"Artichoke" by Scott Beveridge 9/20/2009By Scott Beveridge
The notion to paint an artichoke with watercolors came to me in a dream.
It was one of those eureka-type dreams that jolted me awake feeling as if a message had been delivered in a premonition not to be dismissed.
As a cynic, I’ve never given much credence to these visionary moments of mystical inspiration that are better suited for the likes of actress Shirley McClain.
The dream about six months ago led me to believe my subconscious mind was suggesting that I focus again on my roots as an artist at a time when scores of newspapers reporters like me were being furloughed in an industry that has been struggling to adapt to the free Internet age.
Then the dream became a silly joke fueled by my fellow blogger Amanda Gillooly, whose hilarious musings occasionally appear on this Web site.
Gillooly wouldn’t let go of the spiritual guidance that the dream delivered, and occasionally hounded me to grab the brushes, tubes of paint and watercolor paper to fulfill destiny.
The pleasant, sunny weather on Sunday gave me no excuse to get to work.
But then the strangest message arrived in an email tonight from another friend, who will remain anonymous, containing the “official” interpretation of a dream about this edible flower.
Here it is from fatedreams.com:
To see or eat an artichoke in your dream, suggests that you need to get to the heart of some matter. It is also representative of your potential and creativity. Perhaps you are holding back in how you want to express yourself.
"That's weird," is all I can say.
