New Creations, New Life and New Insights…

Posted on December 6, 2013 by

 

the journeyblog..working on a few new prints and feeling grateful for many things in life right now. I’m still working on healing the electrical sensitivity and have to subdue my obsessive side that wants to measure the rf frequencies and electrical fields of all things.  Though it’s been uncomfortable, I’m appreciative for the simplicity that’s settled onto my life… moments in nature and with family. It seems only when you’re forced to disconnect from the high tech world that you realize the beauty of life’s simple connections that have fallen to the wayside. I’m starting to do more person to person sales…sending some work to a gallery and opening myself to commissions. I did those saint pieces for my brother and he surprised me with a check that was ever so generous.  I love painting sacred portraits and creating pieces that nurture the soul life of others.

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Though the past few months have been challenging, they have truly taught me how even the manure of life can make great compost and food for

flowers….learning so much these days and feeling so thankful that with spirituality, no hardship can break us. I feel the hardships lately are hatching new things inside.  And I’m learning that the less I think and the more I trust, the more help from the Divine arrives…this life thing is lovely.

IMG_1374-1-1…sitting around in our pjs Thankgiving eve…I wanted to share more pictures that my older niece took but the phone is misbehaving….loved seeing the nieces over thanksgiving. They’re amazing….so bright, creative and full of heart.  This is Emma. I look at her sometimes and think she could be mine… That scrunchy face is her picture face. I asked her on Thanksgiving what she was thankful for, what made her happy. She smiled at me and said, “You!” Yeah, pretty much has us all wrapped around her finger.

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Blissing with Backgrounds

Posted on November 14, 2013 by

 

Such a beautiful morning…all bundled up and blissed in the studio….just enjoying messiness, cool air, bird songs, stencil play and inspirations. I painted some backgrounds this morning and had the thought to compile several of them and sell them as digital background packets in the Etsy shop for art journalers, scrapbookers, etc…We’ll see…either way, I love creating them and find them so calming.

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the sweet studio…

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the Stillness, the Sea, the Saints and a lovely poem by Pablo Neruda

Posted on November 11, 2013 by

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working in the mini art journal…when many things seem unclear, stillness is always a good decision

Had a lovely meditation by the sea this week, the kind that erases the world and leaves you in a sweet spot of deep connection, simplicity and silence. A few days later, I was reading “On the Blue Shore of Silence” by Pablo Neruda. It’s a book of poems inspired by the sea. The one below captured my experience…the poem is called “It is Born”.

 

Here I came to the very edge

where nothing at all needs saying,

everything is absorbed through the weather and the sea,

and the moon swam back,

its rays all silvered,

and time and again the darkness would be broken

by the crash of a wave,

and everyday on the balcony of the sea,

wings open, fire is born,

and everything is blue again like morning.

 

Still working on the the saints and angel pieces for my brother…I took these with my phone and they’re a bit blurry. But progress is happening and I may just be able to hand deliver them to him on Thanksgiving. 

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Some New Twists & a Few Wise Words From St. Catherine

Posted on November 1, 2013 by

It’s been a strange journey the last few weeks. I’ve been spending less time on the cell phone and on the computer blogging, flickering and tweeting. So please forgive me if I’ve been less responsive and interactive to blog posts. For whatever reason, I seem to be developing  electrical sensitivity  & can last for about 10 minutes at a time before I get nauseous and experience joint pains and at times stabbing headaches.  I hear this isn’t completely uncommon. Many these days are getting more sensitive as wifi, smart meters, cell phones and cell towers mix us into a slow cook radiation soup. Just in case anyone is experiencing some of the same problems, I’m including a link to a great website that’s rich with info on electrical sensitivity  as well as info anyone could use to reduce our exposure to electromagnetic frequencies. I’ve learned some solid tips from this site.

The benefit of all of this is that it’s reconnected me with the natural world. I’ve found great relief in a simple health practice that anyone can do called earthing. It brings my body which gets jangled by these frequencies back to a deep state of calm. “Earthing” stabilizes the electrical field of the body and has wonderful health benefits. The best part about is it’s free. You just have to walk barefoot on the earth. I’ve been strolling ’round the neighborhood like a granola hippy and loving the results. Try it & you will see!

I’ll still be blogging but will spend alot less time on the computer as reducing emf exposure is one of the most effective ways of healing the sensitivity.  I’m thinking of selling some work in art fairs and doing more local workshops & commissioned pieces…going back to the old fashioned ways of human contact which feels great. I’m helping to do some writing for a website as well and was wondering how I’m going to do all the research now that being on the computer is getting painful. Then it dawned on me that I could grab a cup of tea at Barnes and Nobles and flip through a few good books there. That sounds wonderfully old school and charming. Though I’m not enjoying the sensitivity, I am trying to look on the bright side as our dear Monty Python encourages us to do.

This week I’ve been working on a piece for my brother. He’s commissioning me to create a few images of saints to give as Chistmas presents to friends at his church. I love painting holy people no matter what the path! Anyhow, I found this quote by St. Catherine and thought it was a lovely one. “If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world ablaze.” Lots of warm wishes to all of you out there! Have a beautiful weekend!

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My Favorite Art Journal Book on the planet….by Dina Wakley

Posted on October 19, 2013 by

 th“Art Journal Freedom” by Dina Wakley is hands down one of my favorite art journal books! I have been suckered into many a mixed media book on amazon.  My shelves tumble with them. But out of those, 80% of them remain shelf-bound after the first read.  I love her spontaneous, messy, layered style.  But she is also generous as an artist.  Sometimes, I feel artists can be hesitant to reveal too much of their technique in the same way a good chef leaves out a spice to render the recipe unrepeatable. But she shows you her best work and guides you toward using the same techniques she used to create those pieces. I love love love this book and it will travel beyond the shelf  frequently! Below are a few of my favorite tips in the book.

1)   Leave a lot of white space. She was explaining how high end art pieces almost always have a lot of white in them. I started walking through Hyde Park in downtown Tampa to peruse some not so discount shops  and she was right! Apparently, white adds luxury to the page. But, for me it also calms and soothes the piece.

2)   3 is a magic #. I’ve been putting it to the test. She was saying if you use a certain color, stencil design, or collage imagery, use those at least three times in different parts of the page in varying ways. This creates a flow and movement to the piece.  I’ve been using the magic rule of three when working with colors, patterns , etc more than with the main image of the piece.  I can definitely see how it creates both balance and movement.  She also was saying if you’re having a frustrating time with color, limit your palette to three. But of course, there are always moments when breaking rules works beautifully.

C    Catalog cut outs sprayed black with white writing. She has a technique I love and am learning how to adapt. She cuts out figures from catalogs, magazines, etc…, Then she sprays them with black spray paint, writes some words over them with a white gel pen, and adds them to her background.  This is such a great technique to do in workshops where people aren’t as comfortable with their drawing skills. I’ve also been tracing around some of the images and building in a new person within the lines.  Fun!

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Below is an art journal spread in process art journal pages exploring some of her tips. It’s also an exploration of truths in varying forms.  I find these days that if you long to know something with sincerity, not only will you find it. It will find you.

Today's activity is to dabble and create page 2

Today’s activity is to dabble and create page 2

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“Swaman”…beyond self respect and into reverence

Posted on October 9, 2013 by

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We’ve been doing a workshop series at our meditation center called “Swaman: Meditations to Kindle Reverence for the Self.  “Swa” means self and “man” means reverence. I fell in love with the concept because it’s deeper than self respect. Self respect is usually about our relationship with the physical world…our competency, our role, successes, skills, how we fair with others, etc.  But reverence is about experiencing the eternal part of us beyond that. These journal pages were dedicated to the exploration.

To me, reverence is what we feel when we glimpse our deep beauty. It’s the same awe we feel when looking at a sunset or silent sky. It takes our breath away and leaves us feeling intimately connected with life. With self respect, we’re often caught up in the concept of ourselves as individual human units. But with swaman, we dance with all of life. I was thinking how there are three signs that let me know I’m in a state of reverence rather than just self respect. One is the feeling of loving who I am.  The other is that there is an intimate bond with all of life. The third is that desire dissolves. In that moment, the belly of the soul is full and we crave nothing.  We begin to move by inspiration and the impulse to give rather than a hunger.

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We’re spending five weeks kindling “swaman” with meditations.  And I’m setting the intention to create more and more of it because it’s just good soul food..  What about you? Can you think of a moment when you felt that reverence your self? Did you feel a sense of connection with life? Did you want to be anywhere else in that moment? What lets you know you’re there?

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A New Friend in the Art Stash

Posted on October 1, 2013 by

51MhbXxRP9L._SX258_BO1,204,203,200_This week, I wanted to try something new in the art journal. So I broke out the “Transfer Artist Paper (aka TAP) that’s been sleeping in my cabinet and printed an image I altered in photoshop of some flowers. I love this stuff. You basically print on the paper, iron over the back of it with pressure for several seconds onto the page you’re working on, peel the back of the transfer paper and voila! I did learn you have to be super careful about not letting the iron touch already transferred images of the page while transferring new imagery.   That lead to a little butchery on the journal page but gave it a rustic look and lead me down a new design trail….lessons learned (quite a few).

Apparently, you can transfer images onto wood, fabric, paper, the works. You can even paint or draw on the paper and transfer that…lots more to try.  Tis a good friend to have in the art stash.

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