It's been a while-Healing Art making

It's really been quite a while since I last posted here.  My life has flowed into new directions...since my dear friend and cofacilitator, Patricia's  death.  I have been almost obsessively, making Mandala Amulets, from both her mandala's and mine.  Working with her Illuminated Mandala images, has been a healing process for me.  Gathering, cropping, working with the images in Iphoto and turning them into amulets has taken over almost all my other art endeavors, except creating SoulCollage® cards, in my groups.  

Here is the backstory;   I had been making pendants from my art as well as found art, since the fall.  They turned out so lovely that I began to sell them and found them to be quite popular.  Plus the whole process appealed to my love of making things in multiples.  I am  maker.

Healing Star Mandala

Universal Shapes

I made a pendant of one of Patricia's mandala's as a Christmas gift for her. It actually was of her Star Mandala...which is this one here.  She wound up giving it to her caregiver as a gift.  A dear friend of hers, who was at the house during her last month of life, commissioned me to make a series of these for all the women in the loving circle of friends that surrounded her during that time...and I have continued to create them along with Amulets from my own mandala images.So one  thing has led to another, and another and I have continued this artmaking journey for months.  The interesting thing is that this whole process has brought me closer to Patricia, and led me full circle back to viewing all of my mandala's in another light.

Flowering Color Wheel

In order to get an image to be strong in a smaller format, there must be a lot of contrast and not a lot of detail in order to reduce the image  to a contact sheet size. So I am viewing my work with a different lens.  

Heart Healing

I also have realized that I am always soothed by doing things in multiples, which is why I love creating mandalas. Mandalas, have repeating patterns in them, and creating repetitions makes one feel safe and comforted.  Kind of like a visual fence that encircles what is important, what is in the center,  the heart of the matter.  

Goddess of Balance

I have also found more of her  original mandala's, as we  a community of women friends, now go through her art and her possessions, and I have photographed them with an idea to reproducing them in the future.  It has allowed me to really and truely see and appreciate her art, in a deeper light.  And when I work with the images, she is in my mind in a different way, which has taken a lot of the edge off of my grief around losing her.  Healing Indeed!

Soul Mother

Another thing has happened, and that is that this whole process, which has included making the Amulets from all of my mandalas, ( I am now calling them amulets instead of pendants, which alludes to the power inherent in these images) has begun to  bring me a greater sense of abundance, and a new direction for making money.  

I have always felt that my art, and in particular my Mandala drawings, have work to do in the world. That these images enhance and support others, separate from the healing power of creating them,  that the images are meant to inspire others. This has become clearer with this process.  I am grateful and blessed by this entire process and my sadness has been a process of personal transformation.  

Thank you to all who have been following my  musings, in this blog over time, and who find their way here synchronistically.  Always remember that doing Art heals, in subtle and profound ways, whether you feel you can do it or not,  --- JUST DO IT!  you never know where a process will lead you.

Until the next time...when I plan to post my new series of SoulCollage® cards.

Namaste'  

Caterina

Color, Color and More Color - Color Wheel Mandala Day

Well, there were a total of 8 of us, drawing in the heat of the approaching summer this past Sunday, in my studio in Santa Rosa  CA.  As the weather heated up, so did the vibrancy of color that emerged in everyone's mandalas.

Here we all are at the beginning of the morning, as we began our day.  Not everyone is shown here.

In the beginning stages of creating mandala's, drawing with white prismacolor pencils on the black paper, using the scale of light to illuminate the essence of the image, 

out from the dark ground of the paper.  Always so, powerful!

In the afternoon, we began to add color, and our images heated up 

along with the temperature of the room.  

Often times it takes an act of bravery to add color to the already developed black and white mandala, which is always so stunning.

But it is always worth the risk, and takes everyone to a new level of engagement and satisfaction.

I love watching the image and colors emerge and how excited everyone becomes as their mandala's come to life.  Here they are in the beginning stages of emergence, as color starts to blossom.  We place them on the wall periodically, to stand back and view them, giving our eyes, hands and bodies a chance to rest from this very detailed work.

This is a small Virgin of Guadalupe mandala, that Sue, drew along side her larger one, to honor an image  that she photographed recently.

Almost complete.

Working with the color wheel is a simple yet powerful way to create a beautiful mandala, that allows spirit to come through in a striking way.

This is Patricia's mandala with all the color down, now she will develop it more fully.

This is my mandala, I didn't get too far on the day of the workshop, I was feeling under the weather, and worked slow and since the workshop was at my studio, I had the luxury of taking an extra long lunch break and a nap that day.  I will post its development in later posts.

This is Lake's mandala, also still in process, I am so drawn to the quality of energy and movement in it.  I look forward to seeing it as she puts more time into it.

Yes! So powerful and with such a wonderful sense of movement.

I love how this process, transcends peoples early art woundings, and allows people to see their creative potential.  This mandala was done by Rusty, who didn't think she could create something new. What a stunning and expressive mandala.  She left feeling renewed and ecstatic about her creative possibilities.

And lastly Sue's mandala, I love how the energy emits from the hand, radiating out in all directions. After initial hesitations about the hand, it worked out so perfectly.  

So thats it for now.  If I get images back of completed mandala's I will post them here, as well as my mandala as it progresses.  Blessings to all. 

On this journey called life .....Just Trust Yourself

"Just trust yourself, and then you will know how to live"  Goethe

In my ongoing expressive art group a week ago, I began a mixed media collage.  Having fun with it for days afterwards, I created this  this.  I love maps, they elicit so many fantasies, and memories for me as well.  I used to spend hours drawing them as a little girl, and then pouring over them with dreams of travel as I became a young woman.  Even, now maps  continue to hold a power over me, but in a different way. They are guideposts, signs leading to inwards reveries and imaginings.  So, they often find their way into my art these days.    

There are many art therapy directives that integrate maps and mapmaking into the art process, creating maps of your inner landscape, maps of your spiritual journey, maps of your life's path, maps of your journey in  overcoming challenges.  Creating mandala's is another ancient mapmaking process,  the experience of finding your center, creating a way to orient to your own personal true  north...and of course,  just the experience of drawing a mandala is a map of the cosmos, both inner and outer.   Oh how I love maps. 

My newest fantasy is to make a series of envelopes from old maps.  We shall see if I follow through on that one. If so I will post them here eventually.   Maps are a call to the journey towards the self.   What do you do with maps?  Show me!

Abstraction is a challenge for me

I work in so many different media, that I have to find ways to trick myself into doing some of them.  I love to paint with acrylics, but rarely do these days because I am so pulled by many different processes. One way in which I get myself to paint, is to never leave paint unused.  

I have a magical little girl who comes to paint with me at my studio.  She loves to use lots of color, so after we meet I always use the paint she has left over to begin a new painting.

I give myself permission to do whatever, 

not worry about outcome

spread the paint across the canvas impulsively

know that I can use this as a base for collage so anything goes

be thrifty- and have fun

I have begun a series of these paintings.

This is one that I just recently began and then subsquently

worked on over a series of studio sessions.

This painting kept changing from its initial impulsive, expressive beginning.  I was hoping to stay completely abstract with it, but the last time I worked on it, the image of the bird and then the flower emerges.  I loved each in their own way, so let them stay.  I however, really respect abstract painters and wish I could stay completely abstract and free from imagery.  But I really find that a challenge.  Nonetheless, I like this piece and feel it is complete.

If you are an abstract painter, how do you stay committed to the non representational, I would love to hear from you.  

And another mandala to share with you all

Today in my email I received this photo of another completed Spring Shapes mandala.  This was drawn by Paula DuVander.  Once again, it is so interesting to see how even when working with similar motifs, ie the 5 universal shapes, each mandala is so different and unique/

When I look at this vibrant, colorful mandala, I am reminded of the thick texture of needlepoint or the vibrant colors of Huchiol yarn paintings.    I am so pleased that folks continue to send me images of their completed mandalas.  I will be sure to post them as they arrive.

Enjoy the spring...

Exploring the 5 Universal Shapes -Spring Mandala Workshop

Yesterday Patricia and I facilitated our Spring Mandala Retreat Day.  We incorporated Angeles Arrien's process with the 5 Universal Shapes into our mandalas.  The energy in the group seemed to hum with contentment as we welcomed the Spring through creating mandalas in community.  

Here are the  photos that were taken of the days creative process.  

 These are the scale of light experimental doodles that we did at the begining of the day,  each of us exploring the circle, square, triangle, equal distant cross, and circle in our drawings.

                              
                                  Shapes Mandalas with just a hint of color coming into them.

 It is magical to see these in process photos of this drawing process.
Look at the magical, emergence of color and light in Marsha's mandala.  So luminous!!

                           It is amazing to see how each persons drawing essence presents itself.

I feel so honored to witness this creative emergence drawing process, and sharing it here is also a shared pleasure..

                                                        Everyone working away.

 I loved the energy in the room in the afternoon, after we had been deeply drawing for a while. The focused joy of drawing was almost  visceral.  Both calming and energizing at the same time.  The healing power of art and the focusing energy of drawing mandalas, intertwined.  How lovely.

 This is me drawing the my mandala.  I was working with the circle, spiral and triangle.

            Here are everyones mandala's at the end of the day.  Each one so unique and whole.

 Everyone agreed to send me images of them when they are complete, so I will post them when they arrive.

I personally started a color wheel mandala, and I really look forward to playing with it and letting it emerge into what it will become.  I will post its evolution eventually..Until then, happy drawing.

New Soul Collage Cards

I have been making Soul Collage cards, in preparation for taking a Soul Collage Facilitator training next month.  Here are some images, without words...for your viewing pleasure..
Do any of these call out to you, and if so what do they say?

More to come, until then... ciao.