Save the Date! My Solo Exhibition ’42’ is Happening This October!

42 Exhibition Poster Design 2

Come join me and the Magpie Collective for the launch of my exhibition ’42’. It promises to be an evening of reflection, intrigue, deep thought and conversation.

Welcome drinks and nibbles will be available and all art lovers are invited.

The exhibition runs from the 6th October until the 9th November 2018.

 

The Resurrection of Muse — Rock Art Painting no. 7 Photographs

Header Muse by Cherie Roe Dirksen

If you don’t already know about this series of paintings to the best musicians ever — please check out the other works of art and how I subliminally came about them HERE.

So far I’ve covered (with lashings of paint and canvas) Radiohead, The Beatles, Jeff Buckley, Pink Floyd, Skunk Anansie and Templeton.

I’ve just worked out that it has been a whole YEAR since I did painting no. 6!  Where has the time gone?

Couldn’t Have Planned it Better

I’m a firm believer in things happening in their own time and for the right reasons and this painting just happens to coincide with the hype to the release of Muse’s 7th album, ‘Drones’ — due out on the 8th June, 2015.

I would like to say that this painting was finished a few weeks ago — before I knew what the album was called — and due to unforeseen circumstances (me and my hubby, Mike, having had the privilege of being in the movie, ‘Detour’ being filmed in our town and then us both getting ill on top of that!) I haven’t had the chance to reveal it yet.

Drones, Clones and Blood

What really struck me when Muse released the name of the album ‘drones‘ (and all three of the members having their eyes blacked out on one of the promotional photo’s) was that there were (in the painting) strange clay-like creatures that immediately emerged from the middle of the canvas and I jokingly said to Mike that they look like ‘clones’.

One of these clones even has wide, white, staring, blank eyes…eerie or just proof of quantum revelations?  Can we really pluck things from the ether before they are physically ‘out there’ — i.e. did I tap into what was going on in the Muse studio?

I really dig how this works!

A friend of mine got a sneak peak over Skype as I was in the process of painting this and asked me what all the blood was about in the center of the painting.  At the time I had no idea because, as most of you know by now, these paintings materialize themselves — I’m just acting as the conduit.

Muse just released their first song ‘Psycho’ with a video on Saturday and as it started nearing the end, the penny dropped…

There was blood all over the one characters face and the song is generally about the ‘manufacturing’ of soldiers to become mindless killing machines.

I hope I’m whetting your appetite here.  Cause further down I’m going to take you on the pictorial process — the start to finish photo’s of what is called ‘Resurrection’.

The Evasive Message Behind the Art

In next weeks blog I’ll be taking you through the emotions that came up whilst painting this so we can get a better perspective of what this artwork may represent.

Personally, I’m still a bit in the dark and will have to mine the painting to extract the subliminal message by unpacking the words I jotted down on the sides of the canvas.

So, without further ado…let’s have a look at MUSE on canvas:

no. 1

no.2

no. 3 no. 4 no. 5 no. 6 no. 7 no.8 no.9 And now for the grand reveal…

Resurrection - Muse by Cherie Roe Dirksen lr

‘Resurrection’ — Muse (Rock Art Series) Prints available – CLICK HERE

As I’ve said before, next week will be the reveal of the emotions or deeper meaning of this painting — so stay tuned! (UPDATE — You can read the next blog here: Decoding Muse (Rock Art Painting no. 7) — ‘Resurrection’)

If you want to see and listen to their latest release, see below:

Please let me know what comes up for you, when you look at this painting, in the comment box below — I’d love to hear from you!

Other articles related to this series that may interest you:

10 Bands, 10 Paintings…Let the Rock Art Begin!

The Grand Band Reveal is Today!

Radiohead — A Teaser Pictorial ‘Rock Art’ Peek

What Radiohead Looks Like Through The End of My Brush

Song Playlist — Radiohead Albums That Made The Art

Rock Art Series — The Beatles

What The Beatles Look Like From the End of my Paintbrush

Rock Art Series Painting no. 3 — Jeff Buckley ‘Raw’

How I Got ‘Raw’ With Jeff Buckley

‘Dancing in the Void’ — Pink Floyd Rock Art Painting No.4 Photographs

Painting Pink Floyd — Soldiering Through the Minefield of Emotion

‘Dangerous Love’ — Skunk Anansie Rock Art Painting No. 5

Rock Art Painting no. 6 — Templeton: The Photographic Process and Grand Reveal!

What on Earth is a ‘Chaoskampf Demiurge’? You Seriously Need to Know This!

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See My Art That Made It Onto TV!

The Melting Pot by Cherie Roe Dirken Banner

Fresh, Fun and Funky with a bit of Ferrero Rocher!

I’ve been dabbling with a new style.  I’m still using my gold spiral patterned backgrounds but the subject matter has changed slightly.

Although I’m still (and will probably never give up) painting my poppies onto these backgrounds, I’m experimenting with contemporary form.  It’s given me a nice new platform to launch some issues and topics close to my heart.

And besides the light-hearted messages in the pictures, I am having oodles of fun with this and I hope you will too when you see them!

The colours are fabulously bright and are meant to pop out and smack you in the face and I have used a lot of mixed media (including some Ferrero Rocher wrappers in the ‘Sweet Like Chocolate’ painting amongst others — which, by the way, Ferrero Rocher themselves commented on.  See below the painting for their feedback on the concept).

Inspirations, Valentines Celebrations and Getting on the Telly

Before I show you these freshly produced works of art, I want to encourage you to click on the pictures (below) and read the inspiration behind the pieces.  You will also have the option to buy the original for those of you wanting to invest in art.

I was absolutely thrilled to hear from a dear friend of mine (who has her finger slightly more on the pulse than I do) that 4 of my paintings were featured on SABC’s Morning Live on Saturday the 14th February!

What a nice Valentines Day surprise that was!

So without further ado, here they are (I have written, below the respective paintings, which were featured on TV).

Sweet Like Chocolate Original Painting by south african artist, Cherie Roe Dirksen  Valentines Day Gifts

‘Sweet Like Chocolate’ (Cherie Roe Dirksen) — Featured on SABC’s  Morning Live

Response from Ferrero Rocher about the painting above:

Thank you for sharing this beautiful creation with us!
It’s great to see how Ferrero Rocher encourages your fantasy.
Many compliments. Regards —Ferrero Rocher Team

Gay Pride Painting Original Painting by south african artist, Cherie Roe Dirksen

‘The Pride’ (Cherie Roe Dirksen)

The Melting Pot by Cherie Roe Dirksen

‘The Melting Pot’ (Cherie Roe Dirksen). Featured on SABC’s Morning Live

Cat Lovers Painting Original Painting by south african artist, Cherie Roe Dirksen

‘Playing with my Heart’ (Cherie Roe Dirksen)

Look Where Else You Can See Them!

To spice things up further — these designs are now part of a funky new range of accessories.  You can start strutting your stuff in the new leggings range, sleep under art, sip your tea from a painting or simply let my art hold your shopping.

Merchandise 1

Above is a collage of paraphernalia from this range including:  Clothing, tote bags, scatter cushions, duvet covers, travel mugs, greeting cards, stickers, laptop and iPhone/iPad skins.

There is also the option of having these paintings as prints, posters, canvas prints, framed prints and even metal prints too.  Just click on the pictures below and select the products from the drop down menu at RedBubble.

Sweet Like Chocolate Original Painting by south african artist, Cherie Roe Dirksen  Valentines Day Gifts Gay Pride Painting Original Painting by south african artist, Cherie Roe Dirksen   The Melting Pot by Cherie Roe DirksenCat Lovers Painting Original Painting by south african artist, Cherie Roe Dirksen

Want to View the Originals?

‘Sweet Like Chocolate’ can be seen at the Barrydale Karoo Hotel.

‘The Pride’ and ‘Playing with my Heart’ are both on show at Kunstehuijs Art Gallery, Swellendam.

The other 2 paintings that were featured on telly were:

Rhinos by Cherie Roe Dirksen

‘Rhino’s — Spiral of Life’ (Cherie Roe Dirksen). Currently on show at the Barrydale Karoo Hotel.

and…

Do you get it?

‘Do You Get It?’ (Cherie Roe Dirksen). Private collection.

Thanks for looking!

Other blogs you may enjoy:

Subscribe IconExpressing Dis-Ease Through Painting and Poetry

New Photographs of Painting ‘Iceland Poppy Mix’ and Art on Duvet Covers!

Your Chance to Own an Original of Your Choosing

Photo’s: Painting the Extraordinary Life

Out-of-the-Box Arty Outdoor DIY

Healing Through Art — The Gates to Wonderland Just Got Flung Wide Open

Lust For Life

The Poppy Forest

I started off my career in art exploring what I like to call ‘decorative’ painting.  You know the sort;  flowers, trees, butterflies, sunsets, whatever tickled my fancies.  There is nothing wrong with this kind of expression and it paves the way for mastering specific techniques and mediums but I always felt a yearning for more expansive art.

However, painting ‘decorative’ art allowed me to express my love for anything resplendent — the beauty of nature.

Pink PoppiesMy art took a turn when I started painting my gold patterned backgrounds (as seen in the picture — right), I was testing the grounds for a more out-of-the-box approach.  It was well received and I was happy for a while doing it.  These complicated hand-painted motifs of swirly patterns represented ‘life energy’ — something I have been able to see all around me all the time.

I still felt a hunger for something new.  I tried to dabble in abstract art, I have always had a love for abstract but found it the hardest thing to paint.  I dug deep for this but it still didn’t fit the criterion that was swaying in my soul and keeping me at bay from realizing my fullest potential.

Spirited Away

I dreamed up the ‘Rock Art’ series last year and half-heartedly began my journey quite blinded to how it was going to unfold.  After the Radiohead painting emerged out onto the canvas, I literally had a dream and was shown what it meant (read article here).

“Tut, tut, child! Everything’s got a moral, if only you can find it.” — The Duchess, Alice in Wonderland

Interested by this unusual turn of events I endeavored with the project and Metamorphic Dilatation (The Beatles Art) was born.

         Jeff Buckley --- Raw 24 x 36 LR

Love Story

Heart close upThe festive season came and went and I lost a tiny bit of my momentum with this series until I decided to pick up a brush and start with the Jeff Buckley painting (no. 3 in the series).  It was going to be Muse but something changed my mind.

What happened with the painting ‘Raw’ changed my life forever.  You can read all about it here.  After the painting was done I had a dream…

What Dreams May Come

I was taken by a man (couldn’t quite make out who) into a room where I was shown that an artist could extract the essence of a message be it through music, literature or any other means and purvey the idea into a picture — a kind of visual therapy.

“Read the directions and directly you will be directed in the right direction.” — The Doorknob, Alice in Wonderland

I was told that it is quite difficult to get most people to listen to music outside of what they know.

  • How many of you have tried and failed to get people to listen to the music you like?
  • Or try to convince them that something that resonates with you should immediately resonate with them?

Same thing goes for literature.  You can read a book and have an epiphany but to get someone else to read the book let alone have the self-same striking realization is a difficult task indeed.

It doesn’t mean that there is no message in the song or novel and it also doesn’t mean that your friend is an idiot for not ‘getting it’ or bothering to listen/read.  We all work to a different schedule.

But how cool would it be if you could, like an alchemist, extract that message and translate it in a picture?  Something that you need to just look at to get or understand the underlying current?

People are usually willing to look at something visual which can only take a few seconds of their precious time.

The meaning I got from my dream was that you can imprint a message or a code (something that sparks off something in you on a conscious or unconscious level) to trigger a healing within you to take place.

Or a prompt to get you to explore the music or literature (or whatever medium is being transmuted) further which may activate that message you need.

The Sound of Music

To download as desktop wallpaper or to print and use around the home/office as mini-posters — just click on the picture, right-click and 'save as' to your computer.  All rights reserved.A good friend (who synchronously is a musician who is working on healing music at this very moment) and I were debating and bouncing off concepts of a universal and quantum nature (we came up with the caption to your right).

We were discussing how music, in itself, can transport you to places that words only try to point you towards.

Obviously, not all music does this — there is music and there is music.  Some music can be very base and hollow, coming from the ego or the want for fame and money.  Other music relays a message — it could be a cosmic or earthly message.  It could be consumed on an unconscious or conscious level.

  • Have you ever noticed how music can lift your spirits?
  • Or get you to go deeper into your emotions?
  • Or simply move you to tears of bliss or sorrow?

The classical composers like Bach and Debussy excelled at elevating the soul.  It’s as if they could take you to a higher dimension to feel the music in and around you — letting the vibrations pulsate through every cell in your body, literally absorbing the encoded transmissions of the wonders of 8th dimensional sound frequency.

Alice Through the Looking Glass

blue butterfly pngThis brings me back to the many epiphanies I’ve been having this month through dreams, synchronicities, ‘a-ha’ moments with friends and family members and opening my mind to new possibilities with the all-encompassing help of the Universe itself.

Talk about unity consciousness at work!  We are all so interwoven into this fabric of existence and we reflect so much to and in each other, which ultimately, reflects the entire cosmos.  We are One.

So, Alice has been journeying into the reflections of herself and has pulled out all her resources to finally discover what she’s been prepping for.

“Curiouser and curiouser!” — Alice in Wonderland

I started this site wanting to merge my passion for writing with my love of music and art.  I set out to do this as best I could, floundering a little at times as I tried new ways to do this.  None of which truthfully felt like the puzzle pieces fitted.

With this new insight I finally feel like the puzzle has at last become a recognizable picture (as we are usually given the pieces without the added benefit of having the box image for a reference — no, that would have been too easy).  I get to merge the trinity of music, art and literature into one capsule that can benefit the observer in a flash.

I couldn’t have asked the Universe for a better connection to work through me, expressing the Source, than this!

No wonder you’re not supposed to try to ‘control’ the nooks and crannies of how your path will unfurl — nothing out-of-the-box will ever develop with you trying to manipulate it at every turn with only your current understanding of how the world works.

They Call Me Trinity

I need to trim my time expenditure on this site and neatly package it to fit this new revelation.

So, instead of having an art/creativity blog on Tuesday, a spiritual blog on Thursday and a Free Giveaway blog on Friday, I have decided to reconcile all three if these into one new and exciting blog (to come out every Wednesday from next week) that will have inspiring verses, tasty visuals and something for nothing.

I will, from time to time, blog articles of value or interest on any given day but you can rely on the Wednesday blog to be a weekly occurrence.

That’s All Folks!

And that’s the rundown of how this year began for me — thanks for journeying with me and I hope you’ll stick around to see what’s to come in the bright and uncharted future of this magnificent virgin Wonderland.

Rock Art Series Painting no. 3 — Jeff Buckley ‘Raw’

To recap on Painting 1 — Radiohead, please CLICK HERE

To recap on Painting no. 2 — The Beatles, please CLICK HERE

To recap right from the conception of the Rock Art Series, please CLICK HERE

Hoorah!  I’m back in the saddle with my Rock Art Series.  It’s been a while since I’ve been back in the studio, what with the festive season and Armageddon ‘n all…it was a truly exhausting experience but it’s real good to be in the creative zone once again.

Rocking the New Year!

2013 has kicked off with the sweet and tantalizing sounds of that angelic crooner, Jeff Buckley.

Boy, did this one take me by surprise but I’m not going to reveal all the juicy details in this blog.  No, I’m going to make you wait until next Tuesday’s Art Blog before I reveal all the in’s and out’s of this painting — what made me tick, why it’s dripping with emotion, why I felt the urge to passionately attack the canvas at one point and a visitation by something out of this world?!

Whoa, the excitement!  But on with the show.  Here is the pictorial painting process (alliteration at it’s best):

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

And, finally, voila…here is the end interpretation of Jeff Buckley’s music:

Jeff Buckley --- Raw 24 x 36 LR“Raw” by Cherie Roe Dirksen

Acrylic and Mixed Media on Boxed Canvas — 24″ x 36″ x 1.5″

Prints are now available in all shapes and sizes, click on the picture to take you to the print store or ENTER HERE.  Art that is accessible to everyone — there is something to fit any pocket, from postcards @ $2.23 to prints starting from $12.60.

Click here to see the next installment:  How I Got Raw With Jeff Buckley

 Here’s a visual update of all 3 paintings in the series so far…

         Jeff Buckley --- Raw 24 x 36 LR

Dripping Art, Dragonflies and Mood Enhancing Facebook Timelines

What Magic Mushroom Have I Licked Today?!

Couldn’t think of what befitting title to give this Fridays artsy fartsy freebie blog — that one was quite a mouthful…now let’s see if it’s a visually compatible with your palette (whoops, it’s a pun!…art palette, mouth palette…oh OK, I’ll shut up)?

I was tinkering about earlier this week with some of my paintings, photographs and digital art and came up with these 3 rather different Facebook timelines.  Feel free to use them at will, Commander. (To download, click on the picture, right-click and ‘save as’ to your computer then upload them to your Facebook timeline for all to gawp upon.)

Facebook Header Art in my Veins Facebook Header Dragonfly Facebook Header Spectacular

What’s in a Picture?

I thought I would include the original pieces used to create these, just so you can see how they started off and how they eventually turned out…rather interesting, me thinks.

ART missing link abstract

The first Facebook timeline (above) was taken from a section of this painting of mine called ‘The Missing Link’.  It was an experimentation with abstract art and the inner workings of our biological system.

Little Buddy original photo

The next picture is a photo I took on one of my mountain stream walks.  This cute little blue dragonfly just came and sat on my foot for about 5 minutes…too precious.  Look at his cute little face!

remembering bob

The last Facebook timeline was also taken from one of my paintings called ‘Cosmic Love’.  It is just a tiny section of the painting that has been digitally modified and colour enhanced — can you see which segment the timeline picture has been taken from?  You’ve got to look real close to see it.

As much as I love good old-fashioned traditional painting, I have a lot of fun digitally mucking about with my art and photo’s on the computer.  So much to do so little time!  Oh well, that’s all for today folks…

Have a great weekend!

You may also enjoy:

The Magic Ingredient of Life

Your Passionate Quote of the Day

Rock Art Series — The Beatles

Yes, I know I have kept you waiting for the second piece of this series but wait no longer!

For those of you who have not been following the ‘Rock Art’ journey, you can check out what’s been going on (within you and) without you here: 10 Bands, 10 Paintings — Let the Rock Art Begin!

I’m Such a Tease!

Well, this is just another teaser pictorial blog because the painting isn’t quite finished yet. However, the groundwork has been laid and we are good to go in the colorizing department.  This painting is done a bit arse about face (an idiom for arranging the opposite way to the way it should be) but that is typical of someone who has their head stuck in alternate realities.

I have inked out the content and now I’m going to be adding the delectable and bright colors that are just waiting to burst forth onto the canvas.  It’s going to be a bit like a coloring-in book, I guess.  How exciting and unprecedented this Rock Art series is turning out to be — such toe-tingling excitement!

Painting No. 2 — Let Me Present….

I have decided it is the turn of The Beatles to rock ‘n roll their way onto my second canvas in this series.  As I’m sure you’ll notice, the effect is rather different from the Radiohead painting.  Well, it should be!

They’re both great bands but worlds apart.  I really got a feeling of animated abstract fun and foolishness when I went into ‘Beatles’ mode.  It brought back a lot of childhood memories and whimsical, magical (mystery tours?), experimental modes.

A Girl with a Plan!

This time I was savvy and started writing out all the emotions that were coming up as I was setting out the drawing (I squiggled them down on the side of the canvas — pure genius even if it does look a bit untidy).

Here are a few keywords I wrote down.  Yes, some are rather strange, I admit — but this is what came up for me:

  • Fun
  • Candid
  • Innovative
  • Serious
  • Rigid (?)
  • Abstract
  • Exciting
  • Mentally Delicious

I like the last one, I think that sums up The Beatles quite well…maybe not mental, but certainly aurally delicious.

I am not revealing the picture as a whole but have cut it up into segments to add to the intrigue.  Here are some sneak peeks of the painting :

    

You can see it in its entirety when it is finished.  If you think it looks busy now, wait until the hue shows its face!

I hope to have the full color version for you within the next 2 weeks, so do tune in to the Tuesday Art/Creativity blog here by hitting that ‘follow this blog’ button in the left-hand sidebar of the homepage or at the bottom of the page (yeah, that wafty ‘follow’ button-thingy that should be following your every move).

For All You Shy Little Sausages

Oh, and one last thing…so many people write to me privately and tell me about the creative projects that they have undertaken.  I love to hear about your experiments but please share them with everyone!  It would be great if you could tell us what you are getting up to in the studio or what you have done in the past that’s new and innovative — don’t be shy, we’re all eager to hear about your creations.  Leave a comment… 😀

TO VIEW THE FINISHED PAINTING CLICK HERE!

Song Playlist — Radiohead Albums That Made The Art

What I Listened To…

As promised in last weeks blog, I will reveal today the albums I listened to during the creation of ‘Escapism’.  If you have been following this Rock Art Series blog then great, if not you can recap by starting here.

“As we were walking and talking about this I caught a glimpse of my companions face under the hood — yes ladies and gentlemen, it was a very young and blonde Thom Yorke …”

In no particular order, they were:

Some of my favourite songs at the moment are ‘Lotus Flower’ (fan-blooming-tastic video!), ’15 Steps’, ‘Little by Little’ and ‘Bodysnatchers’.  I have also had the great honour of seeing them live in London on their ‘Hail to the Thief’ album tour in 2003 — what an experience!

I unfortunately did not have enough time to listen to ALL their albums (as I would have so loved to have done), so what I listened to in the above track-list must have been relevant in some way to the picture.  I just went with the flow and stopped when I felt it necessary.  I like to think that everything has a quantum reason for taking place, which brings me to my dream…

Bloody Weird or Maybe Not!

I had a dream a few days ago about the painting.

I was walking with a hooded figure who was discussing the painting and linking it to the root chakra (what I like to call the poop chakra ’cause you usually associate that one with letting go of the crap).  For those of you who don’t know, the root chakra is associated with your anus.

‘Escapism’ by Cherie Roe Dirksen (below)

As we were walking and talking about this I caught a glimpse of my companions face under the hood — yes ladies and gentlemen, it was a very young and blonde Thom Yorke (the ‘Pablo Honey’ days look).

We then stopped at the painting and he said that it had a coded message in it, one that I subconsciously painted into the picture and it had to do with letting go.  Particularly for parents of daughters who were finding it hard to ‘let them go’.

Interesting…it’s like one of those ridiculous stories from Ripley’s ‘believe it or not’…lol.  Or maybe not.  I have witnessed and experienced enough hoodoo lately to make this just a drop in my ocean of the weird and inexplicable.

So if the dream is true — great!  If not, well…‘nice dream’...he he.

Emotions While Painting

Okay, I jotted down a few things that were coming up for me or going through my mind as I was painting.  I’m going to list it in point-form so you can better understand the end result of the painting:

  • Other worldly/out of this world
  • Expressing and experiencing emotional pain and anguish
  • Also experiencing pleasure
  • Loss and frustration
  • Chaotic sound that blends into perfect harmony/order
  • Orgasmic sounds in the mix and off-beats
  • Being unconventional/out-of-the-box living
  • Being different and yet fitting in anyway
  • A celebration of being different

I absolutely love their production and orchestration of complete chaos and bizarre beats that amalgamate to produce the tastiest, funkiest songs I have had the pleasure to bathe my ears in.

To end of with:  My husband and I (yes, I sound like the queen) went to see a horror movie over the weekend and the ticket man said ‘Why are you going to see such a creepy movie?’,  to which I solemnly replied, ‘We are creepy people’.

I am proud to be different and, thanks to Radiohead, we can proudly display the creep within.

What Radiohead Looks Like Through The End of My Brush

When I started out with this ‘Rock Art’ project, I had no idea how it would turn out and tried to have no expectations of what to expect from myself.

To recap on this series, please read:

10 Bands, 10 Paintings…Let the Rock Art Begin!

The Grand Band Reveal is Today!

Radiohead — A Teaser Pictorial ‘Rock Art’ Peek

I gave myself permission for complete artistic freedom, pleasing nobody but myself in the process.  So, in short,  I just let loose on the canvas and did what I felt compelled to do.

I am happy to show you the first painting of this 10 part series.  I have called it ‘Escapism’.

Available as prints — click on the picture.

Here are some close-ups and segments of the painting:

Thanks to Radiohead for the out-of-this-world inspiration!

I am going to run through my emotions and what inspired me to paint what I did in next Tuesdays blog as well as reveal what albums I was listening to.

For now, I would love to hear your feedback and comments about what you see here.

  • Is it what you expected?
  • Or does this not say ‘Radiohead’ at all for you?

It will be interesting to get your take on it.

Next in this series:

Rock Art Series — The Beatles

What The Beatles Look Like From the End of my Paintbrush

Digging Even Deeper…Inner Art Expression

Please read the past articles relating to this blog HERE (Going Deeper…Inner Art Expression) and HERE (Got It!  Inner Art Expression Expressed).

The Cosmos on a Canvas

A couple of weeks ago my hand, brush, paints and right brain hemisphere took my canvas on a journey into a very colourful cosmos.  Here is the outer manifestation of this inward expression:

‘The Bridge’ — Acrylic on Canvas — 18″ x 24″ 

I hope you like it.

If you are an artist, what are your biggest stumbling blocks?  What do you still wish you could do or want to achieve?

If you are an art lover, then what do you like to see in a piece of art?  What get’s you going?

I would love to hear from you…

Got It — Inner Art Expressed!

Please recap on last weeks article HERE.

I left off with saying that I still felt something was wrong.  An inner imbalance, something was crying out!

What Could Possibly Be Amiss?

I sat on my couch looking at my painting, still feeling that something was out of alignment.  Do I still have to dig even deeper?

“If you don’t try, you’ll never know…”

A voice seemed to be asking me questions in my head.

Higher Guidance from my Higher Self (HS)?

HS:  What are you feeling?

Me:  Constricted.

HS:  Why?

Me:  I want to paint bigger.

HS:  A-ha!  You’ve been wanting to do that for the past 2 years now.  What is stopping you?

Me:  Big canvas is expensive and it means more paint and materials — I also want to experiment with different materials and it is all costly.

HS:  If you don’t try, you’ll never know.  Take the expense risk just for one week and see how it goes.

Me:  OK.

Stepping Out of the Box

It dawned on me how I put myself in a box.  I subconsciously and consciously limit myself by talking myself out of something for whatever reason.  And usually, they are not good reasons.

“You’ve got nothing to lose except living with regret for not trying.”

If you don’t try, you’ll never know.  So try and at least you can say you have taken that step.  If you succeed — great!  If you don’t, well then just see it as feedback.  You’ve got nothing to lose except living with regret for not trying.

So with that in mind, I came up with this:

I have called it ‘The God Code after the revelations that Gregg Braden has discovered that we possess a code in our DNA that literally translates, in Hebrew, to ‘God Eternal, in the body’.

I also had an epiphany to use all 4 senses whilst painting, I mean why not?!?  Before I started I got the distinct message that I was going to paint something that was healing and enlightening to the observer.  So I wanted to incorporate smell, touch, spirit and sound (I left taste out, for obvious reasons — unless you want a tongue full of chemicals!).

So this painting has been infused with:

  1. Rosemary and Lavender (I instinctively chose these two out of my garden.  When I later looked up the properties, you guessed it, lavender is for healing and Rosemary is for remembering — which you could say would be ‘enlightening’).  I made a tea out of it and used it in my brush water.  I also lit myrrh incense which is apparently good for tranquility.
  2. Prayer for the observer to obtain healing and enlightenment through the art/visual resonance (trying to emulate Dr. Masaru Emoto‘s fine work with water and the effects that positive words and emotions has on it).
  3. Bach.  I played my Bach CD on repeat until I was finished with the painting.  So it is infused with sacred, cosmic sound.
  4. Different textures.  I used a great granulated paint that is awesome to touch.  I also used a glass liner to add some raised pattern effects.

Let me know what you think?  What comes up for you when you look at this painting?  Come on, let me have it — the good and the bad.

Going Deeper…Inner Art Expression

Please read last weeks art blog HERE to recap on this interesting new artistic expression I have discovered in me.

Boring…

This week I started off doing my usual weekly art schedule.  Painting pretty pictures (you know, the ones that ‘sell’) and when I got to the end of the day this one popped out.

It truly took me by surprise as I didn’t know I had it in me.

What Sparked It?

I was listening to a talk on Project Camelot by Compton Rom Bada from ascendedhealth.com (do check it out — quite remarkable!).  In a nutshell, it was about how our body is made out of 90% microbes and while I was listening and painting — what I thought was going to be a cosmos painting — started automatically painting what looks like the ‘inner body’.  The microcosm cosmos.

Let it Flow

I love how my hand was just running over the canvas and splashing and doing all sorts of ‘things’ that I don’t normally do.  I just went with the flow and enjoyed the process.

Quite interestingly, the painting only took me about half an hour to complete.  I usually take about 2-3 hours for this size.  So there we have the law of least effort in place and working.

I sat on the couch after this episode and looked at the painting.  I liked it — it was different and different is good for me now.  Something was still wrong though…

The Missing Link by Cherie Roe Dirksen

I will let you know in next weeks art blog the epiphany I had!  And, hopefully, will have some tangible evidence thereof….

The Space Within Series — Inner Art

Artistic Frustration

I am experimenting with what I like to call ‘inner art’.  I have always been intrigued with abstract art and especially art that explores patterns, sacred geometry, space, shapes and colour.

“This series is going to be a reflection of how I feel inside, what is desperate to come out.”

But, professionally, I paint more traditional art and cater to ‘the market’.  This series is going to be a reflection of how I feel inside, what is desperate to come out.  Don’t get me wrong, I love painting the things I do, it’s just sometimes I want to ‘break free’ of the conformity and do something purely for myself.

“Whether we are looking through a microscope at the inner workings of our bodies or whether we are looking through a telescope at the cosmos — I can see a notable link.” 

The colours and shapes are all a mix of the inner space coming out into the material world.  I love the theory that we are a microcosm for the macrocosm, as within so without.

Our bodies are made up of omni-central atoms, everything is circular and has the sacred geometry formula.  Whether we are looking through a microscope at the inner workings of our bodies or whether we are looking through a telescope at the cosmos — I can see a notable link.

Unity Principle

The Universal Unity Theory — for me — is the certainty that every one and every thing is connected on some level and I hope this comes across in my art

‘A leap of faith’ (painting above) represents the push into the unknown.  This is something I have been battling with recently and decided to express it through painting.

I want to be free to do what I want, paint what I want, say what I want — a leap into integrity, I suppose.  Wouldn’t the world just be a wonderful place if we could all express ourselves freely and without judgement or fear?

What are your thoughts on freedom of expression and the fear of ‘exposing’ yourself?

Left:  A close up of ‘A Leap of Faith’