I am focused on: “The Healing Power of Art!”

“Art has and continues to illuminate me, through creating, sharing; meeting with others to view it, inspire, affirm and celebrate. Creating art lights my path to soul revival. It has nurtured me and help me understand myself, therefore giving me the capacity to understand others.  It is the physical peace in my storms”

Manhattan Arts International’s “Celebrate The Healing Power of Art 2010″ is based on the belief that Art is a natural force that promotes health and well-being for the creator as well as the viewer. Renee Phillips, Director of Manhattan Arts International, is organizing an online exhibition of positive art that uplifts the spirit, plus collaboration with others who share this belief. Interviews and articles reflect the contributions of Art & Healing leaders and causes.

Website: www.ManhattanArts.com

Blog: http://HealingPowerofArt.blogspot.com

After being in the Grand Canyons over the holidays and seeing the majesty of color in those wild canyons, I couldn’t help but use an image of a painting, I made some time ago  of the wilderness (”Kaleidoscope Woods”).

This is how I see the wilderness, a riot of color!

Ahhh…I can’t imagine life without color or the wilderness, it provides balance.

I’m ready for the adventure of “wilderness” this year, I think that translates into adventure. Let’s live life to the fullest!

After being confined to bed for a bit in December, the excitement of the holidays, returning from visiting my son in Arizona for Christmas, even more excitement awaited me upon my return to blog land!

I am delighted to be the featured artist at the Manhattan Arts International - “Celebrate Herstory” for the month of January.

http://manhattanartsherstory.blogspot.com

What a wonderful New Year’s Gift and not to mentioned birthday gift as well, this youngster (me) celebrated my 51st birthday on January 1, 2010!

This year promises bigger, better, wonderful, joy and amazing friendships!

I wish this for all and always in peace!

Manhattan Arts International HerStory Online Exhibition

The purpose of “Celebrate HerStory” is to offer winning artists international exposure for art created related to the chosen theme. This online exhibition features more than 40 extraordinary artists from around the world in a range of media. 

I’m just getting back from Arizona! The Grand Canyon was amazing as was seeing my son and spending time with family! It was a wonderful vacation!

Happy New Year & Peace to everyone!

I had a long commute to work today as a passenger. I was tired of the radio, and watching other cars, go by. I looked in my handbag to see what I could find, so that I wouldn’t fall asleep! I’m not usually my best with sleep lines on my face from odd head positions while napping with no pillow.

Rummaging through my big tote bag yielded a Christmas catalog, a six-inch ruler, scissors, a couple of pieces of watercolor paper, my KOI pocket field sketch box with water brush, a glue stick, micro-pen, and a graphite pencil.  I knew today was the only time I was going to have a small chunk of time to do an illustration for the prompt for Illustration Friday, the word for this week is “hatch”.

Honestly, with the holidays around the corner, and everywhere you look you see festive houses, streets and stores, the festivity has a way of imprinting itself on your mind! And the IF prompt, for me anyway, only flashed pictures of eggs, hatchback cars and spring.

So here it is, an illustration for “Hatch”!

I hope that everyone’s creativity and ideas hatch into some wonderful real life scenarios for 2010.

Peace to you all.

I am the featured artist in the “Wise Woman Herbal Ezine with Susun Weed” The December Ezine is Launched Today!!

http://www.susunweed.com/herbal_ezine/December09/index.htm

This beautiful art work is for sale!

Please Contact: indigene@indigeneart.com

Susun Weed, herbalist and author of women’s health books, invites you to rediscover the Wise Woman Tradition, herbal medicine healing, and how to make home remedies.

This Herbal Ezine is part of a Complementary Integrative Health Resources for Women

Explore the Wise Woman Web:

www.wisewomanweb.com Portal to 1200+ pages of Wise Woman wisdom, plus Forum,
Weblog, Ezine, and Email Groups.

www.herbshealing.com Herbal Medicine and Spirit Healing the Wise Woman Way

www.ashtreepublishing.com/bookshop Books for women’s health and well-being

www.menopause-metamorphosis.com Your body knows more about menopause than
your doctor does.

www.breasthealthbook.com Breast Cancer? Breast Health! the Wise Woman Way

www.healing-wise.com Q & A with Susun Weed.

I am sleeping badly. My mind and body feels tired, but as soon as I lie down, my mind becomes alert, goes into overdrive and over-active. I paced the floor or I read until the early hours of the morning, then I finally fall asleep.

My norm is hyper-sensitive, anxious and quick to become annoyed. My voice trembles, not from anger, but from passion. about what I believe in. When I was younger, people thought, it was nervousness or some type of rage; my inner tensions were so great, I had debilitating migraine headaches. After intense mental, emotional and spiritual therapy, the end result is and was that I need art to be a part of my daily life, no matter what!

It is when I’m actually making art, which includes the doodling, the scribbling, random notes to myself, research, reference-taking photos and finally putting the materials together for some unknown art project, I feel like relief, normal, calm and pleasant to be around. The world then feels right for me.

When I am not making art, (either by trying to avoid it, because I’m not sure what I’m going to do next – or because I have to put that art on hold because I’m trying to care for my family and others, (at the risk of forsaking myself), I return to that state of uneasiness and depression. This state becomes even more intensified, when external things are happening, outside of my control, such as the cancer running rampant in my loved ones.

Maybe my sleeplessness has something to do with trying to stop these things from coming out in my artwork, revealing myself. I am going to have to just let it all out. Otherwise, I’ll only tear myself up inside. Maybe that’s what these revelatory ramblings are about…“entanglement“, now maybe peace and sleep can come, it’s morning.

For you, fine artist bloggers, I’ve found another great place for professional artists to network and to promote themselves. No, pFAn (their acronym) is not paying me for the advertising plug, I think of it as another way to promote yourself, if you’re an artist and it’s free until the end of the year! We artists, who are depending on our livelihood, should check it out. I’m an artist that shares and every artist has something to share and the world is big enough for all of us to do so.

Professional Artist Network is a networking index for fine artists and consultants working in the hospitality, healthcare, corporate and public art sectors.

It is located at: http://professionalfineartnetwork.blogspot.com

Here is my Member Profile:

Member Profile - Indigene Gaskin

Website/Blog: http://indigeneart.com
“Illuminating the black and white of life with vivid color”

For Originals, Commissions or illustrations, contact: indigene@indigenart.com

Mugs, Totes & More at:http://www.cafepress.com/indigeneart

For various print sizes, framed Prints and more:http://Indigene.imagekind.com/

My art process is a transformative blending of materials, light and spiritual intent. My creations are a healing meditation, a living gateway that combines the varied language of symbolism. The finished painting is usually 10-20 layers of sheer color with delicate glazes. The artistic techniques are a fusion of many traditional forms of creating art.

(Painting: Oil/Canvas; 30″x40″ Commission)

There is much written about music, and the only thing I can add is, listen to it with gusto, with your heart; your feet are bound to follow.

The beat of a heart is music and so precious, embrace it!

Peace.

(Oil/Wood -24″x24″)

Canvas/Paper Prints are available!

I keep believing in hope and putting my trust in love and praying to God, that the “unbalanced” that plagues my dear ones (cancer) will disappear and the light will hold us and be with us. It is an unbalanced, much like a walk on a tightrope, that I’m finding hard to bear.

I pray for all of you who cope with this and know that hope springs eternal. Peace.