Being Awake To Dream...

“Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. 

Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.” -  C. G. Jung

Working my way through my Prayer Flag series is a journey of looking within and without. And best of all, the meditative quality of producing the art has permitted me to stop and savor the moment. To be truly mindful. There is no better way to do this than to delve into the first sound to come from silence: Om.

The final stencil of the Tibet Series is the Tibetan Om. There are many reasons why I use Artistcellar stencils in my designs. I like to think of them as the vehicle giving flight to my creativity. The artistic journey is always supported by their excellent quality and ease of use, which is so important to me. So with a selection of stencils in hand I was ready to begin.

As I was so pleased with the last flag, I again decided to use the heavier cotton duck fabric as the base. I placed the Om image at the top. My colour choice was red in various hues as it is the colour favored by Tibetan culture to designate sacred areas. I wanted the space flying this flag to have the sensation of preservation, life, protection, warmth and comfort…all the positive qualities the colour red represent.

Continuing the theme, I needed a symbol to underscore the belief that Om is the sound vibration of universal creation. And suddenly I had it. A circle. The circle is the ancient symbol of harmony, timelessness, eternity, as well as the source of the goddess within. The Artistcellar Halftone Dots and Seafoam stencils were the perfect choice. Complimentary shades of red, violet, green, yellow, and gold completed the bottom of the flag.

I am now at the end of the prayer flag series. I have discovered through this journey that the art of creation is just the first step to fully appreciating the images gently changing shape and colour as they fly in the breeze. And as the metamorphosis takes place without, the clarity of vision evolves within. Only when we are fully awake can we realize our dreams.

 MATERIALS USED:

• ARTISTCELLAR: TIBET SERIES STENCIL (Tibetan Om), HALFTONE DOTS (Highlight, Midtone, Midtone 2, Shadow), SEAFOAM
• BLEACHED 7 OZ. 100% COTTON DUCK FABRIC – WHITE
• BEST TEST REPOSITIONAL ADHESIVE        
• CARDBOARD
• PLAID ACRYLICS: Bright Red, Metallic Rose, Rose Shimmer, Sahara Gold, Amethyst, Pure Orange, Sunflower
• DECOART: Splendid Gold, Sea Glass, Desert Turquoise, Vivid Violet, Peacock Pearl
• DINA WAKLEY: Ruby, Lime, Blushing, Lemon
• REEVES: Gold, Bronze, Rose Red

The Infinite Passion of Life...

"There Is No End." ATC

The closing of Summer is bittersweet. Days infused with an unrelenting heat slowly melt into clear, crisp nights and frost covered mornings that welcome the start of Autumn.

It is on early Autumn nights that my eyes gaze skyward. I always find something magical about the night. There are so many curiosities to discover. Night sets the unconscious free. To quote Vincent van Gogh: "I often think that the night is more alive and more richly coloured than the day." 

The serenity allows my Muse to speak to me unencumbered. I find the inspiration I need, and very often over look during the busy hours of the day.

I recently took part in an Artist Trading Card swap. The theme was "Circles".  Staring at the sky brought back memories of one of my favourite paintings, Vincent van Gogh's The Starry Night. Seeing it for the first time at the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan took my breath away. But it wasn't until I made my pilgrimage to Saint-Rémy-de-Provence that I fully understood the inspiration that motivated Vincent.

The substrate is a standard manila ATC card. I found a print of The Starry Night to use as the base of the work. I am a great lover of Chinese food, and with Chinese food comes fortune cookies. The messages in the cookies are a treasure for collage artists. I pulled one from a bag of saved fortunes. It read:

"There is no end. There is no beginning. There is only the infinite passion of life."

Perfect. Was it a lucky pick or did my Muse guide me?

I followed Vincent's mystical arcs and rolling curves with the fortune. A print of the astrological view of the skies was a perfect fit. I added handmade paper and stencilled circles from a template using metallic acrylic paint.

The ATC challenge came at the perfect time. The circle moves on. Seasons...Change...but it's the passion we bring to the circle that truly imparts meaning to this thing we call "Life".