Papercuts

The other day I found a large colored pencil and graphite drawing I had done of my son, Jesse and my daughter, Annie, when they were ages three and 6 months, respectively. Because it was so large I had never framed it and it had become badly torn in places. I had always loved the drawing and felt that throwing it out was not an option. After getting past the sacrilege of thinking I should cut it up and create new, smaller and re-designed pieces from it, I picked up my scissors and cut. Once I started there was no option but to finish what I had started.

As I cut and pasted and altered the existing colors of the work, I thought of how each child had changed over the years and of how alike they still were from the way I had depicted them at that time. I contemplated, how my approach to creating art had changed since then. Tender thoughts of that time in my life flooded over me. The scent of baby lotion and talcum powder wafted up to me and I remembered the incredible softness of their skin at that age. As each thought emerged, I was shifted back in time, standing by the bed where they lay, sleeping, watching them with as much overflowing love as I had felt when I had originally been inspired to create the picture. I felt myself brushing back the dampness of their hair and listening to their gentle breathing as they slept.

The process of reinventing their portraits was validating and healing. It filled me with joy and re-connected me with a precious time frame I had forgotten. With each piece of the drawing that I cut and evaluated new placement and then glued into place, I felt a deep satisfaction at the significance of these changes: filling in some of the negative spaces with warmth and brightness; honoring and appreciating the details that created us as a family and re-designing old ways of interacting with each other to construct a new way to express the fabric of our lives.

Tribute

Last night while driving home, a myriad of fireworks were shooting up into the sky in front of me. They were part of a ceremony that paid tribute to the victims of 9/11. When I walked into the house I looked at the face of the clock. The digital numbers indicated that it was 9:11. Throughout the day I had been thinking about the events of 9/11 and how they had impacted upon everyone in the United States and, also, around the world. These events prompted me to let this mandala create itself through me. I did not reach a stopping point until 4:00am. Today when I looked at it I knew that there was nothing more to add. It's message had been spoken.

To me, there is heaviness about it, as well as hopefulness ...the silver and gold butterfly, representing the spirits of the individuals who passed over as rising upward but, also, hovering over us as guardians. The eye is watchful, but aware. The segmented pieces of the radiating bands indicate how everything has changed since then but, created from the color blue, they indicate the potential for positive creative change: the opening for more of us to talk our talk and walk our walk.

I think that most of us made decisions at that time, regarding what changes we wanted to make in our lives, and set intents that were born of the shock, fear, sense of mortality and/or sense of loss that radiated through us after that day. We banded closer together in support and comfort. We expressed a deeper appreciation for those we love. We re-connected or deepened our associations with spiritual expression. We sought healing: from each other; from a Higher Power; from a release of what was lacking in our lives.

We were all changed forever by this day. Our cells were rearranged. Our energy was shifted. The intents that we made then to make positive changes for ourselves, our families, our communities and for the world should remain as freshly imprinted within our hearts and souls as they were when they initially took form within our minds. The impact of the actions of 9/11 were magnanimous and each of us, in tribute of those who left this planet as a result of that day, have the opportunity to collectively make magnanimous and powerful positive changes. One person can make a difference. The notes of your Soul Song are yearning to be expressed.

And Love Rushes In

This August I had the honor of participating in a six week mandala healing teleconference with Judith Cornell, based upon her Mandala Healing Kit. During this time I experienced profound shifts of awareness and an increase in my depth of perception of the subtle energies around me. These shifts occurred, largely, because even over the telephone or via an mp3 format, Judith's presence projects with immense radiance and compassion. I highly recommend connecting with her through any form of her workshops or seminars. If this is not possible, her Mandala Healing Kit is a complete course designed for your personal healing and transformation and includes a workbook, stencils, a CD of music and meditations and art supplies. You can read more about Judith Cornell and her Mandala Healing Kit here: http://mandala-universe.com/

The mandala shown above was created during this teleconference. I was focusing upon the intent of sending love and acceptance to every cell of my body throughout the time that I was working on it. The symbols that came to me during the meditation that preceded doing the art were an eight pointed star, a crystal dodecahedron and a waterfall of blue light. I had intended to also place the waterfalls on the right and left sides of the composition. When I viewed this mandala as it is now, I was struck by how it resembled the right and left hemispheres of the brain with the blue "waterfalls" forming the bridge between them and the eight pointed star appearing to be radiating from its center. My intuition told me it was perfect and complete in this format and I followed that guidance.

Beyond Her Blue Horizon

This is one of my favorite figurative drawings and it was one of the most challenging. When the model changed poses I was presented with some odd angles and difficult foreshortening of the body that definitely made the model's backside stand out more than anything else! I contemplated moving to another location in the room but opted to work with it and exaggerated parts of the body that would emphasize the pose even more. Everything from the waist on down became more rounded and sturdy in appearance. Her facial features are vague, allowing the viewer to focus more upon the representation of the body. The hair flows outward from her...brilliant blue strands that glow ethereally against the black background.

"Beyond her blue horizon"...how does this phrase speak to you? One definition of the word, horizon, found here http://onlinedictionary.datasegment.com/word/celestial+horizon is the limit of a person's range of perception, capabilities, or experience. Blue, which is related to the area of the throat, can represent creativity, walking your walk and talking your talk. It is also the color associated with the conception of new life. Blue, when partnered with the word, horizon, speaks to me of the time period when we are gestating new ideas and preparing to expand our horizons. I also see this work as a representation of the spirit of Mother Earth, the landscape of her body bathed in the light of peaceful serenity; her hair forming a blue horizon that flows into a waterfall tumbling onto the lush green land that surrounds her.