Third Eye Samurai
I have been going through much healing lately and one of the ways I have been doing this is to meditate on my chakras, by using the lovely chakra meditation “Running the Rainbow”, by Laura Alden Kamm. There are seven main centers of the body, each one a spiral of energy. Each chakra is represented by the colors of the spectrum. “Color therapy can be shown to help on a physical level; however there are deeper issues around the colors on the psychological and spiritual levels. Color has a profound effect on us on all levels, physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. If our energy centers become blocked or depleted, then our body cannot function properly and this, in turn, can lead to a variety of problems on any level.”
What I have noticed lately is the colors are showing up in my paintings, either what I need or a reflection of my healing of the chakras. It became pretty evident in my last painting, showing red, yellow and purple. Remember the base of the spine is represented by red, an indicator for a need of stability and survival, yellow governing self-esteem and wisdom, and purple relating to our higher self and higher consciousness. They also represent different organs in the body.
I am currently taking The Blog Triage class by Alyson Stanfield and Cynthia Morris. She was asking me the other day about my tag line: “Art in life and spirit in art” – “What does it mean to you?” I realized that my spirit shows in all my work and it is a reflection of my life at that particular moment that I painted the painting. As I live my life, my spirit is reflected in my art. Also speaking of spirits, the title of this piece is “Third Eye Samurai”. Do you also see the spirits of the Samurai in this painting? I didn’t realize they were there until I took the photo, yet my husband noticed them right away. But, that may be a whole other blog.
My intention is for you to discover healing when seeing my paintings, that the colors can also have a positive psychological and spiritual affect for each observer that owns one of my paintings.
This is the twentieth painting of my #paint52 challenge, Atelier Interactive Acrylics on a museum wrapped canvas, measuring 24” X 36”, price $2160. SOLD
As always I cherish your comments. Thank you!
My Drug of Choice #paint52
I knew I love color, but I just realized I’m and addict. I'm a color junkie. Color is my drug of choice. Honestly, I have been expressing how much I love color and that is what my paintings are about, but didn’t realize how much or the depth of truth in which I said it. Especially, now that I have been painting consecutively, due to my paint52 challenge, it has become more apparent.
In my early years of painting, in my teacher George de Groat’s class, I noticed a woman painting across from me, using a bright pink, pinker than any pink that I have experienced. I had to ask her where she got it. She mentioned it was permanent rose, by Shiva Signature Oils. I ended up purchasing it and found it to be intense and highly saturated and of course wonderful. It was the beginning of my drug habit.
Wolf Kahn said he has a person make his pastels. He wanted a special blue and what he told her was “I want a blue, bluer than any blue you have seen before”. He did get his wish. That’s what I want. I want to use and have color combinations that most people have never seen before. I want the viewer to be taken on a color trip.
Wolf Kahn~Color and Consequence
[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/25903931[/vimeo]
I have found in my search for colors that certain brands are better than others for certain colors. You can’t beat Daniel Smith for their Indian Yellow, Phthalo Turquoise and Quinacridone pigments. Do you have a favorite color? Does it have to be a particular brand?
You know it kind of reminds of that line from English Patient, when Almasy says “It is a very plum plum.” Color can take you to that place, that extra hyper sense of actually being able to taste, hear, smell, or feel its temperature. It can take you to another world, my hallucinatory world of Technicolor.
Who am I writing for?
With a commitment to building a more vibrant blog, I signed up for the 4-week Blog Triage class with Cynthia Morris and Alyson Stanfield. Today’s assignment is to describe the people I want to visit and read my blog.
This is difficult for me to pinpoint exactly who should read my blog, but I will say my intention is to bring you beauty, inspiration, education and innovation.
How will I do this?
Beauty: Through my creations whether it is my poetry or art, I hope to allow a space for respite and renewal.
Inspiration: Through my #paint52 Series, which takes you on a journey of my challenge to paint 52 paintings in one year, I hope to inspire you to create as well.
Innovation: Through alternative ways to create digitally and other mediums of exploration in art, become familiar with ways that can enhance your creations.
Education: By bringing to you art tips, history and literature regarding art.
my desire is to create dialogs with my friend’s fans and collectors.
In this fast moving world of left-brain activities, I hope to open your heart, stimulate your mind and feed your soul.
Gli alberi di una bambina #paint52
Trees of a little girl is the translation of the title. When I was three and a half years old I moved from New Jersey City, where my father was stationed at Fort Monmouth, to Adak, Alaska, part of the chain of the Aleutian Islands. To say that we were living in a remote area was an understatement. I don't remember taking the train across the United States to get there, but I do remember the boat trip through ice and snow and having my father, who left prior to us, pick me up in a jeep at night wearing a parka with a hood trimmed with fur. He then drove us to our quonset hut, where we lived for the next 6 months waiting for our barrack to be built. I felt like an Eskimo living in this hut. All of this was quite magical for me.
Adak didn't have much on the island. There were other families that lived there, all had parents in the service, mostly Army and Navy, living in barracks. The land was flat, nothing in site for miles, but in other areas were purple majestic mountains. I would love to go to my favorite hill near my home called Captain Hill and pick wild flowers. I never felt so free. The island also had a few Totem poles here and there, and plenty of tundra, but no trees. I was too young to remember trees, so I didn't miss them much. It was only when I returned to California at 5 years old, did I fall in love with trees. I couldn't get enough of them. I would stare out the window as we drove through Northern California, admiring my favorite tree, the Oak. I remember saying to myself, "some day I am going to live in the country with those beautiful Oak trees."
When I was in Kindergarten I was always trying to paint trees. I found them so wonderful and mysterious, I felt ther love and their strength. I would go outside and study them and then return to paint with poster paint. Somehow, they never quite looked like the vision I was trying to portray. Now I find myself going back to the childhood memories and I still have the same love for trees. And guess what? I did get my dream. I do live in the country and I do have a view of a thousand trees. I think I may explore my love of trees more and paint what I feel about them not necessarily what they look like.
This is my seventeenth painting toward my #paint52 challenge. It measures 24 X 36, mixed media, acrylic and oil on canvas, price $2160. I appreciate you all for visiting and following my challenge, thank you so much and if you leave a comment that's even better.
Lover's Leaf #paint52
I have the most beautiful Chinese Maple in front of my house. Early spring weather has brought it into full bloom already. It’s magnificent and as usual I attempted to see if I could express its beauty. Sometimes that’s the problem with painting nature. It’s almost impossible to make it as beautiful. In fact, my teacher once said; if you can’t improve it then don’t change it. Ha, that sounds like the judges talking to the contestants on American Idol. They always think they can make it better than the original creator. Yet, when I create landscape paintings, I just wish I could give you a piece of what I see, a morsel of God, the passion, the brilliance, the colors.
This is my 16th painting for my #paint52 challenge. The painting measures 24" X 36" Atelier Interactive acrylic on a museum wrapped canvas (Framing isn't needed). Available for purchase $2160. Thanks so much for visiting.