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!

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. 

Daily, I toil in a part of nature’s paradise. I look out of my office window and see three enormous redwood trees. They form a semi-circle around a little rickety bench.

There are days, when I sit on that bench, near these luscious beauties, which I have named “the three sisters”. Wondering often, if they could speak, what infinite wisdom would they share.

They are infinitely magical to me, changing the lines of their bark to peer at me in all kinds of shapes, color and forms. But, no matter the transformation of these “sisters”, they always appear as women, whispering to me, daring me to discover their infinite wisdom.

But, I cannot… all I can do in my mere attempts, is to sit in their beauty and try to capture a fleeting glance, a colorful whisper, a dancing tone…knowing their infinite magic will outlive mine.

This week, in stillness, I try to capture the infinity of nature and peace…let’s all meet there in that infinity.  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.

I’ve modified the color for the line drawing of last week’s prompt, “Idle.”

I’m happy that it only took me a couple of days! With my schedule, I need to modify, to enjoy the worthwhile things in life!

Please let me know which you like better, the line drawing (posted below this post) or mixed media color (this post)!

Happy Week!

Tango is a very specific word, so for me, that didn’t translate into a lot of different meanings…humph…that was my thinking! Tango, I thought, well, I’ll do a couple, dancing a classic tango move.

Well, I can’t begin to tell you how this simple thought turned into an illustration, that wore me out!

First, I drew a profile  of a woman. I then cut it out using black paper.   Next, I drew a rose on a piece of scrap watercolor paper, painted it with ink and water color. Then I drew and outline of a couple doing a tango move and then collaged it, using this week’s newspaper coupons. All that was so much fun!

Then, the frustration hit the fan! First, I could not scan it, since it was too big for my scanner and I don’t know how to piece two scans together (yeah, I should, but I don’t!).

Next, I tried to photograph it and the gloss from the collaging, caused too many glare spots on the digital shot. This went on for a couple of hours, me repositioning the illustration, realizing my lighting inside was awful; and then going outside to photograph my creation.

That didn’t work either!

I came back inside, determined to tear the creation up and forget about the prompt for this week!

Oh, did I mention, I went outside, without showering, a T-shirt over my nightgown and flipflops on with my hair sticking up all over my head, looking like I’d stuck my hand in an  electrical socket! I stood in the middle of our parking lot complex, to take this digital photo, and folks, I don’t care who saw me! (there goes making a first good impression, I just moved here!)

I re-cut the silhouette and painted it with black gouache, (used a blow dryer to dry it quickly). Then I cut all the figures out again and put them on a white background. I started the digital photo process again!   Finally, after many words, that I can’t print here!

Voila…TANGO!

I finally had a photo I could use!

So here you have it, a simple illustration with a lot of hours putting it all together!  So my vibe for the week is patience!

Persevere, my friends, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Peace.

When I think of the word “drift” I automatically think of walking aimlessly, trying to find a place to call home. I guess that’s what a “drifter” is. But it’s not a word I hear often, but when I do, it has a sinister connotation to it.

But, I choose not to claim the word drifter as negative, in my romantic mind, a drifter is someone destine to walk finding solace in the walk and having no place that calls them home. Home is where they are at the time they are drifting through.

Let your feet, heart and mind drift, it’s call peace.