Featured Artist

About a year ago, during our annual Art Harvest Studio Tour, I was introduced to the owners of the Gallery at Ten Oaks, by one of the artists they represent. I asked if they were accepting art from New artists, and they said, "Yes! We'd love to see your work!" 

My friend Sepha and I went together a couple of months later, with 5 pieces each, and they were delighted to show our intuitive, mindful art! They spotlight one artists work each month and already had a full schedule; so asked if we would have a combined show, as their Featured Artists in September! 

5 of My ladies on the left

We were in the path of totality for the eclipse, and a couple of the pieces for the show include the moon and Sun's corona. I revisited my Queen of Your own Heart, "She Sees By Starlight" and had to paint a little Dragon! I think my Red Madonna Dragon will hold the eclipsed sun as well.

It was fun to look back, and see paintings I had for my first Featured Artist show, Musings, back in 2014 at Walnut City Wineworks, shortly before entering the CoW teacher training! 

Eclipse from Central Oregon, © Ken Strode

My painting Sekhmet hung at the Wineworks for the next year, and is in this show as well. 
I have several classes on the schedule for September, Red Thread Reiki 1, and a Musé Day offering, Musé of Equilibrium, exploring themes of harvest, compost, and cycles.

* are you too far away to visit the Gallery? Enjoy this 1/2 hour YouTube clip where I share my harp and art on our local cable channel, with host Howie Harkema!! 

Blessings as you move into fall, and happy Paint Party Friday! (Head over to the blog roll, and add your post to the list!

Holistic Practices

Years ago, I overheard a college professor chastise several women students he felt were spending "too much time" on things other than their art. One was a single mom, who did amazing Susan Seddon-Boulet style shamanic work, another joined her sister who was in theater; both performing and producing a play her senior year, AND carrying off a brilliant Senior art show! But they weren't "one point focused" on their art, so would "never get anywhere" ...

I recently discovered this lovely little clip from the BBC, featuring Merritt Moore, a professional ballerina and student of quantum physics. She talks about trying to give up ballet, but finding it feeds her, and enhances her work with physics. 

Shande'nea

This ability to draw from many experiences and synthesize them as we create art is holistic and enriching. It is wonderful to have time and space to focus in, it's also lovely to have multiple experiences which feed your spirit! 

Happy Paint Party Friday!

Full Moon Musings

Tomorrow my friend Sepha and I will journey a couple of hours South, to offer a workshop for new beloveds in the Eugene area! This class coincides with Muse Day offerings around the world, where we gather to share tea, Poetry and creativity! 
I've offered several Muse Days, beginning with one for my middle grandkids in February, and one last month on grief and guardians. My friend Patricia did a wonderful spirit portrait of her beloved dog Kai, who recently crossed the rainbow bridge! 

Kia, by Patricia R.

Our weekend offering is "Musé of Creative Fires," and Musés light Fuses! Today's full moon is in Sagittarius, inviting us to remember the arrows we cast in their beauty and softness,  watching them flower into wisdom. We'll share the process of creating with attention and mindfulness, and see what wisdom's fire offers our beloveds! 

Order of the Phoenix

I'll take along my Phoenix woman, and Sepha is bringing a couple, including her fiesty demo for this playshop, Rubi! 
We met for tea and an art store jaunt this morning, and are gathering our supplies. Here we go!  One of the last instructions during our events is to hand the Musé the pen, and receive a poem or missive.

I love the message from my lady, Gypsy Rose Muse in 2016, "Sweet Nadya, we bring wisdom from the stars and ancient pathways. You are so loved, so appreciated, so honored! We invite you to attune to all your senses, and enliven your spirit.
Sparkle and shine, share the joy you know deep inside. In attending to your own joy, and in doing the little things, a-tending, you will bring your beloveds hone to themselves!"
You're invited to contemplate some of our inquiries: 

• What lights your creative fire, this Sagittarius moon
• What beautiful arrows are flowering?
• What does your Musé invite you to cause and create?

When I Met My Muse 

~ Oregon poet laureate William Stafford ~

I glanced at her and took my glass off -- they were still singing.

They buzzed like a locust on the coffee table and then ceased.

Her voice belted forth and the sunlight bent.

I felt the ceiling arch, and knew the nails up there took a new grip on whatever they touched.

"I am your own way of looking at things," she said.

"When you allow me to live with you, every glance at the world around you will be a sort of salvation."

And I took her hand.

Sacred Path ladies ~ Red Madonna  (in process)

.... You're invited to meet your Muse!  
Happy PPF!!

Good Medicine

 For this week's inquiry In her year long art Journaling class, Come to the Fire, my IC SiStar Heidi asked,
"What's in your Medicine Basket?
"In ancient times (and in modern day) many cultures turned to their medicine Women for healing body, mind and Spirit. They knew certain women carried the healing wisdoms of their ancestors. Each of these healers had their own special bag or basket of medicine.  These medicine bags or baskets contained things like herbs, crystals, a drum or rattle, a chant, feather, and perhaps a red thread to help heal the people."

Medicine Basket

My grandmother Mary knew some herbal remedies, to help family and friends when we're ill, she could give a good back rub, and share a pot of tea with neighbors. 

I don't know if she spun, but she and my mama made quilts with carded wool, using a pair of the wool cards her own mama's family brought along on the wagon train, and made beads from our heritage rose.

I do spin, play harp, Native American Flute, hand drum, give a pretty good back rub, tend gardens, make herb tea and flower essences. I enjoy painting, crafts of all kinds, and sharing the creative spark with others in my art and classes ... what are some of your gifts? 

In this week's Red Thread Circle, we explored our medicine gifts, and brought them to life on paper and in our Smashbooks. It was a sweet session, with three beloveds making good medicine. We added leaves with wishes to the Witness Tree in the main gallery before our closing circle. 
I have three more events coming up this month, starting with Red Thread Reiki 1 this weekend at a water birth center. Our class Musé of Creative Fire is part of the Intentional Creativity Guild's International Muse Day series. This will held in the Eugene area with my cohort, Sepha, our first venture into that community.  

Next, I'll lead a group through creating their own Cosmic Smashbooks at the cosmic Inner Oasis! I love opening creative and healing doors! 

What are some of your Good Medicine Gifts?
How do you share them with your community?

Good Medicine

Happy Paint Party Friday, enjoy your weekend! 

Tea With the Musé

I'm excited to host a series of Musé Day offerings in conjunction with other Intentional Creativity Foundation Guild members around the globe, beginning this Sunday afternoon, Feb 19, with our Musé Day Tea Party! Other gatherings are happening in S Africa, Australia, Denmark, France, Sweden, El Salvador, and around the USA. Shiloh will offer several Musé Day classes and livestreams from Muséa Sophia, in Sonoma California. Musé Day events coincide with the recent release of Shiloh's book of poetry and inquiry, Tea With The Midnight Musé.

Did you know that paint brushes are Magïc Wands, and with them Musés light fuses? 

Magic wand paintbrush

Musé nspired creativity gets energy moving. Poetry and tea help it keep flowing. The Red Thread remind us we're community, and Chocolate soothes the tattered heart! 

Setting Intention is key to the process, and gives Access to your creative fire. What if we could acknowledge, then learn to override the voice of the critic; the inner vice that replays old criticisms: "not good enough," "not talented," "too (old, out of shape, boring...)? 
Shall we activate the voice of our Inner Wisdom, which adores us and is constantly encouraging, giving cour, heart, to all that we are, all that we do? That's the voice of the Musé (here are some of my early Musings on the Musé)

Star Song

In a recent Power Creatives TV episode, Shiloh Sophia and her guest SARK explored our how we access or block inspiration, tagging our Inner Wisdom, and how activating creativity in turn leads to living juicy.

SARK offered these inquiries:

• Who or what inspires you?
• What/who blocks inspiration?
• What/who supports your inspiration?
• In what ways am I inspiring to myself?

I invite you to spending some time journaling on each of these, and heartstorming on increasing opportunities for inspiration. (Inspire: take a breath!) SARK suggested one way to deepen our relationship with our own Inner Wisdom comes by writing daily love notes from Her.  

Over the years, I've received many of these "love notes," and uplifting guidance in the form of a dialogue. When I embarked on my Color of Woman Quest, I received, "dear one! You are blessed beyond measure! It is up to you too SHARE those blessings - the time you spend in circle Jones/prepares you and those with whom you journey for the Next Steps.... open your eyes, ears, and heart, dance through the doorway, you are invited!"

I extend the invitation to you! If you're in the Willamette Valley, join us this Sunday! 

Other ways to connect with the community: 

• Check the Musé Days page for info on MD events around the globe and/or access to the livestream. 
• Red Thread Cafe Classroom on FB where thousands of women from around the globe post Intentional artwork (I find my artist groups very inspiring)
• Visit the Power Creatives TV page, where you can register for access to the 13 episodes in season one, FIERCE. (Shiloh's interview with SARK is the most recent).
• SARK (Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy) and on FB 
• Join our PNW MeetUp group for updates on circles and playshops. 
• I also post events on my FB artist page and on my website.

I honor all your creative goodness! 

Linking to Paint Party Friday