Apothecary containers

 Our Intentional Creativity community is working with a painting process Shiloh and Jonathan are calling Apothecary Medicine Painting. This includes distilling old stories and tragedies, to  transform them into Remedies. 

Jonathan served as a military EMT, parachuting from a helicopter to provide first aid, the traumas he was involved with led to PTSD, which creative processes (he's a chef and poet) helped him transform those old traumas. 

With this process, we each have been spending time pulling our some of the stories, to distill down into antidotes. 
I'm beginning to put my symbols on the vessels, and write the prescriptions.

Vessels in my Apothecary

Our journey began March 31, and in addition to the painting process, identifying traumas, and discovering antidotes, Jenafer Owen has been offering a daily journal prompt. I love her method of writing with watercolor pencils, then adding collage, and activating /transforming the words with water!

Alchemical jars - we wrote, drew jars in Sharpe, and choose images that appealed for five remedies. 

Elements

I adapted this for our Red Thread Circle last night, dividing a sheet of Mixed Media paper into four segments, journaling about an element in each (earth, air, fire and water) and choosing magazine images for each element. 
This was a good warm up for our next class, in a week, my cohort Sepha and I will invite our students to connect with the elements as they paint "Gaia as a Portal"  

Bezoar

Bezoar - Harry Potter fans will recognize this ancient universal poison remedy. An "indigestable" irritant in an animal's stomach or intestine (hair, etc) is transformed into a solid mass, a Bezoar. 
We drew a winding form in our journal, connecting the end with the start of the line; and used watercolor pencil to write about the "irritant" bellow the line. Then choose another color to write the insight, and skills learned from it. Last, use a brush and water to activate the alchemy. 

The next step is to add the Bezoar to one of the medicine containing vessels on our canvas, with the same colors. It looks rather flower-like, doesn't it?

This morning's prompt was to use a 'Random item Generator' to give us several items pertinent to our alchemical journey! Mine were rubber gloves, masking tape, a snow globe, and a plush bear. I've been drawing and painting with my Grands, home on an inservice day. I used blue painting tape, for painting my Atelier, the gloves allow me to "dig in" 

I asked the kids for ideas for the show globe, and when Z-man suggested Santa, I

remembered the Herstory of a Sun Goddess crossing the sky in a chariot pulled by a reindeer. She flies on Winter Solstice, spinning the sun's rays, and dropping Amber (from her tears) and apples! 

I discovered parts of this story when I was painting the Celtic lady, Elen Star-Path. So I brought the Latvian Saule into my globe! My middle granddaughter suggested the word JOY.

Mr grandkids have been enjoying playing with watercolor and Inktense pencils as well, and seeing what happens when they activate then.

What's on your easel or table? 

Happy paint party Friday! 

Muse and Oracle

I've always loved cards - once my daughter asked how many decks I needed ...(angels, fairies, several Earth based tarot decks) ... well .. (ok, I have a bunch!!)

Early my Color of Woman training, we made our first set of 'story cards,' identifying the 'poison' of old stories, and discovering the antidote! My IC friend and Vision Keeper Isha recently challenged me to photograph 20 of my ladies, and create an Oracle deck (and sent me a link for having one set printed for about $20!) 

With spring break this week, my middle granddaughter and I have making affirmation and other cards, and doing art other projects. Always fun

IC Cue Cards .

Last weekend, two dozen of the 2018 class met in Sonoma to paint their Muses, while the the rest of the students, and many of the Guild members, painted along with the Livestream. My cohort Sepha and I were asked to film a little video for our colleagues on creating a teaching deck with prompts for each step. Fun finding flow with that!

For my lady, I pulled out the Muse I began two years ago, when Sepha was in Color of Woman. I offered online support for that event, and just never finished my painting! Last year, I brought her our for another online class, so her first layers were in place. (I'm painting her in the lower photo on this post)

In Her Own Time, WIP

I'm offering support to students on Muse Time, those taking longer than 9 months to complete their CoW teacher training, and she seems the PERFECT Muse to aide me in supporting them! I'm excited to see who's ready to take the next steps, and move toward commencement. 
Over the last few years, I've informally supported a couple as they neared the finish line, and know how helpful a little encouragement can be. I tend to push live-lines myself, and got my own Initiate book off just before midnight that last day!! 

This weekend, Shiloh and her husband Jonathan roll out their latest class, Apothecary; on discovering your own medicine through creativity. Like the Story Cards, identifying the old wounds and poisons helps us discover antidotes. Jonathan was a military EMT, and fittings healing from PTSD through writing poetry and cooking! He'll emerge from behind the curtain (camera) to share some of his story. 

In April, my classmate Grace from Denmark is rolling out her new class online, Stella Polaris, Muse of the North! I am so excited to paint with her - one of my early online journeys was with our AU SiStar, Jassy Watson. I cherish the Good Medicine of these oportunities! 

My own next offering is a invitation to women in the Pacific NW paint a portal to connect with Gaia, as your portal to connecting with Mama Earth. This is a wonderful way to celebrate Earth Day weekend! (this one's In person, stay tuned for online offerings!) 

Cosmos and Codes

Blessings on this Full Moon and Holi season, and HåPpÝ Paint Party Friday!

Cards and encodings

In our third Moon of Red Madonna, we're painting our YES to arriving on the planet, then

Blooming into Yes!

stars, the cosmos, and encodings our symbols, ..

I'm just at the blooming into Yes stage with my canvas, but LOVE seeing the glyphs and patterns which are emerging! We will be painting for 26 moons (two years), so this is all underpainting.
My next step will be adding stars and Cosmos ...

Last night for our Red Thread Circle, we worked with Mark making, first painting simple backgrounds on watercolor paper, then tearing into cards, and scribiing symbols. 
Making cards is one of my favorite simple projects, and can take many forms. One participant cut pictures for collage, my granddaughter and I painted symbols.

I am gathering information and choosing images to create an Oracle Deck, inspired by my conversation yesterday with my RT SiStar Isha. I find this article on the process helpful. Have you created a deck? 

Are there marks or personal symbols you find appearing in your art?
How do you sign your work? 

My initials are perfect for a monogram style signature, N A K , which I slant together...
Now I often use a crown 👑 for my K, as my last names King.

What symbols do you claim?

Happy Seventh BD, Party Party Friday!

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! 

I am from

In the red thread Circle Guide program, Shiloh Sophia invites participants to connect with our origins, and write a I am from poem. Where are you from?'

I am from sage brush, juniper and mint in roadside ditches
   Yarrow in the pasture, that I grind between stones
        Then set in the sun to dry, knowing/not knowing
              There's something more to do

I am from songs around the campfire
    Pumping water and carrying it back to camp
       Sleeping bags and clear night skies
          Waiting for the blue flash, when the lantern goes out

I am from hikes in the woods
   Little mountain mosquito bites that
      Won't itch, if I dont scratch them ....
          I scratch them!

I am from befriending chipmunks, while my mother watches for birds
    From my father's fishing pole and tying flies
         Pan fried trout, fresh from the stream
              Calling the deer, as hunters have, time behind time

I am from lonely child only child
    Day dreams and stories read before bed, 
         myths and legends
             Fuel my dreams

I am from summer adventures with favorite cousins
    Learning constellations dancing in ink black summer sky
        Milky way, a stream across the heavens
             Orion, Cassiopeia, the weeping Pleiades
          Great and little dippers, Pegasus, Leo

I am from church on Sunday, and Grange on Fridays
    From a line of preachers, teachers and farmers
          Midwives and healers stretching back across the plains
                To the southern forests, to the Celtic lands
I am from piano lessons and singing in the choir

    From drawing the neighbor's ponies, 
        Hanging clothes on the line and polishing silver
           4-H and crafts with my mama
            Oregon vacations, Reading after dark

I am from Magpie and Red wing Blackbird
     From echoing Meadowlark's trill and singing to my mountains
        While waiting for the schoolbus
             In the brisk morning air

I am from teacher's college, 
   Honors English and Music theory
      Natural history, with ancient forests and volcanoes
          Life drawing and Opera workshop

I am from a third floor dorm room and my first roommate
        She, one of ten kids, and me, one of one!
            Music Major and minor
                 Learning to bump along

I am from romance and disappointment
      From young motherhood and marriage
           Nursing and making yogurt
                Messy houses and enough books to fill a library  

I am from art and science
     Mountains and stars
          Healers and dancers
              Wise woman and mystics

I am from astrology and tarot readings
    Color and Theory
        Living in community 
             And taking up the harp

I am from a dancing dragon tattoo
    Living by the sea for awhile
        Teaching Reiki and gathering stones
             Basking in starlight

I am from here and there,
   From the songs of my ancestors, and of my grandchildren
      From asking "is there another story you'd like to tell?
         Sharing the songs of the stars
             
.... Posting to Paint Party Friday - where are you from?
            
    

RT Circle Guide

Since she was a teen growing up in California's Bay Area, Artist Shiloh Sophia has been calling circles, gathering people, often "misfits and outcasts," inviting them to belong. In her art galleries, she often set up a station to create, and invited guests to do a project in art and inquiry. 

After a brief sojourn in art school, and resulting frustration with the focus on realistic painting, and scathing "critiques," she returned to her roots and independent study with her mentor, Master Painter Sue Hoya Sellers. (1936-2014) Sue invited everyone she knew to, "commit art," and Shiloh Sophia has taken that invitation literally.

After almost a decade of offering the Color of Woman Intentional Creativity program, which Hoya Sellers helped establish, Shiloh Sophia launched Red Thread Circle Guide training.  Around 50 women from around the world who are healed enough, and ready to call Red Thread Circles in their own communities are enrolled in the training. I am excited for these SiStars, and the beloveds who will be served. 

A Chinese Legend tells us a Red Thread connects us from before birth with those we're destined to meet. The thread may twist and tangle, but it won't break, and gradually draws us closer. We each have our own piece of the thread, what is ours to cause and create. RT circles help us identify our own piece, and to connect with others in our tribe. 

I have offered RT circles for the past three years, since my enrollment in the IC Color of Woman training, and am honored to be one of those offering support to this first RT Circle Guide training. 
Last night our monthly circle included 7 sisters and two Guides, including my 13 year old granddaughter. KK was my "guinea pig" for my first Red Thread Circle in 2015, helping me practice my first offering, a Cosmic Smashbook cover. 
Our inquiry art circle was what Renewal we are seeking this Imbolc season, what are we Devoted to? What title would we put on our "book?"

We created a small book, using 1/4 sheet of 90# watercolor paper, folded the long way and torn into two strips for a 6 page, single signature booklet. We used watercolors markers, and colored or Inktense pencils to create our covers, and red thread to tie the signatures. 

Inquiries:

•  Cover - what am I devoted to? What's my new Myth? What is my book Title?
• 1/2 - What is the challenge/ old story?
• 3/4 Middle - symbol / words of transformation 
• 5/6 - Renewal, devotion, resolution

 A Nation of Women With Wings 

These little booklets are easy to create, and could hold more signatures - here's a post on making a simple single signature booklet, and one for two or more signatures. This is a great project for any age and topic! Have you made booklets?  Post a link in the comments! 

My IC Guild cohort Sepha used three strips of folded paper for her booklet (for 10 inside pages), and painted a symbol that commonly appears in her art on each page. I love that idea, and am beginning one to contain the symbols I use. Do you have symbols, shapes orcolors you use frequently?

Though Shiloh didn't originally plan to include doing a painting in the Red Thread Circle Guide program, that's so integral to her work, we are working on a canvas "after all!" Here's the beginning of mine, the circle, with symbols for myself in the center.  ... 

HåPpÝ Paint Party Friday

Vesta and Crown

We are Legendary

For the past 10 years, Maestra Shiloh Sophia and her sidekicks Jena and Stella Mac have led a group of amazing women on a journey to discover their own Legend, and discoverong what it means to lead Legendary Lives. This course is the prerequisite for the annual Color of Woman teacher quest'
Several local RT SiStars are enrolled with over 115 others in this year's Legend. One will be going on to CoW 2018, and another is enrolled in the new Red Thread Guide course. In March, we'll host an open studio for them to paint together!

When I registered for Legend in 2015, I intended to do CoW sometime later,... But then Shiiloh opened a few more slots, and (gulp!) I was on the quest! Each year, a new group of women journal and paint their way out of old stories, and discover new pathways. We vision our symbols, and see where they fit, support each other through laughter and tears, and embracing new ah-has.

Color and shapes from earlier layers peek through, each building on the last, as our lives build on the stories of our families, and herstory, we sift through for those which inform our choices. What are we building on? Where is the foundation solid? Where does it require digging out and shoring up?

When I embarked on my Legendary journey, I gathered flower essences for a bouquet of support: Lady's Slipper Orchid for stepping out in joy, Star of Bethlehem for lighting the pathway, ... Symbols came, a dragon, dancing maid, a key in the heart of the labyrinth ...and my legend, Shande'nea Star Gate was birthed. (Read a bout her symbols and the journey here)

Shande'nea Star Gate

How can you doubt your Soul Purpose?
You were born for this!
You hold a gift, a treasure, 
a King's ransome that is such a blessing for your companions

Arise and Shine!
Do not worry, consider the liles of the field - you are blessed beyond measure
It is time for you to SHARE those blessings
The time you spend in Circle hones you for the Next Steps

Will you step through the gateway?
The dragons know the way, and hold the keys
Open your eyes and ears: see and hear
Make way for the Messages to flow
To glow and mark the spiral path

Breath with new breath
The sweetness of the journey
As you Dance Through the Stargate

Last year I participated in the journey in paint and story, holding space for the exploration. As our sistars embark on Legend 2018, my classmate Kendall Scott has assembled Legends from the SiStarhood for a Legendary SlideShow. Shande'nea is there with many others, gateways to our personal Legendary Lives!