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

                                                                                     

Wisdom from the Council

Last summer (2014) Jeanette I met in an on-line painting course and wrote notes back & forth as we painted & processed. In early summer, she set all her paintings around, got out her drum & 'called a council' for insights & information. I loved that, & on Summer Solstice, called my own 'council of ladies.'

Times that I wrestle with 'what's next,' Jeanette will gently quire 'have you asked your ladies?' ... um ... not yet ....

So just before my phone interview with Shiloh, determining my entry into the Color of Woman Teacher Training, I 'called council' with the paintings at home, including my (then) 'In

Shande'nea & Dragon

Process' Legend, Shande'nea, & this was the message they gave:

"How can you doubt your Soul Purpose
You were born for this!
You hold a gift, a treasure, a King's ransom that is such a (blessing/gift/treasure) for your community!

Arise & shine!
Do not worry, consider the lilies of the field - you are blessed beyond measure!
It is up to you to SHARE those blessings -
the time you spend in circle (hones/ blesses/ prepares) you and those with whom you journey for the Next Steps!

Will you step through the gateway? the Dragons know the way & hold the keys!
Open your eyes - ears - Heart
Breathe the New Breath
as you dance through the doorway
Yes! Yes! YES!!

**** We held the interview, both Shiloh & I said "YES!!" and in April the training commenced. ****
Recently, one of the Art Doctors commented on this post, "I am very interested in this idea of 'Calling a Council with The Ladies'. How wonderful to consider this as a way to journey as a group into inquiry for insight and information."

It is, indeed, a great way to tap our own insight & inspiration, and information!
Happy Paint Party Friday!

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!

Songs of Light - TalisWoman

Songs of Light

 We are the Bright ones

Sprung from Stardust

wind in our wings and a song in our hearts!

We are the Light bringers, the ones who ignite soul fire

Soaring into the golden web

Encircling Mama Gaia

 Do you hear us singing at dawn?

Do you feel us, tugging at your heart cords?

 It is time, and more than time

To Sing our Songs of Light,

 To add our voices, full throttle,

to the great choir of life!

 To break the silence

To sing

 To dance

to love, accept, allow, envision

 To call the tribe spread to the directions

It is time! Wake up!

 It is time

Oh Sada, it is good!

I am a Way shower & visionary guide

My internal compass is strong & points true

I sing my Songs of Light,

Inviting you to awaken & share your gifts!

Songs of Light

I have long been someone who loved the stories, & helping others shift their affirmations, What's possible? How can the old stories & affirmations shift into the new, 

I love the image of the hummingbird whispering to the flowers, admiring each for its unique beauty & thanking them for sharing their gifts. With its ability to hover, it can slow down or speed ahead, as appropriate for the time. Northwest Natives called Hummingbird Sen Sen.

The song of the heart calls the circle, and sparks the radiance present in each ... Singing songs of Light, the chorus joins in, each with its own sacred, beautiful notes.

This is the Second painting for my Color of Woman Intentional Creativity® Teacher Training, a time to claim ourselves as Artists, & move closer to sharing the method with others.  

"This is the time and space in Color of Woman to go further in your own healing journey and practice, to prepare yourself to teach in a very empowered and conscious way. ...  Be mindful yourself not to try to save anyone else - let them have their process without needing to fix. Just witness. Which is what you will be doing as teachers - witnessing, not fixing."  

& from Shiloh Sophia:
"Artist is one of the most sacred of names. It is a name which puts in context all the pieces that before seemed fragmented. It is a space and place of no apology - an archetype which assumes personal authority and whom is willing to look at all her stuff  - her jewels and her BS. Artist."

How does YOUR sense of being an artist live in you? What is your 'Touchstone' for this role? 
 
Talis - Chinook jargon: Darling, beloved
Talisman - an object, typically an inscribed ring or stone, that is thought to have magic powers and to bring good luck.

Happy Paint Party Friday - thank you for visiting!!  

Wine-Down, Biz-Muse

Last week my friend Audrey & I remembered that the last Friday of the month, Walnut City WineWorks features a 'Work Week Wine Down,' with trays of goodies & staying open till 6:30. 

My lady Sekhmet from last summer's Art of Allowing course hangs behind the bar, & as one of the 'featured artists,' I can bring a few friends to tastings at no charge.

Brooke & Sekhmet at the WineWorks

I love seeing her behind the bar on the maroon wall! She is still one of my favorites! And the Tasting Room hostess Brooke often gets asked if she posed for Sekhmet! (not really, but I have known Brook for years, 

This month, we move from painting into the Biz-Muse part of our Color of Woman Teacher Training. "We chose business to fall in the domain of the Archetype of Artist for various reasons - the primary one is that your artist self is often the part of you that longs to 'be seen' and get your work out there." ~ Shiloh Sophia

And so we work on biz-Muse ideas & plans, delving, enquiring .... as we begin to share these offerings in the wider community.

TalisWoman 6-30

While some have completed, others of us continue to paint our Talisman/Woman throughout July. "Talisman comes from the root word in Greek teleo which means “To Consecrate.” The meaning of it has to do with the person who makes it, charging it with powers, blessings and/or healings through choice. They are charging it up, in essence, with prayers, hopes and dreams....The act of making it itself is what makes the opening happen in the universe for the information, the in-form-ation, to come through and is what brings our awareness into alignment and harmony with what it is we are choosing to focus on."  
~ Shilo in a post on Intentional Creativity 

This Creating with intention, with the focus, is at the heart of the work we are doing. We set an intention, and as we paint, we continue to delve into that, we examine our 'old stories' through writing & creativity, & "each step is a revelation in both consciousness and in design that creates the breakthrough (they just begin to happen there in the subconscious without effort.)"

Sah Sen

On the weekend, a hummingbird came & hovered in front of me, & I added a NW tribal Hummingbird to the symbols on my TalisWoman. As I looked up information & meaning, I found this line captivating; "Hummingbird's ability to hover back and forth at great speeds is believed to be a skill for guiding the people; if they fall behind Hummingbird can easily back up to keep pace." 
 

Humminbird is a messenger of joy. "This beautiful tiny bird, also called Sah Sen, represents friendship, playfulness, and is a symbol of good luck in Northwest Coastal Native art. It is a positive sign to see Sah Sen prior to a major event such as hunting or travelling to another village."
Sah Sen has a message to take to deliver - to thank each flower for making our world a more beautiful place!

How PERFECT for us as teachers, to remember to 'hover' and keep pace with our students, or fly ahead to inspire! And to affirm that acts of creation make our world a better place! 

Happy Paint Party Friday!! 

Weaving Webs of communication

TalisWoman 1st Key

In my Color of Woman painting/teaching Quest, we are working on our second painting, Talisman/TalisWoman ... 


This is my first painting on wood - cradled Birch Plywood, which my son-in law helped (woodworking) & I gessoed, sanded, gessoed some more ...

We are working with 'keys' to the realm of our inner Artist! "Artist is one of the most sacred of names. It is a name which puts in context all the pieces that before seemed fragmented. It is a space and place of no apology - an archetype which assumes personal authority and whom is willing to look at all her stuff  - her jewels and her BS. Artist"
~ Shiloh Sophia 

We have this weekend set aside for delving deeper, as we'll move into our Business module next weekend ... 

TalisWoman, 4th Key, Revelation

My muse has been very WORDY this week - telling me O need to update my website, to begin to claim that title, ARTIST 
and so I added an art page, but couldn't 'publish' the updates ... on the help screen, there was a little teaser about a streamlined option for constructing a website, so I 'clicked' ... oo la la! You must check out what 'we' came up with! 
Introducing Nadya's Art  

The whole focus has changed - from the bodywork & harp front & center (well, all spread out, I had LOTS of pages!! & still have access to all that content, no worries!) to ARTIST! 

And last month my friend Lora
invited to co-facilitate a workshop 'Mystical Mermaid' ... so much fun! We had two students, & had a lovely time. Lora started a co-op MeetUp group to announce our Women's Intentional Creativity circles & classes to a broader area; and last night I began my own local group! 
I'm still in process with what to offer first - perhaps simply a meet & greet circle, then likely affirmation cards or Medicine Basket (last post!)

So if you're an artist or crafter in Oregon or visiting the Pacific Northwest who'd enjoy playing with us - please join us!
NO PAINTING EXPERIENCE NECESSARY!! The classes form a container to explore creativity, & work with your own images!


Happy Paint Party Friday
 So tickled to see that this week's featured artist, Consie's post is on creating an Inspiration card deck!! I'm going to peruse it for ideas!

What's in YOUR Medicine Basket?

In our Color of Woman teacher training, we are constantly weaving between doing our own work, & learning how to share offerings with our community, with our Beloveds. The First Red Thread session was making our Soulful Story Affirmation cards. 

Next up:"This Livestream was recorded during the 2014 Color of Woman and provides two additional themes - "Creating Your Medicine Basket" & "House of the Heart" - which you can use as the themes for your own Red Thread Session Events."

I really enjoyed watching the videos, & crafting my Medicine Basket,  .... I'm still getting the hang of working on watercolor paper again, (have done some off & on over the years) & of course, love the 'adornment' phase (glitter!!  Shimmery paint, spirals, red threads ...
 Some of the inquiries for the phrases in our baskets are:

• What will you be known for? 
• What Healing tools & remedies do you offer? 
• Who will come to your Red Thread Sessions? 
• What is in your medicine basket?

Shiloh affirms regularly that we need to attend to the questions & issues OUR clients, our beloveds come to us for assisting in bringing conscious, & possibly transforming, & to adapt the classes accordingly. 
We used glazing liquid or varnish mixed with a dab of paint to coat & affix the slips of paper, and an overlighting phrase that defines our role "I AM a catalyst for transforming the old stories into New Magic!" The last step was placing a symbol in the space between the basket & the handle. I chose a harp & heart ... and then adornment, glitter! Shimmer, sparkle, shine ....

I am a catalyst for transforming the old stories ....

With my harp in the basket, I'm reminded of a sail boat, & think of being carried by, as 
well as carrying my basket!

Shiloh's did a bit of 'show & tell,' sharing a  selection of paintings from previous Red Thread sessions.

With House of the Heart, I could picture working with youth (including my 16 year old foster (soon-to-be-adopted) granddaughter, who lived in 9 different foster homes over the 9 years before she came to us!!)

There is, indeed, a power in these shorter, 'simple' workshops that transcends space & time!