When I think of bravery, women always come to mind.

Women are brave in caring for their loved ones; brave in how they carry out their work; brave in love and war;  brave in transitioning the end of life. Women are the greatest creation in humanity.

Celebrate all women in your life! Learn about how Women’s History Month came into existence (click on links) and Happy Women’s History Month!

Work in Progress is shown below: part of the small and large scale goddesses I’m working on.

It is done! What began as night pacing (see my December 6, 2009 blog post); has culminated into the finale.

I am now in that stage where the crescendo has ended. I have the feeling of not being anchored; I am adrift, until I delve into the next project.  Of course, I’ll sketch and create, but it is a different energy than being possessed by a painting screaming to get out!

Sometimes the best way to describe the creative zone, would be mania, crescendo, then an anti-climatic feeling sets in, finally a sadness that it’s over; and then peace,

but…then it starts all over again.

Remember to nurture your body, mind and spirit and being adrift may mean letting go of control.

I want to thank you all who continue to support me, I feel loved. Peace to everyone.

(Mixed-Media/paper - “O’s Totem” - 22″x30″ Copyright 2010 Indigene)

I was in the “zone”, (which is the preoccupation of obsessively creating an image), becoming so strong in my mind’s eye, that I am only freed from the zone by completing the actual work.  I worked days, excessively on this image.

I know that I feel exposed when I show any part of the process to anyone outside the zone of my head.  I am aware that I am exposed.

I took breaks, but it is the night of another day of obsessing over every little piece of it, adding, subtracting, pacing around the work, only stopping to take nature’s breaks, which can be a nuisance when in the creative zone.

It is only when the image is getting near the final stages that I feel I have revealed my subject or an aspect of them in an honest approach.

Some of the details of my Work-In-Progress contain various symbols and snakes are one of them.

Some cultures hold snakes in high esteem while other cultures despised them. There are cultures that associated snakes with medicinal powers or rebirth, such as the modern medical symbol of two snakes wrapped around a staff.

The Judeo-Christian culture does not hold snakes or serpent in a kind light. The biblical tales of the Garden of Eden and the serpent’s role in “tempting woman to trick man into the fall from God’s grace” have contributed to the negative images of snakes in western culture.  This deep rooted cultural biases accounts in part for the widespread of fear and disdain of snakes.  Myths, legends, and folk tales contribute to the misinformation and add to the snake’s negative imagery.

Cultures are as valid as the people who come from them and as with all living entities, there are positive and negative aspects, snakes are no different.

The imagery of the snakes in the details of this portrait embrace the concept of healer, rebirth and revitalization.

I’m sure that this spiritual portrait will be serve as a conversation piece, dependent upon the view or viewers!

Usually, I do not show my work in progress, (it is often a muddy or murky process);

But, since I do photograph the progress for my own records, I’m merging my inner work with my outer practice more in 2010. So in trusting my own process, I believe it has to be a sharing process, albeit a scary one!

Currently, I’m working on a portrait of someone, who is so full of love and compassion, “to be of service to others,” her own words, is her soul’s ministry. I’m doing this portrait based on poetry of hers, dreams and symbols that correlates with this individual. I want this portrait to be an expression of her inner self, a snapshot of her inner world and indicator of her spirit. I’ve combined her offerings of self with my vision, feelings and personal expression to create an overall sense of this person.

Whether it is a portrait or not, it is always a process of self discovery.  I’ll be doing this over several posts…

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.

I didn’t think I would contribute to Illustration Friday (IF), this week.

The word “caution” did not stimulate my creative flow…at all. I thought about it all weekend and decided last night, “I’ll have to skip the prompt this week”.

But this morning, daydreaming in my office, staring at my soft plushy bear and surrounded by bears (nick-knacks of the toy variety), I remembered how, when I was little, I thought that dancing with polar bears would be great!

(I lived in a very warm climate and thoughts of polar bears was very imaginative).

From that thought, I remembered sketching at the Zoo, and how Zoo officials always caution individuals about getting too close to the animals, and the thought hit me…bears, caution…so after lunch with graphite and watercolor pencils…and some caution tape from the painter on the premises.

Voila! Just when I thought I’d hit the bottom of the creative barrel… lol! (well…maybe I have)

As with any wild animal, two legged or four, proceed with caution, but by all means, live on the wild side this week…dance with a few bears…peace.

For me, there is a mysteriousness, magical quality to being wrapped in knowledge, creativity and intelligence.

I live In a society, where videos and fashion deems that less is better, I like the idea of being “wrapped“.

Putting politics, religion and power issues aside, I love the beauty of these women, wrapped, I created them as Muses, contemplative, looking to be called, ready to encourage all forms of creativity.

(The original painting “3 Muses” was created and sold in 2008).

Today, wrap yourself in the creativity of your muse. Peace to you all.

My daughter looked at what I did for this week’s prompt and gave me that teenager’s rolling of eyes and said, “Hollow tree, I mean Mom, really!”

Good thing, I’m not hanging onto her every word!

Being creatively blocked right now, has left me wanting only to work with little or no color, back down to the basics. So now, I’m concentrating on simplicity.

I work at a place with over (150) variety of trees and when I have a chance to notice, I notice the beauty in the hollow of the trees. I see all the beauty of the lines and curvature, but it is in the hollowness that tells the depth of a tree’s life. It is what makes you come closer to examine it, to ask the how and the why of it. Hollowness in and of itself tells a story. We just have to be willing to listen.

Be still, quiet and breathe deeply and fill your hollow space with peace and serenity. Peace to you all.

Shaky = tending to shake or tremble; liable to break down or give way.

Two weeks in a row, the IF prompt has hit home! Ahhh…the irony, of it all.

Right now, with limited time and very blocked artistic ability, I thought of the epitome of shakiness… blocks. The precariousness of them, much like life! The joy of playing with blocks and the scariness of them falling over. Child’s play is often a metaphor for life.

This week, let’s play, because life is shaky enough. Peace.