Intention and Hygge

I've been exploring bringing more intention into my living space, and rearranging areas. As an artist, I tend to have lots of supplies, and am of the generation that tends to accumulate paper, and have a hard time passing things on! (Are artists ever minimalistic??)

Currently, my Atelier is in my dining "nook," a space about 7 x 9' which fortunately opens into my high ceilinged kitchen...

My tall easel fits under the arch. 

The living room is the length of the house, 20', with the front section 13' wide, and the back 10'  (the stairs take the other 3'  and the whole house is  950 x feet) I'm shifting the Atelier to the back half, and will move my harps intro the nook.

I've painted part of the larger area a minty green, and the window frames white (they've been French blue) Then, moved my couch to create a Hyyge corner where these shelves were. 

Hygge (hug-ee) is a Danish term, a light in the darkness, to carry us through the cold winter months...Elements may include Candles, a warm cup of tea, good book, cozy seats with warm blankets, creating a feeling of cozy comfort. My friend Jeanine has a beautiful blog on bringing more Hygge into your home.

Hygge corner

After I began rearranging things, I received a message from the coordinator of our Art Harvest Studio Tour, asking if I'd like to apply for inclusion! I'd just been thinking of the tour, and 10 Oaks Gallery is one of the event sponsors....
It looks like my clearing and rearranging is timely! It's a big commitment of time and energy, and I need to *paint up a storm* to get ready! Fortunately, it's in the fall, so I have time to prepare - and an application to write! 

Do you have home studio?
Any goals on your list you're aiming for? 

Happy PPF! 

Winged One Playshop

In the studio

My friend Margot invited me to offer a painting Playshop at her Corvallis studio over the weekend, and we gathered to paint our Winged One, and give our dreams wings.  Four of her friends joined us for a lovely time of journey, sharing, red thread and painting.
Though I'm teaching, visiting her country  home always feels like a retreat to me as well. This is the second class I've offered there, and both have been well received. I played harp for our journey, we drew cards from the Mother Mary Oracle, and read poems from"Tea With the Midnight Musé."

Margot and Sherrie with their Winged ladies

As with all workshops, I love it as students get into their own painting grove, and each is drawing from her inner images and inspiration. Their creative Musé takes the lead, and their own style begins to emerge. 

As Shiloh says, "We us a step by step method, and my request is that you DO stick with the method. Magic will come - even if you are already brilliant at painting! And especially if you're Not!
"There's something sacred about the container; about the formula holding you, that allows for freedom to emerge! You are going to create an intuitive painting, from the heart of your own self. You'll learn to use your visionary lens for Active Imagination to connect with the light and spaciousness of your own sovereignty."

Through Intentional Creativity, you may:

Lillian and Sherrie

• Discover and integrate your own gifts and treasures
• Create poetry and prayers inspired by the process
• Receive clarity on what you are here to cause and create
• Access your own imagery and symbols which may only have meaning for you, or may affect the collective
• Embrace painting as a sacred practice

It's pure magic!

Sharon and Nadya

Explore with Shiloh Sophia and Flora Aube

Over the last 20+ years, Shiloh Sophia has been exploring intention, creativity, community and the divine feminine. Last summer, she added Power Creatives TV to her generous offerings. 

In 2014, shortly after being introduced to Shiloh's teachings through that life changing class with Elisabeth Friese-Mick, I found an online offering by one of the Color of Woman Graduates, Flora Aube - the Art of Allowing. You can read about my first painting with Flora Here & Here; & my second, firey Sekmet.

Sekmet

Over the next year, Flora continued to explore, develop, and to found her own school. Today, Shiloh and Flora will join forces, with a morning Cafe (free!) beginning at 10. In the afternoon, they will paint together (paid portion - scolorships available!) - what will emerge?? You can sign up for either or both on the Power Creatives TV site!!

Happy PPF 

PRISMatic leadership

For the last several weeks, I've been engaged on a quest, utilizing the interface between quantum physics & intentional creativity to design and fuel leadership projects! This leadership lab with Shiloh Sophia & Jonathan Lewis is called PRISM, after the physical prism, which utilizes the angle of refraction, which "bends" white light into the visible short-term (colors of the rainbow). 

That angle is 42 Degrees, which is also: 'The Answer to the Great Question.... Of Life, the Universe and Everything... Is ... Forty-two,' said (the computer) Deep Thought, with infinite majesty and calm.' 
- Douglas Adams, the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Gallexy
 

PRISM beginnings

We've been working with colors, assigning properties to each (from several systems including chakras), with concepts associated with spirals in nature, in our solar system, on our galaxy and with inquiry, examining old paradigms and dominant World views. We generally operate out of these familiar frames, unless we get them conscious, and make a shift! 

Beloveds

So much of our work in Intentional Creativity is about just this bringing old stories conscious, and using creativity to make shifts; "changing stories, changing lives! Over the next several weeks, I'll continue this exploration, painting and writing, both on my canvas, and in a watercolor project book.

PrRISMatic Greens

What are you called to cause and create? What old stories have you been bringing to candidates? Are they ready to be composted?

~ Sharing as part of the Ultimate Blog Challenge ~

Journey with the Woman who Journied

Today is the Feast Day of Mary Magdalene, 'the most sought after female messenger of the last 2000 years.' My teacher Shiloh Sophia will be joined by her guest Kayleen Asbo for a day of ritual, story & painting, followed by a 22 day novena with chants, rituals & prayers. Not able to join today? You can still register for the class, & paint when you're able. 

One Magdalene devotee writes, "Mary TRAVELLED! She didn't just sit around in one

Mary of Magdala

place, there are stories throughout Southern France, Languodoc & Provance, of her journies, her presence, the sacred objects she carried & her teachings." Of all the disciples, she is likely to have continued her ministry the longest, over 30 years! 

Mary's gospel was rediscovered in the last century, & is finally available in print. Her main message? Peace & loving kindness! She was well educated, & is likely to have helped fund Jesus' ministry.
Through our art and stories, Mary is still on her healing journey - Is she calling you?  

Mary is called the 'Apostle to the Apostles,' & was the first to share Jesus' message with the other disciples. This year, Pope Francis declared her day an official feast day, and the role of women in the early days of the church is being recognized more frequently. 

I first painted Mary with Shiloh in 2014, & my friend Lora is offering online-support for this class.  I've written several posts on Mary of Magdala, beginning with that first online class, & the most recent, in March of this year. (you can find all the links by clicking on 'Mary Magdalene in the sidebar) 

My current 'Work in Process' is Diva-X, uncoiling! It will be fun to see how she evolves - I've reclaimed a $7.50 canvas from Goodwill, that's 26 x 60" !! It was covered with paper collage, so I began with a layer of gesso - white over the pale areas, & black with some gold acrylic mixed in over the darker central panel. 
And I was at the Fairgrounds with my son & middle grandkids this week, watching their 4-H events; with sketchbook in hand for some 'doodles' ... fun inviting my 10 year old grandson's contribution.

Posting to Paint Party Friday - happy painting!  

On the Russian River

Early morning, as Maestra Shiloh wrote Monday: "My muse woke me up at 4am again. Sheesh. I go outside in the mornings and see the stars ... as the flow of night to day night to day reminds us how things work. It is happening all the time. And it is a miracle how it works.
~ ~ ~
"It is all moving all the time
whether we notice or participate or not."

And that's the choice, whether to participate, or not. Whether to observe, or not. And how we will carry our piece of the thread of connection.

~~ the lodge where 8 of us Mystical,  MáGïCâL CôSMïc cowgirls (with more to come!) are staying is on the Russian River, & the view of the river, and of Mama Moon & Stärs, is AwéSöMé.
When I'm staying somewhere away from «home», it's hard to sleep past daybreak, so I try to rise quietly, and , like Shiloh, go outside to orient myself.
Ahh, there's the Big Dipper, North is across the river! Ahh, there's the moon, peeking through the trees. The night is still, with the ripple of the water for background.
When it's Lïght, I'll go back out for Tai Chi/qigong on the shore.
Ooo, there's a sauna! Perhaps tonight after our gathering, I'll go....
bliss!

Graduation day with Carmen Baraka

The train ride down to Martinez was fun! A couple of the gals offered to pick me up at the station, so I skipped the bus ride, we went for cappuccino and dropped our bags off before coming back into town, and meeting a beautiful bevy of CôSMïc cowgirls doing what we do best! Visiting, meeting each other for the first (or umpteenth) time, hugging, sipping wine chattering, and settling in for a Red thread circle.
The thread is passed, we share our stories, we listen, we connect the faces and voices to SiStars with whom we've journied this last year. We'll be together «in person» through Sunday next, to disperse to the four directions, taking with us seeds to scatter to the winds.

Seeds  of beauty, seeds of harmony, seeds of respect for women and the seeds of our own interconnected & unique offerings for our own communities, for our beloveds. Gathering teachings, friendships, affirmation of the good work this is, the good work we share. 
It is all moving, all the time, whether we participate or not ... will you participate?

Who are My Beloveds?

Some of the questions we have been pondering throughout our Color of Woman Teacher Training - 'who are my beloveds?" - "What is my content, the offerings that light my interest, & meet the needs of my community?" & "What challenges have I overcome to get here?" 

One of my challenges was breaking my arm in March (!! - the last time I'd been in a hospital, besides Childbirth, was when I had my tonsils out at 6!!) JUST before our Teacher Training 'Quest' began! That threw me for a loop! I could paint (It was my Left arm, & I'm right handed)
 ... but .... 
I was SO Tired! & I spent the first couple of weeks recouporating at my daughter's home (& my supplies were at my house) I was able to go home around the time our classroom 'opened,' & proceeded with the coursework.
I did considered stopping before I began, but was encouraged to stay in (Including deferring payment till I was working again!). Ah, what an intriguing way to begin, to persevere, and overcome that set-back! 

Who are my Beloveds?

One of the painting classes we were offered is a one day workshop, doing the same Color of Woman method, but shortening the time allotted for painting & journaling. We have had access to those videos for 5 months, & I began my painting some time ago, 'between' some of the other assignments. With a class scheduled NEXT WEEKEND, I am reviewing that workshop, & continuing with the painting. 

She's just waking up, with the features roughly sketched in. It's always fun to see them at different phase, unfinished, but with lots of character! 

What will come next??

Linking to Paint Party Friday

 

Mystical Mermaids

One of the goals of entering the Intentional Creativity Quest is to share these teachings with others in Red Thread Circles & Workshops. I am so fortunate to live close to three graduates of this training, & to have experienced workshops with each of them. 

In early summer, IC teacher & coach Lora Rinke invited me to be one of the co-organizers in a MeetUp group for Intentional Creativity. She felt it would be good to coordinate with other CoW teachers &  students in our area, & I agreed!

Lora listed a workshop on 'The Mystical Mermaid, a Woman's Creativity Workshop,' for Saturday, June 13. When I asked if I could audit, Lora suggested I assist her! We met for lunch the day before the workshop (which would be in her town, about 20 miles away) to do a bit of planning.
In the invitation, Lora wrote, "She is a symbol of letting our hearts and passion overrule the analytical mind.  Perk your ears.  Let the mermaid woo you into churning seas of dreams."

Students engaged with their Mermaids

Lora, two students & I and met in a lovely, bright room in the Sherwood Senior Center.  Both students had painted before, and were quite comfortable with the process. I brought my small therapy harp Bella Luna along, & after our Red Thread Circle, I played while Lora read the journey/visualization! I have envisioned playing for one of these, & Lora was quite receptive to the idea, & the students loved it.

Lora & I each brought a 20 x 24" canvas, & painted on easels, the students had 16 x 20" canvases, and were set up on the covered tables. Lora suggested they bring journals, & provided extras.

Altar with my story cards & painting

Our altar on the counter close to the sink had a salt candle holder, roses, some shells, my Soulful Story cards & a painting I had done in another local class, my Awakened Healer ('She heals with Light & Compassion') who has sea horse earrings, a starfish & other sea elements.

Lora brought along large painting of a mermaid, & one done on watercolor paper in Hawaii with Shiloh, & we set those up in the front of the room.

Nadya at the easel

Since our subjects were painting mermaids, there wasn't as much instruction on the faces (which were smaller), & each of the students seemed to have a clear idea of where her lady was taking her!

I was intrigued that we were able to do so much in a 4 hour class (WITH a snack/lunch break, which we took on the picnic table outside the classroom!!)

Lora brought about a dozen Golden Acrylic paints, and the limited palette seemed quite adequate for our work, & cut down on time spent 'choosing' colours. We used rose petals to write our intention on the canvas, which was delightful!

It was a fun relaxed day, & a great experience.
Happy Paint Party Friday!

Lora (L) & Nadya (2nd from Rt) Beautiful mermaids

Quantum Creativity

"Painting for me is a devotional act, a spiritual practice, a prayer and a way to share my love. My creations are the bountiful harvest from a life lived in service to Beauty and the Divine. I feel like a tree whose branches offer fruits and flowers to the sky – that must be -because they do not belong to me. My creations are both my offering and my overflow...
"My paintings seek to image a moment in time when all is well. A place where beauty exists and no harm exists. A moment when we feel as we wish we could more often, at peace with ourselves and the world, in love with one another and creation, and experiencing the miracle of life."
~ Shiloh Sophia McCloud

I have drawn, painted, and played with art all my life, from drawing the ponies next

* Sue's Cosmos *

door, painting Camels for a Christmas mural in Grade School, to HS and College art classes, & later the occasional Calligraphy or watercolor class. 
So in February of 2014, when my friend Elisabeth offered a workshop to 'paint your Muse of Creativity,' I signed up.I signed up, & the creative floodgates opened! Over the next year, I took classes both on-line & in person, and painted on my own, most within the 'Intentional Creativity,' this Quantum Creativity movement. 

A year later, I said 'yes' to studying more deeply with Shiloh, in her Color of Woman school of Intentional Creativity, to learn to share this method with my Beloveds! It is a wonderful, intense, supportive journey!

"For most of us, creative motivation requires a crisis - either externally, like a threat to our physical survival, or an internal crisis of intense suffering." Physicist Amit Goswani, Quantum Creativity, think Quantum, be Creative. According to quantum physics, reality occurs on two levels: possibility and actuality. .... by bringing our 'old stories,' the stories which have been running our lives, into consciousness, and engaging our intuitive, creative self, we change how we relate to the stories. And by recognizing the shift we've made, we can bring it into reality, and perhaps have the breakthrough without a breakdown.

Sisterhood of the Red Thread

An ancient Chinese legend tells that we are connected before birth to those whom we are destined to meet by a Red Thread ... this thread may stretch, it may tangle, but it will never break! We each have our 'own piece' of this thread, and are responsible only for that piece, yet we can Tug on the thread when we need a bit of help!
Amrit Goswani: "Non-Locality: We are all interconnected - even without signals, and experimental evidence is proving our inherent unity."
 
Into this quantum field, I bring the contents of my Medicine basket: compassion, flower essences, harp music, movement, creativity, and a desire to help YOU manifest quantum change. Paintings generally feature the divine feminine, and are done on canvas or Watercolour paper, with Acrylic paint (often Golden Fluid acrylics) There may be glitter!      

“So let’s walk our talk and make brain circuits of positive emotions. We just do it. We practice. Let some of us be good, do good. Be with God some of the time, be in the ego some of the time, and let the dance generate creative acts of transformation.”
~ Amit Goswani 
                    
I invite you to come paint with me, dance with me, explore your own connection with creative consciousness, with Quantum Creativity, with quantum change!!

Flower Fairies - Daffy-Down-Dilly

Daffy-Down Dilly - acrylic on canvas

One of my visitors from Paint Party Friday, Sirkka from Finland, has such a lovely blog!! ... & I couldn't resist the 'Try it on Tuesday' challenge to 'Send You Flowers.'

Flower Fairies have been a favorite of mine for many years - when my kids were young, I drew several F F Paper Dolls (& sold some of them in local shops.) Last weekend a couple of local shops sponsored their annual Flower Fairy Festival, with a tea party, flower fairy gardens, a parade, bubbles, glitter, wands & wings .... 

I send you my little Fairy 'Daffy-Down-Dilly' & the poem by Nathanial Hawthorne

Daffy-Down-Dilly & sketch

 
Daffy-down-Dilly
Has come to town
With a yellow petticoat
And a pretty green gown
Daffy-down-Dilly.
Nathaniel Hawthorne

                                                                                     

Art Walk and Artist Statement

I was pleased to be invited to hang my art for the First Friday Art Walk in nearby Newberg, in a newly opened branch of a waterbirth center, Andaluz! Several of my grand-darlings were born with the assistance of our wonderful midwives, and I've done massage for new moms, so this is a treat!

Love's Alchemy - 2014

We hung 2 of my paintings in the front windows, & 6 on the walls. 

& then I realized I really need an Artist Statement, to accompany the beauties ... so here goes 

Art is a way for me to connect with the Divine Feminine, both on canas & within myself.  For many years, feminine images have been 'sacred' or secular,' and often idealized.  
How do we bridge the two? How do we connect with the strong, wild, sacred AND secular feminine within? Art is a way to explore these connections.
I often begin with an intention written on the canvas - what do I wish to explore? A brief visioning brings colours, form and symbols. Three colours are chosen like an oracle for simple strokes which become base wash, (sometimes for past, present and future)  Symbols I often use include: 
flaming heart - inner flame
Winged Eye - intuitive vision
Chalice - possibilities, abundance, the fountain of life
Dove - peace
Roses / Rohan (mountain ash) earth,
Red Thread - connection to the beloveds, the community

I love the shimmer of mica infused medium (or interference paint), the sparkle of glitter! These may sneak in, late in the painting during adornment. 
Each painting becomes a journey, a process, an opportunity for seeing old patterns, for recognizing the stories that have been running our lives, & for breaking free of those which no longer serve. A painting may also be a blessing, a gift, for those with similar stories, as they break away from their old patterns! 
My work is based in "Intentional Creativity as taught by Sue Hoya Sellers & Shiloh Sophia McCloud Lewis.  I am currently enrolled in Shiloh Sophia's 'Color of Woman' Teacher training, & will graduate this fall. 
May my paintings be blessings for all who see them!
O Sada; it is good!

Golden Paint

Beautiful, magical Golden fluid acrylic paints!

I was introduced to the Golden fluid acrylics in the first Intentional Creativity course I took from Elisabeth in Feb 2014. The flow! The colours! Mu Muse was delighted!!

Sam Golden was instrumental in developing acrylics In the 1940s, an artist visiting his uncle Leonard Bocour's Manhattan store offered them a 'honey like resin' and asked if it could be made into paint? Sam began 'tinkering' with the resin, & found that it could! Now Golden is an employee owned business, still operating on the property in New Berlin, NY where Sam & his wife 'retired' in the 1970s! (Sam, of course, kept tinkering with paint, & developed the fluid line)

Our local Art Store, Merri Artist has a great selection of art supplies, and you can order on-line! Their prices are generally the same as Dick Blick, and the online catalogue gives a nice overview of available art supplies.
They offer a 10% discount in store on non-sale items to teachers & students (online classes included!) Golden Paint & mediums go on sale twice a year, which is a great time to stock up! (the sales are in Feb & August at our local shop)

Outside Studio

If you want to explore using the Golden fluids, ("I can't believe that one drop goes so far!") ... here are some of my favorites. I generally get the 1 oz, & have a few 4 oz ... as I need to replace a colour, I'll go with the larger size. 

They also offer sets in 1/2 or 1 oz size, if you're just starting out, this is a great way to get your basic colours!  (There's a list of the colors in each set at the bottom of the page)
Interested in mixing your own? Golden also offers a great virtual Paint Mixer (click on 'fluid colors before you begin playing!) You can even save favorite combos!


Look on the back of the bottle for a scale that tells how transparent - opaque it is, & several other values. Sam Golden pioneered listing the pigments on the paints. Toxicity is also listed on the back under 'Health & Safety.

* Titanium Buff (or T. White) - buff is a great for skin tones - 4 oz
   Zink White - not as chalky, I use it for eyes, some glazing (mixed with Glaze Medium) 

* Glazing Medium - I have the satin, & got the 8 oz bottle (clear, this is mixed with paint to slow the drying time & give lighter layers) 

* Airbrush Medium is a lighter medium, & can be used in place of water for early washes. With acrylics, the polymer helps bind the paint to the canvas, are warned not to dilute with more than 25-30% water, especially in early layers.

* Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold (QNA Gold) & Transparent Red Iron Oxide - these are two of the colours most frequently used in the 'glaze' layer - brushed on with lots of water, then allowed to run or towelled off - this evens out the skin tones beautifully! (at this point it's OK to dilute with water, especially when you towel it off - there's enough paint on your canves for proper adhesion) 

The above are good 4 oz purchases, we use them a lot!

Brown: * Burnt Umber - great for outlining 
             Burnt or Raw 
             Van Dyke brown - Shiloh likes mixing this with QNA Gold for her glazes

Yellow: * Yellow Ochre - great for skin
           Hansa Yellow - clear yellow
           Indian Yellow - a yummy golden yellow
           Nickel Azo Yellow - more transparent

Orange: Quinacridone Burnt Orange (I love this one!!)
            Transparent Pyrrole Orange

Red: * Alizarin Crimson or Quinacridone Crimson
         Quinacridone Magenta

Blue: Turquoise (Pthtalo) Teal, Cobalt Turquoise are all yummy
        Manganese blue is very transparent, if you want a blue glaze
        Pthtalo Blue (red shade or green shade)

Green: Jenkin's Green - nice & dark
          Green Gold - mmm - love this one
          Pthtalo Green (blue shade

Purple: Ultramarine Violet - transparent
           Dioxazine Purple (several folks mentioned this is a favorite for mixing with orange or yellow for a nice brown) 
           Quinacridone Violet (got this one in the 1/2 oz sample size that Golden provides as a bonus when you buy 25$ or more)

Neutrals: Black, Paynes Gray

Gold, Silver & Pearl are available in a set of 3/4 oz tubes, I mix a little with medium for highlights. 
I adore the 'interference' colours - they look white in the bottle, &  have mica tpowder which reflects light!

** A great option for someone JUST beginning to build their Golden Fluid Palette - one of the sets! These come in 1/2 oz & 1 oz. 
1 oz set of 10 is ~ $43
1/2 oz set of 8 is ~ $26. 

In addition to a set, I'd add the Q Nickel Azo Gold & a bottle of Glazing Medium, & perhaps the burnt umber or Van Dyke brown.

The colours in the sets (with 1/2 oz option in { }  )  are:
Hansa Yellow Med,
Pyrrole Red, {1/2 oz: naphthol red light}
Quinacridone Magenta,
Ultramarine Blue,
Phthalo Blue (Green Shade),
Phthalo Green (Blue Shade),
Yellow Oxide, {1/2 oz: yellow ochre}
Titanium White {1/2 oz:zink white}
Burnt Sienna, {0}
Carbon Black, {0}

Brushes: Nice to get a variety, and as one artist says, "I can ruin a cheap brush as quickly as a more expensive one!) The synthetic bristle brushes are great for acrylics.

Merri Artist carries the Simply Simons & Princeton lines, which and several sets (Bi-Mart has sets of brushes, sketch pads, pencils, etc, is is also Employee owned!) Sets give you a chance to see what YOU like best! Also - consider old make-up brushes, shaving brushes, etc ... & a few foam (1 & 2") & inexpensive small brushes from the hardware/paint store are great.

Filberts: #8, 10, 12 & 14 are nice for faces 
Round: #2, 3, 8, 10 
Bright: #2 for outlines, also a liner brush
I'm fond of angled 'swords' for shading
Inexpensive hog bristle brushes are great for 'scrubing or scrumbling' dry paint in when you're 'blocking'
bigger brush for washes - get a few from the hardware section!

Spray bottle for water (2 oz is fine)
Paper towels & old rags for clean up
charcoal pencils, pastels, rose petals for drawing on canvas (you can also use heavier paper)

Happy Painting!


 




Golden Daffy-Down-Dilly


Magic Wand

Trees on display & a YES!

"Trees" - Currents Gallery

  Happy Year of the Sheep!

The year is off to a good start, with two of my pieces on display at Currents Gallery in their TREES show! The show runs through mid March, & both pieces are for sale.

Bhodi Tree Buddha - acrylic on canvas

Bhodi Tree Buddha was inspired by a photo of a buddha head carved into a bhodi tree ... wow! I love this little piece. 
12 x 12", Golden Acrylic on Canvas

The second piece, Quickbeam, is a vignette of a section of 'Gaia,' that I painted in Jassy Watson's e-course - LOVED working with Jassy, who lives in Australia! 

Lovers of the Lord of the Rings (especially the books) will remember the 'Hasty' Ent Quickbeam, who loved the Rowan trees which once graced his part of the forest. He befriended the hobbits Merry & Pippen as they came through the Forest of Fanghorn, after escaping capture ... I wished the second movie had featured more of their adventures, & less war, .... 

Quickbeam - acrylic on canvas 10 x 10"

I have a small show (5 paintings) up at a nearby shop, Inner Oasis, more Musings! The shop is about a block from the gallery, at 448 NE 3rd street.

Pieces include a couple from the previous show, Yarrow Rose & She stands between the Worlds, plus the butterfly queen Icaricia, & Spirit Dancer.

Pieces on my easel include my Legendary Self & the Queen of the Cosmos, from Shiloh Sophia's teachings. 

And ... drum roll, I decided to take the plunge, & said YES to Color of Woman 2015 Teacher Training!! YIKES!! .... exciting & overwhelming, all at once! Am I shaking in my boots? YES!! .... & excited to be on board! 

Quickbeam & friends

I was happy to see a couple of pieces by my friend Cherilyn SunRidge in the Currents show - one hung just above Quickbeam!! & isn't this felted tree lady wonderful? 

What's on your easel? 
Happy Paint Party Friday!!

Musings on the Muse

Happy 2015!
I was tickled to see that my November post was featured in PPF!!  Fitting, as it was about my show at Walnut City WineWorks as the 'featured artist!' THANK YOU for all your sweet comments!! & I LOVE the pic chosen - She Stands between the Worlds!

As I step into the whirlwind of creativity - I'm enrolled in Shiloh Sophia's 'Legend' course (6 months online), have applied for CoW teacher training (Color of Woman) AND am in her year long Red Madonna community .... I reflect on last year, & all the painting I did.

It all began with that workshop to paint my Muse with my friend Elisabeth back in February. ... who knew what a treasure trove that would unlock?! Shiloh says she feels the voice of the Muse of creativity is the voice of the Critic transformed! The Critic voice comes out when our creativity is stifled .... if you think of it, children create naturally & joyfully! 

Sisterhood of the Red Thread

I care for my preschool age grandkids 2 mornings a week, & they LOVE gluing or painting! They don't think about how purple looks next to brown, pink, orange! They might observe that all the colours make brownish swish, or show me their monster, but they just create! & then go on to something else! What happens when we create like that? 

Elisabeth's Magic Paintbrush

I love Shiloh's image of returning power to the Muse, and that transformation of the critic. When that voice of comparison begins to nag (who do you think you are, wasting all that time / money / supplies? ) turn it around! Ask 'hmm, would you like ribbons in your hair, or maybe stars?' .... & always offer her .... chocolate!! 

Pick up your magic paintbrush, & begin!!

How is the Muse whispering to YOU this year? 

Posting in Paint Party Friday

Street of Dreams

Each year, our local co-op art Gallery, Currents, hosts several juried shows, & invites submissions from area artists. 

Cityscapes show - 3 paintings on  L by Kathleen Buck

In early August, I stopped by the Merri Artist for some Golden paint (ON SALE!), then went down the street to browse the Gallery, & chatted with the Artist on duty. She brought out a canvas (8 x 16") & the submission form, & before I knew it, I was out the door with both, & on my way to paint a 'cityscape' ....

Earlier in the summer, our town was voted one of the top two Main Streets in the whole US, in the Parade Magazine contest! If you peek at the photos, Currents Gallery is just beside R Stuart Wine Bar (just beside the photographer) & we have a very sweet main street ... 
I thought of people on park benches (Kathleen Buck did a pair of those, plus a painting of the front of the gallery, which will be used in future promotions), mmm, perhaps a skyline ... & I took pictures as I walked downtown, but nothing quite gelled .... then I thought of painting little 'hobbity houses,' little round cob houses, & Street of Dreams was born! 

Street of Dreams

Mid September, I filled out the paperwork & dropped off my picture, then waited to hear if it had juried into the show... yes!! 

The opening was last Saturday, during our monthly 'Art & Wine Walk' and ... it had already sold!! See the red sticker? (a few days later, a musician friend let me know she bought it 'the first piece of real art I've purchased!'

Nadya & Street of Dreams

After our book group, several friends & I went downtown to the opening, & Ingrid snapped this picture of me with my little Street of Dreams. We decided we both wanted to live in the house with the Red Door (Ingrid actually lives in a lovely round wooden yurt, & just painted her door purple!  

I love the piece on the top left behind me - a mosaic of buttons, & little LED fairy lights on the trees! The lights go on just after Thanksgiving, & brighten up our winter streets! 

I'm posting to Paint Party Friday - happy painting!

Ether

Last week I posted a photo of a little 'green lady' on my easel ...

Ether - WIP

As I worked on Her, the colour scheme shifted to lavenders & blues, with an airy veil ....

Elemental: Ether (8.1)

By the end of the day, She was almost complete!

Ether, "I come to you from beyond the veils, to remind you of our Spirit connections.... we are always Home!
Never forget WHO you ARE, and what you came to BE. 
I come to remind you, in the beginning! In the end! 
Now is ALL, ALL is Love. 
ALL IS. 
ALL is within and all around.
I AM Ether!"

Zephyr - WIP

She is the third in the 'Elemental' series, joining windy, winged Zypher & sunny Sekhmet.  

With each of these ladies, I began with a wash, then looked within the movement of the paint for the being .... 
I am intrigued with their 'crowns' .... each a bit different, but similar. 
For the translucence, I used white (Buff Titanium) mixed with Medium and painted over the hair, veils, crown .... 
I love interference paint, which shimmers in different angles ... Ether has lavender eyes & lips .... done with interference violet 

Zephyr - 7.1

When I stopped by Merri Artist this week, I found they're having their August sale on Golden Paint (!) so I picked up larger sizes of some of my most used paint, & helped Merri assist a customer from california trying to remember the names of the paint she wanted - "Ah! That would be Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold ..."

And across the street, at Currents Gallery (our local artist's co-op) I picked up an entry form & 8 x 16" canvas for the September juried show: Cityscape!  
"A cityscape is an artistic representation, such as a painting, drawing, print or photograph of physical aspects of a city or urban area."
If you're an artist in Oregon, you might wish to enter!! The price of entry includes the canvas (which may be embellished) & jury fee .... all entries must be for sale.

Happy Paint Party Friday!