The Soul Picture Story Continues- The Fuse of the Possible

Here are two recently made SoulCollage® cards of mine.  I love how this process takes on a life of its own and becomes a feedback loop of images, so to speak.  Playing back the storyline of the inner mythic characters that are up in my life at that moment.  The cards become alive and take on a life of their own.

This first card is one that I did on one of  the citra-solve altered, National Geographic Backgrounds.

I am the one who travels through the imagination.  Who flowers as she reads, traveling the world without leaving her home.  I am the one who loves to read a good book, lose herself in a story that unfurls and circumnavigates the breadth of the cosmos.  I am always happy when I have a stack of good books waiting to be read.

I am the one who becomes enchanted when I draw, or do any kind of art.  I am the one who looks deeply, who pierces the vail of reality as my dreams draw themselves.  I take the time to really look, and carefully render the magic of what is right in front of me.  I am an artist.  I am the one who loves to tell a story through pictures.

The fuse of the Possible is lit by the imagination.”

Emily Dickenson

Fun Making Pocket Shrines

I facilitate an ongoing women's expressive art group, which has come to be called the Medicine Art Group. The name comes from art therapist, Shaun Mc Niffs's book, "Art as Medicine"  Over time the name as morphed and changed, it was once called the Art Spa fondly by group members.  Medicine Art has not only become the official name, but also now seems to  also refer to all the groups that I offer at the studio, being part of the Medicine Art Series.

The idea being that doing art is healing on a deep level, whether it is process or product oriented, whether one likes the tangible outcome or not.  All art making is healing, because we move into the moment, become more aware and our brain waves shift and we move into a deeper, healing awareness.  Art therapists call this approach Art As Therapy, not necessarily art therapy.  But to me and to participants in all these groups, it is one and the same.  ART is MEDICINE.   

 This past Friday in this ongoing group, we began to make pocket shrines.  Creating small containers to hold a specific energy, thought, intention or honoring.  Whether playful or deeply meaningful, the experience was fun and filled with energy.    

We started altering a various of sizes  of tin containers, although any container can do.  We used lots of altoid tins and small candy containers.  Altering is the name of the game here.  We painted, collaged and filled them with pieces, papers and items that moved us, in the moment, for whatever reason that emerged spontaneously.

 Everyone really got into it, to say the least.  These are some of the shrines that emerged during the group.

 Many of us were not complete and are going to continue on with this process the next time we meet in 2 weeks.

 So here are some of the small, portable shrines that emerged that day, for your viewing pleasure.

 I truly love show and tell, which is what this blog has become for me, showing off what emerges in my groups as well as my own personal art process.

                                       Aren't these all so wonderful, charming and magical?

                                 Each with deeply personal meaning for the shrine maker.

                                            This last one is mine, which is till in process.

After continuing to work on my pocket shrine after the group ended, I moved into another personal shrine.

A dear woman to me, who was my fathers girlfriend for many years, recently, and in many ways was another mother figure to me, recently died.  Interestingly enough, she shared the same name as my mother.

So, I took a holy card that I received the other day in mail from Addie's memorial service and an old tin nichio that I have been wondering what to do with and created another shrine,
honoring Addie, my mom and all the mother figures in my life.

My Deck continues to Grow...

"I am the one who steps into the healing pool and 

is renewed and energized."

Here is the SoulCollage® card that I made last week, using the Citra-Solv page as a back ground.

At first it was too spacey looking for what I was trying to convey in the card, but with some white pen and gold markers, I grounded her in the healing waters and sent light and healing to her from the sun.

I really look forward to using these amazing abstract pages for more S.C. cards as well as in other mixed media art processes.  Wonder how these would work with encaustic, saturated in beeswax?

Hmmmmm?

MORE CARDS

 Now I have 2 SoulCollage® groups going a month, and I am excited that my deck is continuing to grow.  I am also facilitating readings with friends  as well, and am amazed at how potent and powerful they can be.  So this new endeavor, which pulls together all the elements I have used before in my art therapy practice, but in a succinct and structured format, takes on a magical energy when all put together.

Here are 2 more cards that I made last Friday in my Inner Muse Card Making Group.

" I am the one who soars towards my dreams, with childlike enthusiasm.  I am the one who holds the foundation for these dreams to become a reality.  I move towards the light as I follow the path of my life and my right livelihood to the unknown."

"I am the storyteller, the weaver of images and fantasy.  I clear the Open Meadow of your mind to allow the stories to emerge.  I encourage your Inner Child to play in that field of plenty.  I am your grandfather, telling you stories of the old country, making doll houses and murals and stirring the seeds of creativity in you, that will last throughout your life."


More to come....until next time... Ciao.

Citra Solv - Wowie Zowie

I have been thinking about playing around with creating collage paper with Citra-Solv for a while now, but since I have begun leading SoulCollage®  workshops, I have been cutting out background images for the groups obsessively as of late.  The other day I finally got together all the supplies and spent an afternoon, outside under a tree, playing with National Geographics and Citra Solv.

 Oh my goodness, did I have fun, there is a bit of a learning curve getting started, but talk about Easy Peazy...it really is a no brainer.  National Geographics....I used both older and newer and both worked.

 Rubber gloves, and newspapers outside  in the fresh air, and to prevent messes.

 Vibrantly colored images that have lots of contrast...

 Concentrated Citra Solv, a tin pan to pour it in and I used a rubber brush, but a sprayer or any brush will do.

 Dribble, brush, spray, drop or splatter  the citra solv    onto the page, move it around

 Smush the pages onto each other and leave them for a little while

 Pull up the paper as it dries, brush around a little more...or blend in areas with a brush

 and walla, absolutely stunning results....

 Some of these can stand on there own as works of art.

 Perfect for collage backgrounds, as well as SoulCollage® card backgrounds to say the least.

they are gorgeous, absolutely stunning

 So I decided to post them here, just because I am enamored with the results

 The smell is quite strong, but not unpleasant and lasts for days on the pages

 But the results are beyond belief.  Try it if you are intrigued.

I will show the  SoulCollage® card  that I used a citra solv  background in, the next time I post here.
What a blast, absolute joyful creative play, just what the doctor ordered!  Try it, I bet you'll like it as well.

The Artist's Creed

I just recently came across this wonderful testimonial to creativity by Jan Phillips, so here to inspire you is the Artist's Creed..   Enjoy!

The Artist’s Creed by Jan Phillips

I believe I am worth the time it takes to create   whatever I feel called to create.

I believe that my work is worthy of its own space,  which is worthy of the name Sacred.

I believe that, when I enter this space, I have the right to work in silence, uninterrupted, for as  long as I choose.

I believe that the moment I open myself to the gifts of the Muse, I open myself to the Source of All Creation and become One with the Mother of Life Itself.

I believe that my work is joyful, useful, and constantly changing, flowing through me like a river with no beginning and no end.

I believe that what it is I am called to do will make itself known when I have made myself ready.

I believe that the time I spend creating my art is as precious as the time I spend giving to others.

I believe that what truly matters in the making of art is not what the final piece looks like or sounds like, not what it is worth or not worth, but what newness gets added to the universe in the process of the piece itself becoming.

I believe that I am not alone in my attempts to create,and that once I begin the work, settle into the strangeness, the words will take shape, the form find life, and the spirit take flight.

I believe that as the Muse gives to me,so does she deserve from me: faith, mindfulness, and enduring commitment.                

Another Mandala - show and tell

I just recently finished this mandala, it is one  that I started at our recent mandala workshop, 

 that we taught  a few weeks ago, at the Journey Center.

The colors just make me happy, 

feel expansive

 and like my heart is stretching its wings, in new and colorful ways.

At this point in my life, I seem to only create mandala's when I facilitate a workshop, which is one of the reasons, why I love to facilitate these workshops.  I have so many creative pulls in my life right now, so I don't often have the deep satisfying pleasure of stopping the world, 

and diving into the slow and soothing process of drawing  a mandala, 

and watching it unfold and work its healing, calming magic on me. 

 So, this one will have to do for now.   Until next time.

Journey Center Mandala workshop-

Patricia and I facilitated half day, introduction to the mandala process workshop,

 at the Journey Center, in Santa Rosa  yesterday. 

 The Journey Center is a place to come for spiritual renewal, and 

we were very impressed with its beauty, energy and sense of spirit filled possibility.

 Here are the photos of the amazingly beautiful mandalas that were created in that short amount of time.

                                                Although most of them are still in  process,

                                    the experience  of creating them was  calming,

                                                                     focusing

                                                                       mindful

and filled with insight.

Hopefully, some of the women who attended will send photos of their completed mandalas.  Nevertheless, I love to share the powerful images that are created, each  mandala unique and stunning. whether complete or in process.  

This hopefully will be the beginning of doing more mandala classes at this beautiful, healing spiritual center.