Mandala prints and cards are available at these stores in Orange County, CA:

Awakenings, Laguna Hills, CA
The Sanctuary, Tustin, Ca
Sunburst Sanctuary, Lompoc, Ca


Sunday, June 5, 2011

A light at the end of the tunnel

As you can deduce by the vast amount of time between now and my last post, my life has been turned upside down and sideways - and yet I still have time to make art. It grounds me, exhilirates me, and puts me into that mind-space where nothing else matters and time does not exist. It helps answer questions that I would not otherwise give myself the time to ask, let alone find an answer to.

This latest collage, with boats, cabinets, crosses and pyramids spinning around in a crazy whirlpool, is called "Am I ready?" Three women, all dear friends, sat around my studio table one afternoon and gave ourselves one hour to complete 11x18 collages. We wrote questions that were "up" for us on the back of a canvas panel, then mixed them all up and handed them out randomly. No one knew what question was on the back of their canvas. Then commenced a great flurry of paint on canvas, magazine pics being chosen, cut and placed on top of the paint, more paint, more pics, lots of laughter, some chocolate and iced tea, a mutually agreed-upon 10 minute extension, and voila! Four beautiful, completely unique and wonderful pieces of art. And then, each piece was reverently placed on the mantel and gazed upon - received and taken in - a gift from the unconscious to its creator and the world. Only then did the creator get to read the question on the back of their piece.

What happened next was that lovely shift into a shared heart/mind space. It was warm and safe and nurturing - like sinking into one of the tubs at Esalen - beautiful and sacred. We shared what we saw and intuited and knew on some other level than the one we usually operate from. My collage (my unconscious - my higher self?) asked me, "are you ready for the whirlpool, which will feel like you are spinning through confusion, loss and fear, but will end in a brightly lit world of beauty and peace?" Well, of course I'm ready, when you put it that way! Thank goodness some part of me knows. Because my head is still spinning and fretting.

The collage process is so fun and so wonderful for getting in touch with that wise part of ourselves that I am offering a class. Check the sidebar for the schedule. Call me if you have any questions about the process - artistic or otherwise.

May you have many opportunities to hear your wise inner voice.