form below for commissions or gallery appearances. I will answer your request as soon as possible.
Check out my other paintings at www.tobitokens.com or find out a little more about me at About Tobi! Visit Disclosures to find out how I establish these short stories.
Visit my Social Media for more up-to-date happenings!
The forest floor, a tapestry of dark blue moss and scattered stones rendered in vibrant stained glass, held a secret. Three red mushrooms, each dotted with perfect white spots and crafted from shimmering glass, stood like tiny beacons in the moonlight. They were the home of the “Midnight Ladies”, a colony of ladybugs forever frozen in poses of cheerful activity, their stained-glass shells gleaming with a glossy sheen.
The largest mushroom, the grandest of the three, was their gathering place, their stage. Every night, as the moon climbed high in the sky outside the cathedral window, the ladybugs in the stained glass would gather there, their tiny forms illuminated by the soft glow of the moonlight filtering through. They would sing songs of the forest, of the stars, of the joy of being alive.
They weren’t just ladybugs; they were stained-glass ladybugs. Their shells, a mosaic of crimson and glossy black, shimmered with an otherworldly light, reflecting the magic of the moon and the mushrooms. Delicate lines, like tiny scars, crisscrossed the glass of their window, a reminder of a time long past when the vibrant scene had been shattered, only to be lovingly pieced back together. They were part of the forest’s hidden wonders, a secret joy whispered on the wind that blew through the cracks in the ancient cathedral.
One night, a lost firefly, its light flickering weakly, flew against the cathedral window and landed on the stained glass, near the Midnight Ladies. It was exhausted, its tiny light almost extinguished. It had flown too far from its family, and now it didn’t know how to find its way back. The magic of the glass, Lumina’s magic, did not absorb this little creature like usual. It seemed to understand that he just needed a little break. This little bug had to return to his family in the forest.
The Midnight Ladies in the stained glass saw the firefly’s plight. They appeared to gather around it, their tiny voices soft and comforting. They began to sing songs of hope, songs of courage, songs of the unwavering light that shines even in the darkest of nights. Their ravenous nature set aside, they wanted to help the hurting and frightened bug.
Their songs seemed to fill the firefly with warmth, with strength. It looked at the ladybugs, their shimmering shells glowing like tiny stars in the moonlight, and it felt a surge of hope. It wasn’t alone and it wasn’t frightened of them. These tiny creatures, these Midnight Ladies encased in glass, had shown it the way and given it some respite.
As the moon began to descend, the firefly felt its light growing stronger. It thanked the ladybugs for their kindness, for their songs, for their unwavering support throughout the night. Then, with a renewed sense of purpose, it took to the air, its light pulsing brightly, guiding it back to its family.
The Midnight Ladies watched the firefly go, their hearts forever filled with joy. They knew that even the smallest act of kindness could make a difference, that even the faintest light could shine brightly in the darkness. And as they remained in their places, forever singing their silent songs to the outside world, they knew that their magic, their music, their light, would continue to inspire through the cathedral window, bringing hope and joy to all who needed it.
“Shattered Midnight Ladies” is a Gansai (Japanese Watercolor) painting featuring a dark scene depicting the same dark blue forest floor. The sky above shows a blue night sky, like the full moon is just out of view. The 3 red and white mushrooms range from large to small and a few ferns and other plants surround the main characters. Atop the large mushroom 3 ladybugs are lined up in a row.
This painting and more from the “Shattered” series will be appearing for sale summer 2025. Prints will also be offered. Stay tuned to my social media for sale dates and locations.
Please feel free to use the form below for commissions or gallery appearances. I will answer your request as soon as possible.
Check out my other paintings at www.tobitokens.com or find out a little more about me at About Tobi! Visit Disclosures to find out how I establish these short stories.
Visit my Social Media for more up-to-date happenings!
The moon was a painter tonight, splashing silver light across the velvet canvas of the forest. A tiny fairy, no bigger than a dewdrop, named Lumina, watched from her perch on a mushroom cap, her heart filled with a quiet wonder. The scene before her was breathtaking: the red mushrooms, dotted with white, glowing softly against the dark blue moss, the smooth grey stones catching the moonlight like scattered jewels. It was a moment of perfect beauty, a fleeting glimpse of magic in the heart of the night.
Lumina longed to capture this moment, to hold onto it, to share it with the world. She had heard whispers of a magic, a way to weave light and color into something solid, something lasting. A way to create stained glass.
Driven by inspiration, she set to work. She gathered moonlight, shimmering and ethereal, and mixed it with dewdrops, each one reflecting a tiny piece of the night sky. She crushed petals of the deepest red flowers and ground them with smooth, white stones, creating pigments that echoed the colors of the mushrooms. She whispered to the wind, asking it to carry her magic, to bind the colors and the light together.
With delicate precision, she painted the scene onto a sheet of glass, her tiny brushstrokes capturing the essence of the moonlit clearing. She worked through the night, her heart filled with joy, her fingers guided by magic. She painted the red mushrooms, each one glowing with an inner light. She painted the dark blue moss, soft and velvety beneath the moonlight. She painted the smooth grey stones, catching the silver sheen of the moon.
As the first rays of dawn touched the horizon, Lumina stepped back to admire her work. The stained-glass panel shimmered with a soft, ethereal light, capturing the magic of the night, the beauty of the mushrooms, the whisper of the wind. It was perfect. She left it nestled amongst the roots of an ancient oak, a silent promise of the magic to come.
Centuries later, a wandering stonemason, weary from his travels, stumbled upon the clearing. He was drawn to the shimmering light emanating from the base of the oak. There, nestled amongst the roots, he found the stained-glass panel, a vision of beauty in the heart of the forest. He was captivated by its magic, its ethereal glow.
Inspired by the panel, he vowed to build a sanctuary around it, a place where others could share in its wonder. And so, he began to construct a small chapel, its walls echoing the colors of the stained glass, its very existence a testament to the magic it contained.
Over time, the chapel grew into a magnificent cathedral, its stained-glass windows multiplied, each one a creation of Lumina’s enduring magic, telling stories of nature, of light, of dreams. Hundreds of years passed, and the cathedral became old and crumbling, its stones weathered by time, its roof open to the sky. But Lumina’s magic remained.
Her stained-glass panels, once shattered and diligently repaired in places, continued to shimmer with their ethereal light, still whispering tales of beauty and wonder, still offering solace to weary souls, still inspiring dreams in the hearts of those who beheld them. And this very first panel, “Midnight Mushrooms,” remained, steadfast to the magic and heart that had started it all.
“Shattered Midnight Mushrooms” is a Gansai (Japanese Watercolor) Depicting a dark blue forest floor with four red fly agaric mushrooms nestled among rocks and leafy plants at the foot of an ancient oak. Unlike the others, there are no creatures in this painting but it holds a magic and life of its own. This painting bears deep secrets. And you long to find out what they are.
This painting and more from the “Shattered” series will be appearing for sale summer 2025. Prints will also be offered. Stay tuned to my social media for sale dates and locations.
Please feel free to use the form below for commissions or gallery appearances. I will answer your request as soon as possible.
Check out my other paintings at www.tobitokens.com or find out a little more about me at About Tobi! Visit Disclosures to find out how I establish these short stories.
Visit my Social Media for more up-to-date happenings!
Aurelia, a young Appalachian cottontail with fur the color of sun-baked earth, had always felt a little… different. While the other young rabbits in her warren chased each other through the meadows, she preferred the quiet solitude of the whispering pines. While they chattered excitedly about the best places to find clover, she found herself drawn to the stories whispered by the elders – stories of a magical cathedral, bathed in light and color, where animals found solace and belonging.
The story that captivated her most was the origin story, the tale of the “Shattered Midnight Mushrooms.” It told of a tiny fairy, Lumina, who, long ago, stumbled upon a moonlit clearing and, with a touch of magic, captured its beauty in the very first stained-glass window. It was said that Lumina’s creation, a scene of vibrant red mushrooms nestled amongst green moss and beneath a dark blue sky, held a special power, a whisper of the fairy’s magic that could grant wishes and mend broken hearts. This window, unlike the others, featured no creatures that you could see, just four red mushrooms illuminated by starlight and under the protection of the oldest oak.
Aurelia, with her quiet spirit and yearning for connection, clung to this story. She longed to find the “Shattered Midnight Mushrooms” window, to touch the cool glass, and to whisper her own secret wish. A wish for wholeness, for a place where she truly belonged, a place where her quiet heart wouldn’t feel so out of place.
One crisp autumn afternoon, as the leaves swirled around her like a fiery dance, Aurelia set off on a pilgrimage to the cathedral. She followed a winding path, her little paws tracing the whispers of the wind, her heart pounding with anticipation. The forest seemed to hold its breath as she journeyed, the trees leaning in, the sunlight dappling the path in shimmering patterns.
Finally, she saw it: the cathedral, its stained-glass windows ablaze with a myriad of colors. She crept inside, the air cool and still, the scent of ancient stone and forgotten magic filling her senses. She wandered through the echoing halls, her eyes wide with wonder, until she found it – the rectangular window, bathed in golden light, depicting the “Shattered Midnight Mushrooms”, four lonely mushrooms nestled against the old oak tree.
She reached out a trembling paw, dusty and sore from her journey, and touched the cool glass. The mushrooms seemed to pulse with a gentle light, and the dark blue sky shimmered with a life of its own. Aurelia closed her eyes and whispered her wish, her voice barely audible in the vast silence of the cathedral.
I wish… I wish to find where I belong. I wish to be whole.
As she spoke, a surge of warmth flowed through her, and the world around her dissolved into a whirlwind of colors. She felt herself changing, becoming lighter, more ethereal. When her vision cleared, she found herself within a circular window, her fur now a mosaic of browns and creams. The golden light bathed her, and a wreath of purple and orange flowers, woven with shimmering leaves, framed her perfectly.
She was no longer just Aurelia, the quiet cottontail who felt different. She was Aurelia, the stained-glass cottontail, a part of the cathedral’s magic, a testament to the power of wishes and the enduring spirit of Lumina’s first creation.
And then, she saw them. The Midnight Ladies, three tiny stained-glass ladybugs, their shells gleaming with crimson and black, fluttered around her, their voices like tinkling bells.
“Welcome, Aurelia,” they chirped. “Welcome to your new home.”
They led her through the cathedral, introducing her to the other animals who had found solace within the stained glass. There was the red fox, his fur a fiery blend of orange and gold, his eyes forever curious. And Jasper, the cardinal, his feathers a vibrant crimson, his song a melody of hope. And Gilead, the gentle brown bunny, his fur speckled with the colors of the dandelions he loved.
She met Nyx, the red-morph screech owl, her feathers a mosaic of red clay and burnt Sienna, her gaze sharp and protective. She met Elvis, the eastern screech owl, his blue feathers shimmering like twilight, his golden eyes full of cheerful humor, and Delilah, the graceful deer, her coat a soft blend of browns and tans, her gentle gaze radiating wisdom.
And Bill, the box turtle, his shell a masterpiece of yellow and orange, his long life etched into every line. And then the Midnight Ladies themselves their shells a symphony of colors, their songs a singing into to the beauty of the night.
And as Aurelia gazed at them all, she knew that she had truly found her place. She was home.
“Shattered Cottontail” is a Gansai (Japanese Watercolor) depicting a young brown Appalachian cottontail bunny sitting on her back haunches. She looks young and is surrounded by a wreath of flowers. Her name is Aurelia.
This and more paintings from the “Shattered” series will be offered for sale summer 2025 along with. Prints will also be offered in the future.
Please feel free to use the form below for commissions or gallery appearances. I will answer your request as soon as possible.
Check out my other paintings at www.tobitokens.com or find out a little more about me at About Tobi! Visit Disclosures to find out how I establish these short stories.
Visit my Social Media for more up-to-date happenings!
“Shattered Screech Owl” is a Gansai (Japanese Watercolor) painting featuring a Red Morph Eastern Screech Owl against a mottled forest green background resembling a stained glass window. Her eyes are bright yellow and assertive. Like this owl means business. And she does.
Deep within the ancient forest, where the trees whispered secrets to the wind, lived a red-morph eastern screech owl. She was known as Nyx, a creature of sharp wit and even sharper talons. Unlike the other owls, who preferred the quiet solitude of the night, Nyx patrolled her territory with a fierce determination, protecting the smaller creatures from harm. She was a force to be reckoned with, her piercing yellow eyes seeing through the darkness, her calls echoing through the trees like a warning. Her territory was her pride, a lush, vibrant green haven in the heart of the ancient woods.
One sultry summer evening, as the fireflies blinked their enchanting code in the velvet darkness, Nyx was startled by a flash of russet fur. A fox! She immediately took to the air, determined to protect the field mice she knew were foraging nearby. She swooped down, talons extended, ready to give chase.
But something was wrong. The fox wasn’t running. It was…glowing? Before Nyx could make sense of it and force her wings to change course, she collided with the fox and then slid through it. It was something hard and unyielding and then something that felt like water. She was released and then tumbled to the ground, disoriented and confused.
As her vision cleared, she realized she was inside a crumbling cathedral. The air inside was still and heavy, the silence broken only by the soft rustle of her feathers and click of her talons on the stone floor. She looked around, trying to understand what had happened. Then, she saw a stained-glass window depicting a dense forest, its leaves a calming shade of dusty green. And within the window next to it, the fox, surrounded by aqua green light! The very fox she had been chasing!
Drawn by an unseen force, a strange sense of recognition, she hopped closer to the window. As she touched the cool glass, a surge of magic coursed through her body. The world around her dissolved into a whirlwind of colors, and she felt herself transforming, becoming part of the stained glass.
When her vision cleared, she found herself perched within the dense stained-glass forest, her feathers now a mosaic of clay and Sienna, her bright yellow eyes still glowing with their characteristic intensity. And all around her, the vibrant green of the stained-glass leaves. She was no longer just Nyx, the protector of the forest; she was Nyx, the guardian of the cathedral wood.
The fox, in his own the window, looked at her with an expression of…knowing? “ Welcome.” the fox’s voice seemed to echo from within the glass.
Nyx, still slightly dazed, looked around at the other animals in the stained glass. She saw the frightened mouse she had tried to save, now nestled safely amongst the moss’s under a giant mushroom. She saw a fa deer in a nighttime glade, conversing with another owl. And on a cluster of bright red mushrooms, she saw a small colony of ladybugs, their tiny shells gleaming like jewels. They all seemed peaceful, even happy.
The fox continued, “I saw you out there, swooping and diving ever so vigilant. We…we need someone to protect us, someone strong, just in case people come. Will you stay, Nyx? Will you be our guardian?”
Nyx, her protective instincts still burning bright, looked at the creatures around her, all safe and happy. And she knew what she had to do.
“I will stay,” she said, her voice ringing with a newfound resolve. “I will be your guardian. Now WHO’s that owl over there?”
And so, Nyx embraced her new role, becoming a beacon of strength and hope within the cathedral, a guardian of the green, a protector of the nave.
This and more paintings from the “Shattered” series will be offered for sale summer 2025 along with. Prints will also be offered in the future.
Please feel free to use the form below for commissions or gallery appearances. I will answer your request as soon as possible.
Check out my other paintings at www.tobitokens.com or find out a little more about me at About Tobi! Visit Disclosures to find out how I establish these short stories.
Visit my Social Media for more up-to-date happenings!
Delilah, the clever deer with wide eyes and graceful stature, and Elvis, the minuscule and cheerful screech owl with feathers tufted to resemble the bark of a tree, shared a bond as unique as any found in the whispering pinewood forest. Their friendship, a mix of Delilah’s gentle wisdom and Elvis’s playful laughter, was a constant source of joy for them.
They lived in a secluded clearing within the whispering pinewood forest, a place where they spent their days crafting fantastical tales. Delilah, with her logical mind, would weave intricate plots, while Elvis, with his boundless imagination, would add whimsical details and cheerful characters. Together, they invented stories of mischievous fairies, playful flying squirrels, and friendly sprites, all creatures that loved the night.
However, the surrounding forest inhabitants didn’t understand their friendship or their stories. They found their tales offensive and weird, their bond an oddity. Raised eyebrows and hushed whispers followed them wherever they went. Delilah, with her patient nature, tried to explain their connection, but to no avail. Elvis, though cheerful, felt a pang of sadness at the constant disapproval.
One night, Delilah’s mother told her of a place that was accepting, a place where differences were celebrated. She had heard tales of an ancient cathedral, with its shimmering stained-glass windows. At once Delilah told Evlis and they dreamed of capturing their stories in glass, a window that would reflect the beauty of their enchanted realm. They had no idea what “stained-glass” was, but it sounded like it was made with magic.
With newfound hope, they journeyed deep into the forest and through the whispering pines and ancient oak trees. Through meadows and streams towards a long lost village that once heald a towerinng stone building. Tired and hungry, they eventually glimpsed the distant glow far away.. As they approached a clearing, the massive stone cathedral’s windows shimmered with an otherworldly light, beckoning them closer. They carefully stepped inside, their eyes wide with wonder, and found themselves surrounded by a spectrum of colors. They visited each stained-glass pane and saw that they held a scenes of joy and acceptance, with animals of all kinds living in harmony. Delilah felt a sense of peace, seeing the other creatures looking so happy and playful, each in their own vibrant pane of glass. Elvis, his heart filled with delight, let out a series of joyful trills and hoos.
As the setting sun painted the cathedral in hues of gold and rose, they found a window that mirrored their many of their own fairytales. It was a night scene, with a golden crescent moon hanging above a serene blue lake called Kimsey. A flowering dogwood tree, its blossoms crafted from fragments of golden colored glass, stood beside the lake. The window’s fractured blues, greens and golds shimmered with details that seemed to beckon them closer.
“It’s beautiful,” Delilah murmured, her eyes reflecting the vibrant colors. “A place where unique pieces come together to create something extraordinary.” “This window resembles our very own imaginations, Elvis!”
“Like it was meant to be!” Elvis chirped, his tufted feathers twitching with excitement.
They had come to the cathedral seeking refuge, seeking a place where their unusual friendship would be understood. They found a strange comfort in the cathedral’s accepting silence and the window made up just for them.
As they gazed at the dogwood window, a sense of belonging washed over them. They weren’t broken, they realized, but rather unique, their bond a rare and precious thing. The cathedral, with its mosaic of stories and its ancient beauty and magic… yes, magic!, had offered them a home where they could simply be themselves.
And so, stepping inside, Delilah and Elvis found their place, not in the shadows of judgment, but in the radiant light of the stained-glass windows.
Delilah and Elvis the Owl
Every night, their silhouettes appeared in the dogwood window with the shimmering blue lake and crescent moon. Delilah’s graceful form and Elvis’s cheerful feathers the unlikely friendship in a home in the heart of a cathedral deep in a forgotten ancient pinewood forest.
Every evening under their blooming dogwood tree, they would continue to weave stories of mischievous fairies, playful flying squirrels, friendly sprites and all creatures that loved the night.
Thanks so much for enjoying my painting and story! This beautiful painting is 8×10 and features shimmering Gansai watercolor pigments.
If you are interested in the original, please contact me for price and location if you’re local. If you are interested in a print of this painting please use the contact form below and we can work together to produce the perfect size and style of print that you wish.
Please feel free to use the form below for commissions or gallery appearances. I will answer your request as soon as possible.
Tobi Dannemiller 