Spiritual Artist

So often the subject of spiritualism is avoided like politics or religion.
So today I wish to speak a bit on the unspoken.
The world is full of unseen energies. There is a current that runs through us like electric through wires. That current can be felt by some. Others, can hear colors as song or see what cant be seen by all. Some receive visions. We all have gifts that can be developed. The world is full of mysteries and undercurrents.
Often with great art, people purchase the artist not just the art. They are drawn not just to their work but to who they are, what they represent, their back story, their spirit.
So perhaps the idea of becoming a great artist has more to do with who you are than just what color paints that you use or your application techniques. I also believe that
our creations relay what we put into them, kind of like a speaker projects music.

Meditation is a good tool for developing the "inner artist". It is also a way to unleash your creativity.
We can allow ideas to come rather than struggling to invent them. This can be accomplished by first asking for what you want. Then, relaxing and becoming the blank canvas. Breathing deeply can help you relax. A focal point can keep your mind from wandering. While searching for a video that could assist you in meditating, I happened upon this one. I found myself getting tears in my eyes because of how beautiful it felt.






"Sri Chinmoy was not only a prolific spiritual master, he also was an astonishing artist, working from within and renouncing any concept of the mind. This video is a tiny selection of his immense artwork that consists of more than 100,000 acrylic paintings and millions of so-called soul-bird drawings. Plunge into this visual feast of colors and forms... meditate with them and enjoy them!"
kedarvideo

Reuben Margolin Kinetic sculptor

Reuben Margolins work is jaw dropping. He is fully able to convey his spirit through his art. I have always had an attraction to art portrayed by movement.
Beautiful and mesmerizing. Explained in his own words....

A Thanksgiving Story

When I was around 7 years old, I remember creating a Thanksgiving masterpiece.

It was a turkey made from an apple. It was a difficult task to get all the toothpick legs placed evenly. It had fallen over about a dozen times until I gotten it balanced just right. The toothpicks were then covered in mini marshmallows. I never actually drew blood but I was poked quite a few times while performing the precarious procedure. I had colored a head with only the sharpest of crayons and cut it out with care not to snip off the jiggly red gobbler skin that hung from his neck. I poked the toothpick tail feathers in the turkey butt, forming the perfect fan shape. I slid on the marshmallow feathers, rewarding my artistic endeavors with sweet puffy delights. One for me, one for the turkey butt. One for me, One for the butt.

It was finished!  

I was so proud of my accomplishment. I was an artist! I ran from the bus excitedly and placed it on the preset Thanksgiving table next to the centerpiece. I couldn't wait for mom to see it. She would be home soon and she might just pass out with pride!

I was in my older sisters care until moms return so I unveiled my creation to her with little fan fair. I went up to my room to change and kill some time until mom got back.

I heard the dogs bark. I knew that any time now, she would be walking through those doors and see her little girls artistic genius. My heart leaped with joy at the anticipation of it all. I ran down to greet her like one of the barking dogs.

"Mom, I have to show you something. Mom MOM MOM!"

I took her hand and lead her to the table, smiling with delight....

My smile turned to tears. My evil sister had taken a bite out of my masterpiece and ate its tail feathers!!

Thanksgiving was ruined. She laughed her satanic, red faced, horns popping out self all the way out the door as I stood there crushed beyond words. Mom scolded her made her say "I'm sorry." 

At that age,I was never able to express how it made me feel. I could only say it with tears. 

 I still love my evil sister, and have tried my best to forgive her.I guess that I would not be who I am today, if it were not for her. 

The moral of this story is..Do not let your dreams be crushed by apple eating devils. Believe in yourself no matter what criticisms come your way. 

And be thankful for what you have. Critics can give you insight if you can take their suggestions without feeling offended. Remain proud of your work. And be supportive of your fellow artists. For they may have had their apples bitten too.

Art Therapy

We run deep. As creative individuals we may not always be as grounded as we like. Our imaginations can take us away from uncomfortable realities. We are the greatest of escape artists. Shut the studio door and the world will just go away. Or will it?
Great minds will tend to over think, over analyze and gets stuck in our own miserable thoughts. Old habits are hard to break.
As we grew from childhood, our imaginary world was put in the back burner and reality came in with a bang. I believe that most artists try to retain that childlike quality. As with
Anything, balance is the key. Acceptance and balance.
If your scales of balance feel a bit off kilter perhaps there are things weighing you down.
A simple visualization of balancing your scale might help. Imagine each problem in your life as one of the weights on the scale. One by one, remove your weighted problems from your scale. It may seem like a silly exercise, but your subconscious mind does not always know the difference. Small steps in the right direction will begin to release you.
Unleashing inner demons can help you become the artist. Becoming starts with letting go. Letting go starts with a thought followed by an action.

Dante and Vergil in hell

Eugène Ferdinand Victor Delacroix

Art therapy has become a useful tool for change.
You may wonder how an art therapy session is different from the average art class. "In most art therapy sessions, the focus is on your inner experience—your feelings, perceptions, and imagination. While art therapy may involve learning skills or art techniques, the emphasis is generally first on developing and expressing images that come from inside the person, rather than those he or she sees in the outside world," explains Cathy Maldiochi in The Art Therapy Sourcebook . "And while some traditional art classes may ask you to paint or draw from your imagination, in art therapy, your inner world of images, feelings, thoughts, and ideas are always of primary importance to the experience."
You may not have to sign yourself up for a class, but experimenting through your art might help. Try to create a piece of work using emotion. See where it takes you.

Warning: Please understand that I am only an artist. I have no formal training in psychology. Do not go jumping off any cliffs just because I told you to.

Whats Your Style?

Still trying to develop your style?

What makes you unique? Well, the answer is YOU!

Don't worry so much about what sells as much as what feels right to you.

When you discover the artist within, people will recognize that and you will draw attention to your work. If blue is the color that feels good to you, paint blue.

If you are drawn to bugs and fashion, then paint a bug stomping down a runway in a fabulous couture gown. No matter how silly, or off the charts, ignore the critics and do what you love. The more that you express your inner emotions and passions, the better your art will be. Be open to suggestions and experiments. Be aware of the "ah ha" feeling that you get when its right. Create with intent. Do you have a message to send out to the world? What are you trying to say? Who are you? What do you want to reveal? 

                                              My Contemporary Blue

Open yourself up to what is quietly offered from above. There is a flow of energy. I like to call it the "God flow." There are many names for it. The name is not what matters. Awareness does. It comes in a faint whisper. The more you focus on it, the louder it becomes. If you allow it to flow, you will find empowerment, inspiration, guidance. You will find you. The you that God intended you to be. The you that doesn't worry or feel insecure. The super you. 

You can hear the message, yet still not trust in it. Its so easy to slip back into our habits and to remain frozen in fear. Trust plays a large part in becoming. We must trust in ourselves. I am not saying to give up all free will and follow blindly. Just allow good things to come in their own time, and they will. 

Get Moving!

Art is an amazing way to make a living. For me, its a dream come true.
Of course you can think of a million other things in your life that need done. Your laundry piles up. Your grass grows and you do have to eat. Like with any task that needs accomplished, it may take discipline. Make time for your dreams to come true. Perpetual motion is defined as "a state in which movement or action is or appears continuous and unceasing."

In order to get in motion and stay in motion, you must DO! So you have dreams of making it big? Then you must train and retrain your brain and body to get busy! Routine is good. Some work better at night. Some sprint and rest. Some work slow and steady. Find what works for you and DO! Like with any new routine or life change, it may feel like a struggle at first. Then in time we can do it almost with our eyes closed. It becomes automatic and natural. What we do on a regular basis begins to feel right. Make art a habit and your goals can be reached with ease.

Art In Instablility

You have to admit, times are tough. Jobs are difficult to keep and even more difficult to obtain. Tourism is decreasing either from fear or gas prices. Even our food does not seem to taste as good as it used to. Crime is up and we are all feeling a bit unstable. Do not get it the mind set that this is how our world will remain!
 It is my belief that thoughts do change your surroundings. Perhaps it is pure perception. Perhaps thoughts create physical energies that create actual events. Optimist do seem to have it easier than a realist.
So, how do we change our world with a thought? Well for example, when you feel down and hopeless can you create? Heck no! At least not very well, if at all. No creativity, no art, no sales, and so on. Think happy thoughts and BAM the creativity flows like white water rapids. Change your thoughts. See the world in a different light and eventually it will come into existence.
You may not feel encouraged at the moment when so much of the world seems to be reflecting negativity. But there is always an alternate path. The choice is yours.
This video will show you that life goes on even when we are unaware of our own possibilities. Take the time to watch it and you might just get inspired in one way or another.

Contemporary Art

These are a few of my contemporary art pieces that sold this month.

Thank you for looking.