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

Gypsy Rose Muse - She Listens Sweet & Deep

A message in a bottle, from Gypsy Rose, Muse of Mystery & delight; She Listens Sweet & Deep

Sweet Nadya!
We bring wisdom voices from the stars & ancient pathways
You are So Loved, so appreciated, so honored! We invite you to attune to your senses & enliven your Spirit! Sparkle & Shine, share the joy you know deep inside!
It is indeed in listening that you are brought forth/ healed/ come to life! Your listening brings forth information/ awareness for yourself & for others.
In attending to your own joy & in doing the little things, a-tend-ing, that you will bring them (your Beloveds) home to themselves!

Ah, dear one! Enjoy the flavors & rainbow life has to offer! The beautiful painting, the hot chocolate! The fresh scone (gluten free, of course!) The symphony of bird song or orchestra, rumble of ocean or flute on the wind, the breath of fingers on the harpstrings, drumbeat by candlelight ... bagpipes at dawn.
The scent of the desert, refreshed with rain, sweet tea, the breath of a rose ...

And awaken even more to the inner senses, knowing who is calling, on a device, or through the ethers ... the tribal sense of what is needed, which herb heals, which flower will aide transformation! The network is operating/ open ... it's a river - dive in! Dive deep! Wade across ... find a bridge, sail away ....

Cross my palm with Silver! I do love the jewels & jangles, beads & bangles! The flow of a-bun-dance as we get our own buns a dancing!!
Dance, dance, wherever you may be!! I am the heart of the dance, said she!

We say, "you have it all! All you need to share, to inspire, both yourself and others! New tools will come in their own time, of COURSE they will!! The all is beyond space/ time/ current awareness! Timely-time to share the blessings of this Soul Play with your beloveds!

Go forth in grace, in beauty! Shining your light of kindness & inner knowing! Your path beckons, the way is clear for your dancing feet!

O Sada
It is Good

signed in sparkles & glitter

 * Rose *

She Listens Sweet & Deep - Gypsy Rose Muse

                 
Some of the first words from Gypsy Rose, in early May:
(who are you?) "Gypsy Rose - let me read your tea leaves! Spin you a story, play the tambourine, dance, dream vision listen to the whispers of the Universe, I am here - waiting!"

Gypsy Rose is my Muse of accessing creative inspiration, & is the first painting on my Color of Woman/ Intentional Creativity Teacher training/quest. "
"Inside of every single one of us is this mechanism that many have worked with over the centuries, most commonly called the ego, the voice, the inner guidance system, conscience or of late – the inner critic.
.... Inside of us, connected to our senses, the Muse is the navigator, the view finder – what we use to ‘get around’ this interior world. What we use to look at and through. There are many ways to look within to see what is there within us." Shiloh Sophia

If we get in touch with our creativity, with what we may have been suppressing, we can begin to transform the voice of the critic (less than, I can't, don't get hurt!) into the voice of the muse .... & when all else fails, send the critic out for a pedicure and give her some chocolate!!
 
Shiloh writes: "We are walking a sacred path that is a quest. Your quest in which you are seeking your own content and information. A quest with women beside you: seeking, longing, looking, being challenged. Awakening. Working with the archetypal energies of the Legendary Self. And now moving forward to the Muse."  

My quest is to explore this painting with intention in more depth, to explore my own beliefs & rewrite the stories as I move into sharing intentional creativity with my beloveds. I wish to be a pure channel for sharing, for holding space, for holding my piece of the Red Thread. 

And I pass the thread to ____ my beloveds!

Legend & breaks

Shortly after my last post, I fell & broke my left arm, just above the wrist!!
Ouch!
As a self-employed massage therapist & harpist, it was a double whammy, time for healing & off from work (I wanted a vacation, ... not a brea-cation!! sigh) 
So I was in the hospital, with surgery (! First since my tonsils came out when I was 6!) & a few weeks later, began the Intentional Creativity (Color of Woman) teacher training Quest! 

This is a 9 month program, moving around a compass of inquiry, with the center our Legendary self - Here's my post from our online classroom about the completed painting (end of April)

 I used to be - a lonely only child, entertaining myself, unsure of whether I was *invited* to participate .... responsible - and yet ... wanting to step back, & let someone else invite, include, decide ... I used to live within a broken heart, not sure if I was wanted/ chosen ... I was gifted with music, dance, literacy, love of stories, wisdom of the elders, but still, at times, uncertain of my place within it all ...
Now I am Welcome & invited to participate in the dance of live; I have a place in the circle! he Red Thread invites me to take responsibility for my piece, I share space & my many gifts & talents with joy!
Dear Storyweaver; as I am invited, I invite you to fully inhabit my life & being! We dance in the garden of joy - I invite you to join me!
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Connected to the Strories and the tribe; Called to take her place with the elders, the youth, poets, dancers, artists, dreamweavers; I am She who dances with the Stars, through the StarGate - Shande'nea Elthia
Voice of Wisdom and vision, let me see beyond the little stories & mundane journey to the BIG story, the Big picture.
Way shower, Vision Keeper, Storyweaver, Rainbow woman of the inner places.
In the wilderness, watching stars dance & moon rise, I come home to myself.
Shande/nea, Lightweaver
Weave the threads & webs of life, ever changing - shimmering shifts
as we move beyond the stories, Light weaves and informs our very beings
My magic carpet & Magic wand bring me places I never imagined, but dreamed when I was starbound and glistening.
Shande/nea Elthia, light bringer, Star Lady, Dragon wisdom, Crystal light, star singer, StarGate!
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The symbols: original symbols were: star, crown, heart, dragon, spiral

Scroll on Rt cheek: written in time, herbal formulas & healing nectar/ three remedies balance three tears/wounds. Sound, Flower essences, Essential oils (& herbs in other forms, other remedies)

Crown/Trees - the stars & crown were two of the original symbols, bringing wisdom of the Pleiades, downloading information & insights. The stars remain, but the crown morphed into trees, the standing ones who weave their own web of interconnection & share information through their roots, through the soil of mama earth. The base of the trees has become a crown of shell & rubies, encircling & holding a gentle, powerful wisdom.
"And our roots go down, reaching for the water, & our branches soar, shining in the sun - and the seasons turn, springtime into summer, autumn into winter, our spirits dance as one!"

Stars - Starlight - let my light shine, illuminate my path & call my beloveds! I also sprinkled my birth chart around the background, bringing in the planets to dance with the stars!

Dragon - 'the dragons of your fears - you have been blessed, so blessed & protected! The recent 'medical emergency' & breaking, being repaired is bringing so many hidden blessings (still unfolding). You are surrounded with many gifted healers.' I am Safe & protected, the Dragon infuses the Voice with Truth & Wisdom
I love the magic & wisdom of dragons as well, & the magical stories that surround them. The dragon nourishes the trees as it inspires & infuses my spirit, with information, intuition, insight, deep knowing

Eyes - are open to the new possibilities, and shine light that reminds others of their OWN light. Awake & conscious

Broken heart/Vestal priestess - The Hearth/heart fire has long been a symbol. My heart is transforming with this work - out of old breaks, gold fills & the clearing is complete - love without fears & without old rules/teachings binding'/ constricting. She hears the stories, doesn't give herself away; claims space & time for herself, fills her own cup, and hears the call of the community.

DNA shifts - the DNA ear-rings symbolize internalizing the alchemical process, shifting our very DNA with this work/play/ ritual

Key & labyrinth - this is the Cretan labyrinth, the path in & out of the labyrinth are transformative - we change our stories as we move through the cycles - the winged key in the center sets us free!

Spirals - ancient & magical, power, cycles, shifts & changes

Little dancer under the hill - when I was a little girl, a 'little blue man' stood by my door at night (about as tall as the doorknob) ... whether I saw 'him' or dreamed him, .... she is connected to the stars, dancing within the StarGate

* * * * * * *

This has been a powerful journey of bringing the stories forward, into the light for re-examination. Along with the old stories that can be laid to rest, there are the sweet stories & gifts that belong in the medicine basket!
Falling and breaking my arm midway through March brought up old fears around abundance & lack, financial security, ....and brought a deeper compassion for those in pain, wounded, uncertain of their path ... information is still coming in on that - & healing still progressing! I am excited to have the cast off, & to be typing with both hands!

While I could still paint during the time of active injury, I felt off kilter, & it took me awhile to get back into the flow of my Legendary self. I found myself more tired, & in 'licking my wounds' for a time. Hard not to go into 'guilty' mode - I had extra time, for heaven's sake!! And .... worked on NOT feeling guilty, but sitting with it ...
I am still listening to what Shande'nea has to tell me ... (her hair needed more blue, so we shifted that!)

I love the process of intentional creativity, seeing each woman's beautiful paintings, & seeing what is coming forward! 

Are you ready to transform some old stories, & shift some energy? Break through (without the trauma of a breakdown)! ... let me know!

Blessings!

 

Legendary

A year ago, I painted my Muse Gabriella with Elisabeth, & began on a Red Thread Journey (follow the link to Join us Sunday May 3, noon PDT, for a free introduction to offering Red Thread Circles wherever you are in the world!!)
.... but the journey had really begun in 2013, when I saw the blurb for the 'Red' show at Currents Gallery, & decided to do a couple of paintings. Or it began .... well, I've been on the journey all along!

Ariadne's Red Thread - 2014

The idea for painting Ariadne's Red Thread, laid as a trail through the Cretan Labryrinth for Theseus to follow came shortly after reading the call for artists, & I pulled out little used acrylics, picked up a canvas & began painting ... Neither piece (the second was a small heart) was accepted for the show, & I set them aside .... 

After painting with Elisabeth, I revisited Ariadne's legend & the canvas, glazing the picture, & finding hints of some of her symbols - an early goddess figure, the double headed labrys or axe, a butterfly ... and tipped the spider web with silver paint ... 

Shande'nea 3-2

Painting our Legendary Lady is an integral part of the Color of Woman journey, part of teaching the teachers. A number of powerful women have gathered to hold space for the unfolding.
Jenafer Joy gives Journal prompts, Stella Mac asks questions, guides our Conference calls, & Maestra Shiloh Sophia offers wisdom, laughter, & the painting videos ...

As we work with the questions & prompts, we uncover the stories that have been running us, & begin to write a new story, ... we play with symbols, & see where they fit, we support each other through the trials & tribulations, the laughter & the tears ...

And our Legendary Self comes forward ... Shande'nea wanted a dragon (you can see a hint of it in the pic on my last post!) & now the labyrinth ... it is always intriguing to see how new elements often follow a stroke or pattern in the underpainting. 

Shande'nea with labyrinth 3-11

And allowing those bits of colour & pattern from earlier layers to show through is one of our goals! What is the painting built on? What is the foundation, what stories are we re-writing? Re-telling?

Symbols, colours, stories ... what stories have been running your life? Are you ready to step beyond them ? 

Happy 4th BD to Paint Party Friday!! 

Legendary Essence

In January, I began a 6 month online course 'A Fall in Love Legend' with a group of other women embarking on a journey of self discovery. Some of us will be going on to the Color of Woman Teacher training with Shiloh Sophia, others have already completed the training, and others were simply drawn to this course.
 
I pulled out some of my Flower Essence books & journals, & began the process of crafting a flower essence 'bouquet' to support my process with painting my own Legend. 

I began making my own flower essences in the early 90s: the chosen flowers are placed in water, in the sunshine for several hours - then bottled & the energetic 'fingerprint' of the flower preserved for later use! 

For my 'Legendary' essence, I chose some flowers to support work with the symbols from our 'compass' meditation, plus several for embarking on this journey!

THE JOURNEY:

Blueberry: past life info, stretching
Lady's slipper orchid: new opening, water balance, step forward with grace
Iayah Ixchel Orchid: Divine feminine in all aspects
Clary sage: Clear eyed vision of sage, balance
Rhytidiadelphus: Clear deep blocks, restore core essence
Illwara Flame Tree: Left out/ gain confidence

SYMBOLS:
Star of Bethlahem: I AM the Light of New Possibility, stepping into my Legendary Life
Mallow: Warm open heart, Past Life Memory
Snapdragon: Express feelings, speak truth
Madrone: Spirit tonic, Crown chakra
Queen Ann's Lace: Inner vision, calm, Highest choice, crown chakra

Legend - Shande'nea Star Gate

I add a few drops to my water or tea, to the water for the acrylic paint, & to a spray bottle. 

We have begun to paint, putting words on the canvas, strokes of colour (just 3 at first). Courses with Shiloh Sophia include a period of visioning, journaling, poetry writing, more journaling, sketching, painting. 

With 'Legend,' we are examining the stories that have been running us, & visioning into our new stories, and living our own legendary lives! 

"We all have our own life to pursue
Our own dream to be weaving
And we all have the power to make wishes come true
As long as we keep believing."
 - Louisa May Alcott

# 86: Structure your day so you have time for painting, reading, exercising and resting.
Irwin Greenberg's Painter's Primer 

Happy Paint Party Friday

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 true 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