Ancestral Story

Recently I completed a piece called 'Ancestral Story'...displayed at the Bean There Cafe, in Oakville... Somehow, in this creative space, in completing this piece, in the moodling, idyllic play', a door opened for me...Ever since, I find myself thinking a lot about 'ancestral stories'....Recently, my mum came back from India with some lovely treasures, old, tattered, and well loved photos of our family... which are filtering its way into my work, as if they have been 'beckoned' by my creative muse ...I am enjoying playing with these cherished images, it has created a fantastical space for me...can't wait to see the outcome..but thoroughly enjoying the process.

Gardener's Soul

The 'Gardener's Soul' was a commission piece I completed recently.  It was a creation I enjoyed and at the same time I found it to be quite a challenge...in a very liberating way.  The challenge being perhaps that I didn't really know the womyn I was creating it

 for and maybe because it means a lot to me for the outcome to be in line with the customer's vision for the piece.  

Overall, custom orders are a delight because it can push me to that edge of where my comfort zone lies.  Also, as I was developing this piece I was constantly imagining what this womyn's life might be like, how I knew she loved gardening, birds, boating, the environment and it's preservation.  So in my mind I could develop quite lovely imaginary stories, like writing...

The conception of the piece, to the development and the delivery of it, is a whole process that I was keenly aware of...each layer and phase had its growing edges for me...But maybe the most pushing of myself was delivering the piece, this was a tad anxiety provoking...can't wait to hear about what the recipient thinks of her birthday gift.  I am grateful for this experience and always up for more challenges -- pushing the comfort zone wider.

Peel Health Creative Divas - Team Retreat

Human sound and moving machine, warm up fun, thanks Marie for opening up the morning with such a great energizer.

So totally absorbed in the creating space....being in the moment.

Finding the right embellishments and tools for their special creations.

Leigh demonstrates the art of rubber stamping...thanks 'stamping sister'.

Immersed in creating her inner diva, having so much fun.

Here are some examples of the many great Inner Divas created by the Peel Health Divas...Thanks so much for sharing this day with me and having me out to facilitate with you...I enjoyed the morning, energy, creative space and time together.

Rumi's Guest House

This being human is a guest house.

Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness, 

some momentary awareness

comes as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!

Even if they're a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house 

empty of its furniture,

still treat each guest honorably.

He may be clearing you out for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice, 

meet them at the door laughing, 

and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes, 

because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.

Thanks Joanne for sharing this lovely poem..it was a lovely blessing to wake up to today...as I needed it...the universe does work in magical ways...gifts come in all forms.

Thought I would share it here too, as it may resonate for another...with much peace and joy.  Enjoy the day!

Playing to overcome the 'stuck' blues

Nothing cures the feeling of being stuck like playing with images and colour, just letting the creativity muse guide my hand....not worrying about how it looks or who it is for...just delighting in the creative play.

Here are two creations that have helped me feel less stuck...and ready to just play, create and have fun with no expectations.

The first piece is called, "Ancestral Story",  for some reason I have been contemplating a lot on my ancestral history...and feel that their stories are often told in the whispers of the tree, the tree songs coming to us in the wind...if only we choose to stop for a moment, and truly listen and wonder....this is photo of a tree I took in the South of Eng

land last summer...in the moors where the Heather was bright, purple and abundant...this old narly tree seemed to have a lot of stories to tell.

This second piece is about the reminder to stop 'for a moment' and look, listen, play and enjoy the beauty that lies all around us...even the dandelions...these dandelions

 going to seed ...are around in my back garden..so I decided to do just that stop and delight in even the weeds..and took a couple of shots of them.

Summer Solstice Gathering

This is my dear friend Tracy, my very first friend in Canada....the one who always made me laugh, and kept me company some days walking to highschool.....with her is Cheryl, the animal, dog whisperer of Canada...I am blessed to have them as friends and for this opportunity to share this blessed circle celebration with them...so glad you both were there...added to the magic.

Here is my friend, Joanne Darlaston, Reiki Master Teacher and Practioner....with Jennifer Ramage who is smudging the lovely womyn gathered here to celebrate the coming of the summer solstice.  Both of these womyn I have known for many years, during the beginning years of my social work career, back in 1993...it is so serendipitous to be reconnected to both of them on this new journey we are all embarking on.

This is Stella, who seemed to enjoy the circle, fire and lovely aromas.

Heart Rock --- Yummy - how cool was that to find this part of the circle rocks.

I am grateful for these friends, blessings and the opportunity to release the things that weigh me down and to enhance and manifest my heart's intentions.  Happy Summer, it is here!

5 a.m. Offering - Published

I am filled with glee to share with you that I have had my first piece of artwork published in the 2009 Multifaith Calendar - "Reflections of Joy".  Lately I have been doing a lot of reflecting myself on the meaning of life's lessons, seeing them as opportunities to understand, and taking the time to journal these reflections. What I am discovering is that having a spiritual connection within, is vital to being in the moment, to enjoying life to it's fullest and in celebrating the diversity of all of us at so many levels; such as culture, religion, life and the choices we make and how we share them with others in our life.  This art piece created is called:  "5 a.m. Offering", it is  an encaustic mixed media and collage piece using a photo I took in Nepal, Katmandu, layered and embedded under the photo is a prayer flag with flower petals.  Often in offerings, flowers and incense are used which is a lovely way to fill all the senses in a time of prayer and meditation.  I am thankful for this blessing and wanted to share it with you.

The Multifaith Calendar is published annually by the Multifaith Action Society, based in British Columbia, Canada.  They believe that all religions, cultures and societies recognize that human beings have a huge capacity and need for joy.  It is in joy that we can find inspiration, peace and love.  It is joy that often propels us to connect to one another, to our natural surroundings and to the divine.  Our very souls can virtually burst in response to a child's sound, to the intensity of colour in the rising sun or to a musical interlude.

Responses to joy take many forms, the visual being only one.  This year's invitation for artistic submissions on the theme of joy received a response from more than 80 artists, giving the Multifaith Action Society a welcome selection from which to choose.  The Multifaith Action Society thanks all the artists for their participation.  They are pleased to offer in this 2009 calendar their choice of visual reflections of joy to augment the textual information.  Their hope is that both the visual art and written word will work together in support of better understanding of religious and cultural traditions.

For your own copy of this calendar please visit their website:  www.multifaithaction.org

Work in Progress

I would like to share with you a bit of a story:

The nightmare I mentioned in my last blog was just a reminder that I am still definitely a work in progress.  I have been wondering about sharing this latest "Supria episode" with the world....and have gone back and forth and back again,....only to arrive at a 'why not', maybe somehow my sharing will console another person who may feel less alone with their experience that might be similar to mine... or at least give you a good chuckle....which is okay too, I too will be able to laugh at myself in the not so distant future about this incident.

This was a great reminder for me that I am definitely less than perfect and make my share of mistakes....This one was a biggy though, which I hope will have a thread of a silver lining, a blessing if you will to emerge out of it...which is my hope.  HOPE is such a lovely gift from the universe...when everything else fails there is always H O P E.

I have always from a distance admired Grayce Perry and her work....and hoped that our paths would cross someday so that we may become friends....well during the 'DREAM' exhibit opening nite ... our paths not only crossed but they collided big time...meaning I stepped backwards in a crowded gallery only to collide with Grayce's 'Dream' piece which came tumbling off the pedestal & crashing to the floor....That was the point of no return...when I wished that I would "WAKE UP"....that this was really a "Dream"...but no it wasn't a dream...it was my living nightmare....No words could describe how my heart went out to Grayce in that moment, and how I had her in my thoughts for days afterwards -- as I know what it is like to put your heart and soul into a creation...only to have it snatched away....

The story does have a silver lining...though I can never take back that moment...I have been able to get to know Grayce slightly by visiting her at her studio and she has amazed me with her graciousness...she truly lives up to her name.  I am thankful for her grace and for her beautiful work which now adorns  my shelves at home...which is a positive reminder of how sometimes 'stuff' happens ...and that I am a work in progress ...within the journey we call life, self- forgiveness is important and living with integrity is vital.

I hope if you have a similar story - that you will share it and/or that you feel comfort in knowing that there are others in the world colliding with the great forces of life.

'DREAM' opens portals to the mysterious dreamscape world of 20 local artists.

Hats off to Marilyn Koop who has done a fabulous and 'dreamy' job on this exhibit...I found the show to be thought provoking and intriguing.  What I particularly enjoyed was that each piece is accompanied by the artist's dream story, which is like a door opening, inviting the viewer into their dream world; creating this space for you to engage with the creation so that you can interpret what the dream story might mean to you....and /or what it may mean in general about life's lessons.  I am in admiration of all the artists that put their heart and soul into their pieces, often they were sharing very vulnerable and intimate details which is a gift and blessing to be treated with care and love.  Thank you to all of you for your sharing your lovely, haunting, vivid, meaningful dream stories.

Jeff Bird's sound piece added yet another sensory element to the exhibit..I liked how this was included as it was an alternative medium for the visitor to experience the subject matter of the exhibit.  Many of you may agree, often dreams can be accompanied by sounds, speaking words sometimes which can be deciphered, but at other times may not be understood at all but are just merely echos and faint or loud audible sounds.  For me there is often music present in my dreams and that is why I found Jeff's piece particularly resonating with me.  Jeff's sound composition allows us to experience the exhibit at a whole other level, immersed as if you were in a dream....which includes stories, sound vibrations, screams and music...very much like my dream experiences.

Congratulations to Marilyn for the concept, the committment and passion to making this happen for so many local artists.  It truly is a lovely show.

On the flip side, as with some dreams they can turn into nightmares, right????...Which is somewhat that surreal feeling of being in a nightmare that I found myself in....but more about that personal experience on my next blog post.  Until then enjoy the exhibit if you get a chance to see it...it is fabulous.  The 'Dream' exhibit runs until July 20th at the Elora Centre for the Arts, Minarovich Gallery.  

 

Beautiful Sacred Spots in and around Beverley, Mass.

What a sensational find to happen upon this lovely old stone school house just outside of Beverley, Mass.  as we drive up to Rockport on Sunday.  This get away was a nice way to wrap up the lovely conference experience, slowing down from the overwhelming yet positive and abundance of information gathered at the conference...here are some shots of those things in every day life that I find inspirational.

ENCAUSTIC HEAVEN - 2nd Annual National Encaustic Conference- Montserrat College, Beverley, Mass.

Lovely gentleman in the middle is Rodney Thompson, who makes these beautiful panels for encaustic work...I had the pleasure of learning from him about packaging encaustic work for storage and shipping purposes..his boxes are in themselves a true work of art...truly magnificent. Thanks so much Rodney.

Encaustic heaven is what I have just been immersed in the last four glorious days in Beverley, Massachusetts, at the Montserrat College of Art, which hosts this fabulous Encaustic Conference.  Between being star struck with meeting the lovely and warm, Joanne Mattera, who is the visionary encaustic guru, behind the first and second national encaustic conference, and meeting such lovely warm like minded other wax heads like myself.....Viewing the exciting pieces that came out of the Diptych Project, a joint project between the International Encaustic Artists, I.E.A and the New England Wax, N.E.W.   This project involved 36 diptychs, that were created in collaboration from the members from these two groups..the process was a lovely pushing of artistic boundaries.

Here are a few of the lovely diptychs that were exhibited at the 2nd National Encaustic Conference...Check back frequently to hear about how this project has become a seed of something magical to come to Ontario.

I think it would be absolutely fabulous to organize a large Canadian Encaustic Artist contingent to caravan together and attend this exciting, informative and encaustic community event next year, the third annual national encaustic conference...there is something just very special about meeting and sharing with other encaustic artists.  It was great to meet a few other Canadian artists that travelled as far if not further than we did from Ontario, there were five of us from Canada this year.  I had the great pleasure of meeting both Susan Fisher and Alexandre Masino.

Another lovely artist I met during our trip into Rockport was Leslie Sobel, check out her work it is fantastic.

More to follow about the beautiful sacred places Andrea and I found during our trip in and around Beverley, Mass.  I thoroughly enjoyed travelling Andrea for this conference...we had great fun totally immersed in the lovely sights, tastes and long chats over delicious meals, wine and beer and our travels there and back....thanks for being such as great travel companion Andrea.