Posts Tagged ‘Tradition’
Wednesday, September 14th, 2011
 This blog plays a part in my success, because it captures some of my creative processes, dreams, experiences of art and life, as a daily practice, I share with others. Since my creative processes are often done in isolation, my blog is a way for me to interact with others, which in turn helps me to network, connect and share!
After some difficult months and major changes, I spent some time soul searching, reestablishing boundaries, redefining goals. My definition of success needed to be adjusted, tweaked and changed at various times in my life. What I defined as success in my twenties, looks very different from what success looks like in my fifties!
In the Native American tradition, there is no word for art, because it is in every aspect of daily living and life. That’s how I wish to live my life, not with art being something separate, but as something that is a part of my life, like nature is, family is…because art is not separate from me! It is the authentic me. This is the formula used to define my success.
(“Define Your Success” – 5″x7″ – Mixed Media/Paper)
So a major part of defining my success is creating art, selling art, living with art and letting others know how what this means to me and what it can mean for them. I would like to reiterate: this is how I make a living! I love sincere compliments, who doesn’t like hearing pleasantries about something they’ve made?
REMEMBER, it is cash, that pay the bills, feed my family, gas up the car, pay for health insurance and allows me to continue being me. This is my economic circle of life.
All of the above makes me a success! How are you defining your success? Are you allowing others to define success for you? Forge your own path.
In peace to you and yours.
Tags: Art, Artist, blog, Boundaries, circle, Creative Process, culture, Definition of Success, Dreams, economics, Experiences, http://indigeneart.com, Illustration Friday, Indigene, Isolation, life, money, Native American, network, Selling, share, success, Theresa Gaskin, Tradition
Posted in Art, Family, Friends, General, Illustration Friday, Studio Time | 8 Comments »
Friday, April 22nd, 2011
For those of you who are blessed to have your mother, May 8th, is a day that is recognized to honor her. if you are like most, you honor this woman every day of her life, by living your life in a way, that she would want you to.
For those of us, whose mothers have transitioned out of this life, this can be a bittersweet day. We remember her with love, and then remember, that she is no longer with us. We continue her legacy by living our lives with integrity and the lessons she taught us.
Some of us may not have any of those memories above. You may be one of those courageous women, who did it alone, then you are to be celebrated too!
Maybe your memories are not tempered with love, maybe that mother figure was not what you would have liked; hopefully, there is a woman, that gave you some semblance of a Mom.
Hopefully, in most of our lives, we have met a woman, who has embodied that “mother” figure. She has nurtured us, cheered us on, when we needed it most, told us about ourselves when we were acting less than we were, she may be your best friend, a girl friend at work who taught you something that one else could or would take the time to!
I don’t think of Mother’s Day as the only day to honor my mother or the other women in my life, but it is a day, that can be used to remember all the other women in my life who have given me their “mothering ways”; the ones, that I might forget in the hectic thing, I call my life, it is these women, I honor on Mother’s Day, because, my Mom tells me I honor her everyday, so she would prefer that I honor all the women in my life who have been there for me as well!
So I encourage you to do that on this upcoming Mother’s Day. Honor the Women in Your Life. A special call, a card, take her out to breakfast, a gift, an “I love you for who you are”. Give her a token of your love. As women, we treasure those things, because the words and the action are important.
May you continue to honor the women in your life, wherever they are.
 My art work is created and based on honoring all women, from various cultures, traditions, myths and spirituality. For prints or cards, order by April 30th the latest for Mother’s Day at:
indigene-theresa-gaskin.fineartamerica.com
In peace from me to you.
Tags: acrylic, action, African Diaspora, Art, bittersweet, card, Care, Celebrate, Courage, Creation, culture, Family, Feminine, Friends, Friendship, GIFT, goddess, Graphite, handmade, history, Honor, http://indigeneart.com, Importance, Indigene, integrity, legacy, lesson(s), map, Meaning, Memories, mixed media, Mom, Mother's Day, Nurture, print, Spider Woman, Spirit of the Mountain, spiritual, token, Tradition, Travel, Treasure, watercolor, women, words
Posted in Art, Family, Friends, Handmade Gifts | 3 Comments »
Friday, March 19th, 2010
 Another painting in my Goddess Series is Spider Woman. I’m not doing the goddess series in any order, other than they way that they come to me; nor do I have any idea how many paintings will complete the series, I’ll let them determine that. This is a great educational process and fantastic artistic journey!
Spider Woman is an important goddess among many southwestern Native American tribes. Spider Woman is responsible for bringing fire to the Pueblo, Tewa and Kiwa tribes.
For the Hopi tribes, Spider Woman is a creator of the moon, and their emergence into the world. Spider Woman has the power to give and take life, and is connected to hunting and agriculture.
Cherokee Grandmother Spider brought people the sun and fire. She taught them pottery, weaving, and how to make ceremonial blessings.
The great blessings and history of Spider Woman will not “expire“ and will continue to be a wonderful tradition in Native American culture. Remember to pass on your cultural and family traditions so that they will live on for generations to come!
Work-In-Progress: The Spider Woman painting started out as a graphite sketch, proceeding to mix media including: ink,  watercolor, acrylic and finally a light glaze of oil paint! It was a timely process, but so worth the luminosity that cannot be seen on any screen version!
Tags: acrylic, agriculture, Blessings, ceremonial, Cherokee, culture, emergence, fire, grandmother, Graphite, Hopi, http://indigeneart.com, hunting, Indigene, ink, Kiwa, mixed media, moon, Native American, oil paint, Paula Gunn Allen, pottery making, Pueblo, Southwestern, spider, Spider Woman, spinning, sun, Tewa, Tradition, tribes, watercolor, weaving, web, Work-In-Progress
Posted in Art, General, Handmade Gifts, Illustration Friday, Work | 20 Comments »
Sunday, March 15th, 2009
 One of the most “legendary” stories of all time is the story of Adam and Eve. It has launched many debates in many religious quarters and gender arguments that still go on today. Is it true or is it another creation story tradition? I’m not here to answer that question or to strike a debate in this area.
No matter what, the truth is, there are many of us who are a partner in a couple relationship that have felt, “we only have each other.” In these times, there are many that are being cast out of their homes, whether or not it is their own fault, it is still a very scary situation and that’s the thought behind this imagery, what it is like to be cast out of a life/home/relationship that you’ve always known and/or trusted.
But back to the legendary “Eve” and in that legendary line of Joan Rivers (the comedienne), I’d like to ask Eve and or Adam, “Can we talk?”
I’d imagine, there are quite few folks that would stand in line to ask them both a lot of questions…:)
No matter from what perspective/tradition you come from, we all have a creation story/theme…but for today, create your own story, a picture, a dance, a word…create your own legend. Happy week, Peace.
P.S. This is one of two images I submitted for my second IF, over a year ago. I offered a survey of two images back then…check it out if you’re so inclined…Survey
Tags: acrylic paint, Adam, Biblical, Castaways, Creation, Eden, Eve, gesso, Illustration Friday, Indigene, Indigeneart.com, Judeo-Christian, Legendary, Tradition, wood
Posted in Art, Illustration Friday, Work | 39 Comments »
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