3 Ways to Tap Into the Matrix of All Possibility

Posted on May 3, 2017 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

“My brain is only a receiver, in the Universe there is a core from which we obtain knowledge, strength and inspiration. I have not penetrated into the secrets of this core, but I know that it exists.”
– Nikola Tesla

I came across the above quote on my Facebook feed this morning. It was a well-timed synchronicity as it’s a concept I’ve been mulling over the past few days.

My ruminating was about music and the impact it has on our lives. Many musicians claim that they literally pluck songs out of the ether. I know this to be true as my husband is a musician and some of his greatest songs — he told me — were ‘given’ to him by, what Gregg Braden referred to as, the Divine Matrix (in his book of the same title).

The Cosmic Menu

Ideas, music, inventions, art — all these things have been known to come to creatives whilst meditating, dreaming or daydreaming. 3 really important ways of tapping into this field of potentiality is to:

Meditate — surrender all thinking and let your mind take a break. See what comes up in the space between your thoughts (hint: that’s where the magic lies!).
Daydream — children do it all the time and they have some pretty inventive ideas (and the most fun too)! Get into the habit of letting yourself daydream every day. Let your mind wander and see what emerges.
Dream Journaling — try to make a habit of writing down your nightly sojourns in the outer realms — there could be a treasure trove of insights in there for you if you train yourself to remember your dreams. You can even declare/ask that you want to have direction/inspiration in your dreams before you turn in for the night.

Original Rehash

Tapping into the ‘matrix’ in this way also begs the question: Is anything ever original? Yes and no.

Did you like this article? Don’t forget to pin it 😀

If everything is in the ‘ether’ already (or the Mind of God or whatever other phrase rocks your boat) then nothing is original but what is original is you and your take on it.

You’re a ‘one of a kind’ — as unique as your fingerprints. So when the ‘quantum muse in the sky’ selects you to manifest a creative package, you will channel the information through your unique experiences/soul/spirit and give the world a truly unoriginal original 🙂

Of course, there are many musicians (or people who call themselves such) who channel nothing of the sort. This goes for any genre really — there are a few artistic duds coming directly from the ego and being controlled by the head not the heart.

“Music isn’t something to think about, at least initially. Eventually it’s got to cover the spectrum, but especially with rock ‘n’ roll, first it has to touch you somewhere else. It could be the groin; it could be the heart; it could be the guts; it could be the toes. It’ll get to the brain eventually. The last thing I’m thinking about is the brain. You do enough thinking about everything else.” — Keith Richards in an interview about songwriting

Related article: Music is the Language of Your Spirit

Musing about Music

I’m going to be exploring, in up and coming articles, the realm of music and art. I’ll dive into just what compels us to seek out beauty.

Why does certain music arouse our emotions or transport us through time and space? I hope you’ll take this journey with me and we can get our collective juices flowing.

Please stay tuned (pun definitely intended), there’s going to be some interactive stuff as well to entice you to unleash your inner creative and come play with me in my art studio.

Colour Therapy: Taking on Modern Day Stress the Creative Way

Can Music Jump-Start Humanity’s Awakening?

ARTICLE WRITTEN BY CHERIE ROE DIRKSEN FOR CONSCIOUS LIFE NEWS

Cherie Roe Dirksen is a self-empowerment author and multi-media artist from South Africa.

To date, she has published 3 self-help and motivational books and brings out weekly inspirational blogs at her site www.cherieroedirksen.com. Get stuck into finding your passion, purpose and joy by downloading some of those books gratis when you click HERE.

Her ambition is to help you to connect with your innate gift of creativity and living the life you came here to experience by taking responsibility for your actions and becoming the co-creator of your reality. You can also follow Cherie on Facebook (The Art of Empowerment).

Cherie posts a new article on CLN every Thursday. To view her articles, click HERE.

3 Ways to Tap Into the Matrix of All Possibility

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

I came across the above quote on my Facebook feed this morning. It was a well-timed synchronicity as it’s a concept I’ve been mulling over the past few days.

The Cosmic Menu

Meditate — surrender all thinking and let your mind take a break. See what comes up in the space between your thoughts (hint: that’s where the magic lies!).
Daydream — children do it all the time and they have some pretty inventive ideas (and the most fun too)! Get into the habit of letting yourself daydream every day. Let your mind wander and see what emerges.
Dream Journaling — try to make a habit of writing down your nightly sojourns in the outer realms — there could be a treasure trove of insights in there for you if you train yourself to remember your dreams. You can even declare/ask that you want to have direction/inspiration in your dreams before you turn in for the night.

Original Rehash

Tapping into the ‘matrix’ in this way also begs the question: Is anything ever original? Yes and no.

Did you like this article? Don’t forget to pin it 😀

If everything is in the ‘ether’ already (or the Mind of God or whatever other phrase rocks your boat) then nothing is original but what is original is you and your take on it.

Related article: Music is the Language of Your Spirit

Musing about Music

I’m going to be exploring, in up and coming articles, the realm of music and art. I’ll dive into just what compels us to seek out beauty.

Why does certain music arouse our emotions or transport us through time and space? I hope you’ll take this journey with me and we can get our collective juices flowing.

Please stay tuned (pun definitely intended), there’s going to be some interactive stuff as well to entice you to unleash your inner creative and come play with me in my art studio.

Colour Therapy: Taking on Modern Day Stress the Creative Way

Can Music Jump-Start Humanity’s Awakening?

ARTICLE WRITTEN BY CHERIE ROE DIRKSEN FOR CONSCIOUS LIFE NEWS

Cherie Roe Dirksen is a self-empowerment author and multi-media artist from South Africa.

Cherie posts a new article on CLN every Thursday. To view her articles, click HERE.

A Sneak Pictorial Peek at Painting no. 6 in the Rock Art Series

Posted on February 28, 2014 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

The Collection that Stood the Test of Time

After many moons, I have picked up paint brush and spray can and started painting no. 6 of my Rock Art Series (there are going to be 10 painting all told).

If you want to recap on the grand adventure of subliminal painting to my favourite musicians of all time, please CLICK HERE.

I think I first promised myself that I would have this series done by June 2013 — fat laugh that was! Then the next D-date was December 2013 — another dashed hope.

Art on Wizards Time

Just like Gandalf (who proclaimed that a wizard is never late and always arrives exactly when he intends to), I am going to let these paintings emerge in their own divine time (as long as it’s within my lifetime!).

But, at least I can say I am more than half way now!

Yippeeeeeee…so, without further ado — painting no. 6 was produced by listening to the melodious and mesmerizing Templeton (and, no, I’m not just saying that because he’s my husband — go listen and decide for yourself).

You can visit his aural delights here: TempletonUniverse.

Templeton Rocks the Canvas

I am just going to be showing you snippets of the painting because Wednesday’s blog is going to be the start-to-finish photographic process and the grand reveal — so do stay tuned (or follow this blog if you aren’t already) :D.

So, here is a little taste just to whet your appetite:

Well, I hope you are intrigued.

Until next week when I get out of the way of the focal point of the painting (see photo on your right where I have cunningly concealed the weirdest thing I have painted to date that has consequently unearthed a lot of Egyptian myth? Very titillating stuff indeed! I promise to reveal all) — you’ll have to try to put the pieces together and see what on earth (or, perhaps, not on earth) has planted itself onto my canvas.

Oh, the mystery of it all! All will be revealed soon though, so hang onto those knickers!!!

Adieu, my patient amigos…

Here are the Rock Art blogs in order of release:

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

Painting Pink Floyd — Soldiering Through the Minefield of Emotion

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

Avoidance and Pain

“Sometimes our garbage makes the best fertilizer.”

I just want to express from the get go that this has been one of the most difficult paintings for me to bring into manifestation. I started off this journey with hopeful optimism which soon turned into pain, anguish and avoidance. I literally avoided my painting for weeks before returning to finish it.

I even manifested back pain (like there was something I needed to ‘get off my back’) which was a real poke in the ribs to complete this.

Let’s begin…

Firstly, the emotions that I wrote down (on the side of the boxed canvas) during the painting process were as follows:

Discord, revolt, rebel
Suppressed emotion
Metal, cold, steel, cutting, taking lives
Centers around the Void
Paternal painbody
Lost
Relief to be voicing/heard
Yin & Yang balance

Our Hopes and Expectations

It began with me spray painting the black hole in the center which represented a void. Emotions getting sucked into a black hole.

Then I painted little white orbs emerging which I think was indicative that there is and always was hope and a presence that was watching over us (or perhaps it was the light in us) through the whole distortion of life, morality and ethics of the war.

The War Effect

My maternal grandfather, Roy Chegwyn

The male painbody came out big time after that and I was aware that I was entering the murky dark waters of the emotional minefield of all our soul brothers (and sisters) who were forced to go to war.

They were both involved in WW2. My maternal Grandfather was a RAF pilot and was shot and killed in German territory — he was in his early 20’s. His body was never recovered and I don’t think his wife ever recovered either. This obviously impacted my mother and her sisters greatly.

My paternal grandfather, Harry Roe

My paternal grandfather was stationed in Egypt and, thankfully, made it back home in 1945 although he never spoke of his traumas. I never got to meet him as he died before I was born.

I think a lot of men shut down and never spoke of their ordeal when they got home. Can you imagine the pain and suffering this has caused? The ripple effect is felt in Pink Floyd’s music.

Bullets with Butterfly Wings

After the void showed up in the painting, I went ballistic with silver foil. After I had finished pasting this onto the picture I picked up my red spray can and viciously started gunning the canvas with bullet holes. I felt like I was being sucked into the overwhelming emotions of limitless killings — voluntary and involuntary.

It was a very dark place.

The muddy paint (which was done using a kind of clay/sand textured acrylic) represented being in the trenches. I even stuck ‘notes’ on the painting reciting the Ho’oponopono (a Hawaiin prayer for forgiveness and an amazing releasing affirmation for letting go of the past so you can move into the present). I even spontaneously wrote out one of these notes on toilet paper.

The Ho’oponopono goes something like this:

I am sorry, please forgive me, I love you, thank you.

I stepped back from the painting and even though it wasn’t physically there, I saw a massive yin and yang sign in that void. It was energetically present. This confused me. I thought this painting was going to be about the male painbody.

It was, however, morphing into something else…

The Pinnacle Rent of the Sexes

I began to go into another state, I could feel the feminine energies coming in through me. I picked up a pink oil pastel and started smudging it over the bullet wounds and blood. It was as if I was tempering the pain. The colour pink represents passivity, calming and softening.

It then struck me.

This is not only about the male painbody but it also involves the female painbody. The war was like the symbolic peak of the separation of divine masculine and feminine.

Men come back from war shut tight as a clam and the females make them a cup of tea and offer a biscuit.

Containers and Comforters United

Masculine energy is like a container. This energy offers physical support, service, protection, strength and a ‘safe’ place. Feminine energy is that feeling of home. This energy is giving, nurturing, caring and spiritually supportive.

Can you see how this was split apart during the war?

Men came back having had their minds, limbs, spirit and morals blown apart. It was not appropriate in that time for men to show weakness or, God forbid, emotion. So they contained themselves.

“Button your lip and don’t let the shield slip. Take a fresh grip on your bullet proof mask and if they try, to break down your disguise with their questions. You can hide, hide, hide behind paranoid eyes”

~ Paranoid Eyes, Pink Floyd

Women were in complete avoidance. They probably didn’t know how to handle the enormous magnitude of the war effects and the atrocities their men had witnessed and been a part of, so they swept in under the carpet. Women became the Stepford Wives, fudging the emotions and avoiding the topic at all costs.

Neither sexes were in their integrity. They were doing a dance in the void — the ultimate tango of avoidance.

“Hey you, out there on your own sitting naked by the phone would you touch me? Hey you, with your ear against the wall waiting for someone to call out would you touch me? Hey you, would you help me to carry the stone? Open your heart, I’m coming home.”

~ Hey You!, Pink Floyd

I felt a distinct animosity for women in Pink Floyd’s music. The feelings were that of women being superficial takers, opportunists and cold fish.

In the Classroom

There was also a part at the bottom of the painting that seemed to portray the education system. How we are moulded into little nuts and bolts to keep the cogs turning.

I was even compelled at one stage to leave my studio (almost in a trance like state) and go down the staircase. I thought I was going to get some newspaper but it turned out that I was collecting a sketch I had done about 2 years ago to demonstrate Platonic Solids to a friend.

The book I had drawn it in was lying on my dining room table. I opened it straight at this picture (the book is also the kind of hardcover we used at school with the red margins and blue lines) and ripped it out, marched back upstairs and pasted it to this section of the painting.

I also noticed that I had written one of my articles at the back of this piece of paper and it had relevant wording that I also ripped out and glued to the canvas. I even automatically made a tiny paper aeroplane and stuck it to the picture.

Could this be indicative of childhood fancies — making planes at school, fantasizing about being a pilot? Then stepping out into the real world and being disillusioned by being a traumatized ‘fighter-pilot’ slipping into the void.

Then the Seeds Started to Grow

pf cup 4 The theme of this painting is very sad indeed. The tearing apart of the sexes, the war wounds, the fudging over of emotional debris by our parents and their parents but there is a distinct message of hope.

I stood back and looked at the painting. It needed green.

I couldn’t quite think of where and what to add that was green but the Universe knew. I ended up painting vines and leaves growing up out of the chaos. A symbol of hope and growth from bad experience.

Don’t Let Your Privates Deceive You

It was like all this war, disruption and chaos was leading us to heal the rift in ourselves. As you know, we are both yin and yang, masculine and feminine — no matter what your genitals tell you.

We are coming to a point in time where we are realizing this and balancing our energies. Embracing both in order to lead lives of fulfillment and acceptance of ourselves and each other — unity consciousness.

“We would meet again, some sunny day”~ Vera, Pink Floyd

Sometimes our garbage makes the best fertilizer.

Thank you, Pink Floyd, for the opportunity to unravel this important historical and emotional piece of art.

The Can of Worms is Closed!

This painting showed me the rift in the feminine and masculine energies — the breakdown of balance between yin and yang.

Then it moved to rectify the tear by bringing back the balance of both polarities. This artwork showed me that there is hope for us, that we can mend our broken hearts and bring divine balance back into the world through love, compassion and forgiveness.

“All alone or in two’s, the ones who really love you walk up and down outside the wall.
Some hand in hand and some gathered together in bands, the bleeding hearts and the artists make their stand.“

~ The Other Side of the Wall, Pink Floyd

‘Dancing in the Void’ Rock Art Painting no. 4 (Pink Floyd)
by Cherie Roe Dirksen
30″ x 30″ x 1.5″ — Acrylic and Mixed Media on Boxed Canvas

You can recap on ALL the articles in the Rock Art Series here:

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

Other articles you may find interesting:

The Secret to Excellent Living

The Fine Balancing Art of Yin and Yang

The Shocking Truth About Gender Equality

How I Got ‘Raw’ With Jeff Buckley

Posted on January 29, 2013 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

Explaining the Painting ‘Raw’ in the Rock Art Series

Please recap on the last blog here, “Rock Art Series Painting no. 3 — Jeff Buckley ‘Raw’

As I go further and further down this rabbit hole that I labelled the ‘Rock Art Series‘, I am beginning to uncover a quantum field of bizarre and amazing coincidences and realizations about myself and my role that I find myself stepping into (there will be more about this in next weeks blog, as I go mixing the melting pot of Harmonic Convergence and visual healing therapy).

This painting maxed my abstract potential and what I thought was achievable through a state of ‘mindless’ painting — it brought out something in me that I will call guided art.

Who’s guiding me?

God alone knows! My soul? My guides? The man on the moon? Jeff Buckley himself (for those of you who don’t know, Jeff died in a drowning accident in 1997)? Or a mixture of all? Probably…

Tapping into the Matrix

For more information about Jeff Buckley, click on this picture.

There is an information highway in the ether — a kind of universal computer hard-drive that stores everything and anything for posterity. I think this could be a good description for what I’m trying to tap into with this art.

How do you capture the essence of the message from the musician and put it onto canvas?

Music is multi-dimensional and speaks straight to the soul. When you are able to pull this kind of cosmic sound down into the third dimension, it has a powerful effect on the listener. See an article about ‘The 8th Chakra and the Universal Heart’ HERE.

Now, the question is: Can an artist tune into the message in the music and translate it as art?

Well, here it goes:

The Emotions of the Music

These are the emotions that came up for me as I was painting.

Pure
Prints Available Now
Heartfelt
Raw
Desire
Earthy
Sensuality/Sexuality
Basic
Simple Beauty
Tactile/Touching

I wrote all these words down on the side of the canvas as they were arising in me. For those of you who know who Jeff Buckley is, you’ll probably be nodding your head and saying ‘yeah, that’s him alright’.

For those who don’t know him…let’s start you off with this song (although it is not his original song, he was reported to have said that it is a song he wished he had written as it encapsulates all that he is — and he performs it admirably):

Lilac Wine (CLICK HERE TO LISTEN)

If your appetite has been whetted, I suggest you move on to this song with the addition of some tasty visuals of the artist:

Last Goodbye

Moving on with the painting process…

Feeling Presence, Photographing Orbs and ‘Ghost’

I was completely ‘in the zone’ with this one — otherwise what I referred to as my ‘mindless state’. Working purely from the heart and feeling rather than linearizing and thinking it through.

The first thing I did was spray paint a big red heart onto the canvas…I stood back and thought, ‘a bit kitsch, isn’t it?’. Then I decided to trust the process and see where it led me to. At that point, I thought that even if I painted over the heart, I suppose it will still be imbued with that heart presence — the heart would remain the core of the painting. As it turned out, the heart became the focal point.
I started mucking about with clay paint (a kind of textured acrylic and a lot of fun to get your hands in! Really squishy and messy). I used a palette knife to apply it to the canvas.
I felt as if I wasn’t alone, it didn’t freak me out or anything, I just went with it. I then dropped the palette knife and started getting my hands into this squelchy clay-type paint (I think this is the point where I wrote down the ‘earthy’ emotion — being grounded, getting ‘real’). I felt as if my hands were being guided, moving over the canvas in waves of delicate caresses which led on to vehement scratches (very sensuous, darling). I have to admit it was a bit like the scene from the movie ‘Ghost’ — you know that part when Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze were sitting down at the potter’s wheel getting all down and dirty in the clay. To coin one of Jim Carey’s phrases, I was starting to get a bit swampy in my pants.
The whole time I was painting, I would stop every now and again to take a photo for the pictorial process blog. Imagine my surprise, when in one of the pictures I saw an isolated, huge orb (see picture to your right)! I give you my word that it is not part of the painting even though there are other ‘orb-like’ circles, those are gold spray-paint ‘blob’s and the orb is white. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the orb phenomenon, please click here. Otherwise, in a very small nutshell: Some people believe it is the camera’s ability to pick up on what we can’t see with the naked eye — yes a bit like photographing spooks, or rather, balls of energy (UFE — he he…unidentified flying energy). Others feel it is just light bouncing off dust to create this effect. What they don’t know is that my studio is a dust bomb and if this was the case, the photographs would be Orb City. Besides, I rather like the story where Jeff is helping me to create this work of art — nobody wants to be alone at the party, you know what I mean?
Close up of the orb – as you can see it is completely circular with a kind of aura that surrounds it, completely different to the gold painted orb below it.
When I re-sprayed the heart and saw it dripping in and mixing with the clay paint, I got a real feeling of being ’embodied’. You know, the whole tethering your soul to your body type-thing?
I then went on to add some words that I had torn out of a magazine. I’ve not really done this before so had no idea how it would turn out. I like the effect and just happened to synchronously stumble upon the most relevant-to-Jeff descriptive words imaginable. Like: ‘Shaken, Stirred’; ‘Stay in touch’; ‘Beautiful’; ‘History and Heroes’; ‘I think I’m on the planet Mars!’ (lol, don’t ask!); ‘lovers, this one’s for you!’; Made with unrestricted access’…you get the picture (I hope!).
I then added on some finishing swirls and details to embellish and make the painting really ‘pop’ with pleasure.

And that’s it! You’ve got the low down of the inspiration behind the art.

Here are some more Jeff Buckley performances that you may enjoy:

Hallelujah

So Real

Yard of Blonde Girls

Lover, You Should Have Come Over

Everybody Here Wants You

Where is The Rock Art Series Going?

I’ve had a few questions about this series that I want to clear up or probably make more hazy:

Am I selling individual pieces now? No, I am going to exhibit all 10 paintings when it is finished so I need to keep them as a unit for now.

When do I plan on having this series finished? I am working my butt off to have it all done by June 2013.

When and where will I be exhibiting? No clue at the moment but I just know the right place, venue, person will present themselves when it is ready to go on the road.

Can I buy prints? All the pieces I have done so far are available as prints.

You can view the Print Gallery HERE. Or click on the pictures below:

Have Your Say and Avoid Being Bitten

What does this painting say to you? You can be honest, I promise I won’t bite or take anything personally (just leave your name and street address where I can find you alongside your comment! lol).
What does Jeff Buckley’s music mean to you?
If you didn’t know who he was, did you feel enticed to listen to his songs?
If yes, what did you think?
Did you feel that there was no need to listen because you ‘got it’ straight away?
What emotions arise when you listen to him or look at this painting?
Are they congruent?

Spill your beans, please. After all, I told you I got all swampy in my pants (the ice has been broken and melted all at the same time) — you can’t get more personal than that!

Hitting the Nail on the Head

To get the interpretation ball rolling — I sent the final picture to a musician friend of mine who didn’t know much about the artist or his music.

I found what he came up with remarkable for someone who wasn’t familiar with Jeff Buckley. It’s as if the information of the music was transported through the painting. Perhaps, as was proposed earlier in this blog, artists can tune into the message behind the music and translate it through visual arts. I’ll let you be the judge…

This is what my friend had to say:

“One definitely does see the emotional – hmmm… turmoil(?) this guy had during his life. What music do you suggest I listen to to get a deeper understanding of it?

The silver foil on the left reminds me of those staples they used to use on operations patients… i.e. a broken but patched up heart, one that’s been severely injured and not healed completely but very good physicians.

The green hand is definitely somehow connected with it, perhaps someone slipping away that was responsible for it — losing someone? Trying to hold on or not quite being able to touch the heart

The (hand)print ON the heart is interesting too — someone definitely left their touch on his heart.

The (hand)print on the right is almost like a hand in the background — a shadow, someone in his life that he never really have his heart to or allowed to get to know his heart.

The silhouette above that (looks like of a person) sort of underlines that message — especially because it looks like he’s looking away from the heart, the heart dripping very obviously also indicates an injured heart.

All the noise, colour and excitement below the heart, to me, is like the experiences and life he had, on which his heart is based yet nothing that grounds him or supports his heart. It’s up there in the air, surrounded by chaos — although beautiful chaos at times.

I wonder if the damaged heart has something to do with the experience below in the words “stay in touch”?

“lovers, this one’s for you” is very interesting as it’s on the “non-accessible” or shadowy side of the heart.

I love the reddish brown eye on the bottom left — something that’s weaved its way into his life that’s severely affected it (negatively)…tearing away at his foundation?”

~ Steven Rafferty

Musician

stevenrafferty.com

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

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Image

What The Beatles Look Like From the End of my Paintbrush

Posted on October 2, 2012 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

If you want to recap on my last article about beginning this Beatles project, please CLICK HERE.

If you want to recap on the whole ROCK ART series BEGIN HERE

Let’s get on with the big reveal…

Whimsical, Colourful, Bright and Vibrant

The title just encapsulates the outcome of this project. It is just dripping with juicy hues, abstract sensations and psychedelic fantasy. But what would you expect from a painting inspired purely by listening to the Beatles — non-stop?

I really felt quite taken back to my youth with this one (no, not quite to the swinging ’60’s — I’m a 70’s baby). There was just so much reminiscence going on with this painting that a bit of child-like play surfaced in the making of this bold artwork.

Compared to the Last

When I put the Radiohead painting up next to this one, I really get a sense of what I’m trying to achieve with this Rock Art project. They couldn’t be more different!

I am going to have a pictorial comparison at the end of this blog for all you curious types. Please feel free to share your views.

Without Much Ado…

Here is the final product:

Here is that comparison between the Radiohead painting and The Beatles one:

As you can well see, the difference is quite apparent. So there really is something in this whole experiment with painting to different types of music. My curiosity is peaked and I am now really looking forward to doing the rest of this series.

Because Muse has just released their 6th album (2nd law), they are going to be next in line — can’t wait to see what cosmic waves are going to come out of my paint pots this time.

The Title — Help!

Before I sign off, I haven’t come up with a title for this yet. I was wondering if perhaps you could contribute any suggestions you may have that would befit this painting — the title needs to sum it all up.

Please leave your suggestions in the comment section below. Any feedback, critique or just general banter are welcome!

UPDATE: The title is ‘Metamorphic Dilatation’ (the process of changing and expanding)

Albums that I listened to in the Making of This:

Rubber Soul

Magical Mystery Tour

Abbey Road

Sgt. Pepper

Help!

Revolver

My husband told me that it’s John’s birthday soon (9 October)…so,

‘Happy Birthday, John’ — missed but never forgotten, your music lives on in all of us!

What Radiohead Looks Like Through The End of My Brush

Rock Art Series — The Beatles

Rock Art Series — The Beatles

Posted on September 18, 2012 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

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!

The Grand Band Reveal is Today!

Posted on July 17, 2012 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

The Shortlist of Muso’s to Make the Grade

I launched my new idea for an art collection last week, please read it here to recap.

The bands and musicians that I am going to explore auditorily and interpret visually on canvas are (in order of my being introduced to their music):

David Bowie
Queen
Pink Floyd
The Beatles
Skunk Anansie
Radiohead
Rufus Wainwright
Templeton
Muse
Jeff Buckley

Ha! And there you have it…I will be embarking on the first painting of this series this week and, with a bit of cosmic luck, may have something to blog about next week.

Proceedings…

I am not going to pressure myself to paint in this order — I am basically going to work it on my mood and who I feel like listening to at that given time. Make sense? No? Well, that’s fine!

Wish me luck as I have no idea how this is going to turn out 🙂

Click here to see the next stage…

Who are your favourite musicians of all time? Come on, list at LEAST 3 bands you could never do without. Let them feel the love.

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

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

Coming Out of a Black Hole and Having Revelations

Yeah, the global energy of late has been intense. Making us all bunker down for some quiet time, and if not, forcing you to cease and desist.

Have you been lacking inspiration, creativity or get up and go? Well, I have.

These last few weeks since I returned from Egypt have been damn right frustrating. I’ve lost my pluck, mojo and anything else you want to call it.

I’ve picked up the paintbrushes and seem to be trying to repeat old patterns in creativity that just don’t work for me anymore.

“It could be realism, abstract, impressionism, crapism or bullshitism…who knows? We’ll just have to wait and see.”

But this weekend I had a revelation…

Who The Hell Am I?

Yes, that old humdinger. What can I truly offer the world that is unique and not only that, stay completely in alignment with who I am?

Not easy and a question I am not alone in having to come up with an answer to — this seems to be the common thread or million dollar question among most people this year, if not this lifetime!

I Am…

I sat down to have some quiet time to reflect and saw a storyboard of everything I have done since I left school. I know that I am intrinsically an artist, musician and a writer and I have tried to merge the 3 in this website but something still hasn’t clicked into place. In a nutshell, it went like this:

Above (Photo of our band The Bends taken in 2001)

The Younger Years — Left school and played bass in 2 rock bands. Last band (The Bends — you guessed it, we were all Radiohead fans…yeah yeah) recorded 2 albums and got some radio play. After the music scene cooled off and my weariness set in I up and left for the UK. Photo (right) — in Paris Studio recording our 2nd album.

Travel Bug — In the UK I started painting again. Got back home, 3 years later, and started painting full-time.

Above — In the UK, at the famous ‘Abbey Road’ crossing, London

Divine Revelations and Ants in my Pants — Started feeling ‘pushed’ to write my book ‘Divine You’ in 2010 and did so, focusing all my energy and attention into getting it published and promoting and blogging, etc.

Footnote — Here I am, having come full circle with all 3 of my major interests but I feel like I need to break free from the confines of every single one of them. I need to fuse them into a trinity of talents that will truly showcase the uniqueness of my being.

New Realizations:

I am a rock chick, a philosopher, a creative, a free spirit, a wanderer, a listener, an adventurer, a seeker, a trailblazer…so what am I trailblazing?

” I am more than the ceiling limit I have built over my head.”

I feel like at the moment I am trying to conform to the standards of any other self-empowerment writer (who just happens to paint and compose on the side). No, this is not working for me. I am more than the ceiling limit I have built over my head.

Major Refurbishing

I am going to be blowing through the ceiling.

My first adventure, that incorporates all 3 of my pursuits, will be to do a series of 10 paintings to my favourite bands or musicians from the dawn of my time here on Earth.

A little background: I love to turn on the stereo in the morning and blast out my favourite music much to my husbands annoyance. It just happens to usually be quite loud and obnoxious music for this time of the morning. However the upside is that this ensures that the car gets washed, or that the lawn is mown (husband seeking refuge outside of the domain).

“I want to be activated into action first thing in the morning — and this plus a cup of coffee seems to do the trick.”

There is nothing like a bit of Airbag by Radiohead to get the blood flowing after a long nights sleep or head-banging your way to the bathroom to get cleaned up to Hysteria by Muse. Who can’t be put into a good mood when you are listening to Queen’s I Want to Break Free? Or even better, David Bowie belting out ‘Drive in Saturday’?

Yes, I know, I am a bit odd. This is probably not the best morning music soiree (I am told this is strictly night-time music) but I simply can’t wait for night-time to arrive, I want to be activated into action first thing in the morning — and this plus a cup of coffee seems to do the trick.

So Where is This Heading? Get On With It, Girl!

Okay, okay…I love rock. Yes, oh yes. So I have selected 10 bands to do 10 painting to. I want to see what comes out whilst listening to their music. I hope this experiment will be a visual feast and have no preconceived ideas of how any of it will turn out. All I can guarantee is that I am going to have fun in the process and do whatever comes to me in the moment that I set aside to paint.

It could be realism, abstract, impressionism, crapism or bullshitism…who knows? We’ll just have to wait and see.

I will be blogging (obviously) about each artwork and the process (so watch out for Tuesdays art blog). And will reveal the top 10 bands/musicians that have been the greatest influence in my life in next Tuesdays blog.

So in the words of the famous Monty Python…”and now for something completely different”. Bring it on!

READ THE GRAND BAND REVEAL HERE

Note to self: Need to add new word invented in this blog to Wikipedia — ‘crapism’. Needs no definition either, self-explanatory. Bullshitism seems to be a valid word because my spell check didn’t pick it up.

Share Your Insights:

What are you struggling with?

Do you have yourself all sussed out or are you still in flux about who you really are?

Do you think it is important to align yourself with your core essence or do you think that is just a bunch of crap?

Templeton | Headspace | CD Baby

Posted on June 5, 2012 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

Templeton | Headspace | CD Baby.

This absolutely amazing sci-fi based ambient rock album is a must hear!

I did the artwork for the album and will be blogging about it in next Tuesday’s art blog, so watch out for that.

I will be revealing the inner cover, song lyrics and back cover art as well as the CD artwork.

Be sure to tune in next week by clicking the ‘follow this blog’ button in the right sidebar.

Got It — Inner Art Expressed!

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

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:

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.
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).
Bach. I played my Bach CD on repeat until I was finished with the painting. So it is infused with sacred, cosmic sound.
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.

Are You a Celebrity Hypocrite?

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

This is a touchy subject but one that I would like to ‘vent’ about.

We live in a society that is celebrity mad. A celebrity dies and there are endless Facebook comments and twitter feeds sending out condolences. I do not mind this in the least if it were not so fake.

Some people use it to ‘jump on the bandwagon’ of whats ‘trending’ on social networks, some people do it because they are genuinely shocked that a celebrity can actually die (Are they really mere mortals?!?) and some were genuine fans and are sad at the passing.

The latter is most understandable as I would also feel a great loss if, say for instance, David Bowie had to pass. I have loved his music since I was a child and I would be a little sad.

Roll out the Merchandise

And doesn’t it make you sick, when days after their passing, all the commemorative merchandise starts hitting the stores! This is a society gone mad. I know only too well how the art industry works in a similar vein. Die and you are an instant millionare…bizarre!

“We ‘loved’ this person. Really? Then why were you not tweeting about them every day…”

However, most of these celebrities were never talked about when they were alive, with exception to when they were in their ‘hay day’. They slip out of the limelight and into obscurity and when the die…well, only then is there an outcry! Oh my. We ‘loved’ this person. Really? Then why were you not tweeting about them every day or at least once a year?

Do you really feel a loss or are you being swept up in the media ‘hype’? Has this really changed your life?

The Sad Reality

Now what I really want to get to is this. Statistically, 150 000 people die every day.

Wow!

There are people dying every day in the uprisings in countries like Syria and various conflicts all over the world — men, women and children alike. We don’t see much memorial tributes on our feed to this problem, do we?

What makes us so numb to our brothers and sisters all over the world that lose their lives daily, some needlessly?

Why are we only ‘called into action’ when a celebrity dies?

Do we feel we know this person?

Is it shocking because we think they are untouchable or somehow, immortal?

Is it that too many people die daily and they are mere statistics to us?

It is sad.

Well Wishing for the World

I believe that all the well wishes that go out to celebrity families are wonderful because the collective sorrow, or group consciousness, will be very strong and these families and loved ones, of the person who has passed, will no doubt feel the love and compassion on a grand scale.

“I wish we could have a death of this distorted thing called ‘celebrity’ — can you imagine a world without it? “

I only wish that we could practice this for every soul on the planet, not only the ones who appear on TV or in the tabloids. You may not know them by name or face but when you feel the need to dish out condolences, try to remember all the people out their grieving and try to also bless them with your love and compassion.

I wish we could have a death of this distorted thing called ‘celebrity’ — can you imagine a world without it? If we could just appreciate actors, musicians, etc for what they do and not what their status is? I’m sure most of the celebrities would love it — having the freedom to live their lives without being bombarded by paparazzi.

Can you imagine a world where Justin Bieber can go to his local cinema with a bunch of friends and perhaps just be a normal teenager who likes to sing? Or Lady Gaga can get a cup of coffee at Starbucks without wearing shades? Oh well, maybe one day.

Food for thought, isn’t it? Please feel free to share your views on this. How many of you would prefer a celebrity-free world?

Photo credit: Red Carpet by Salvatore Vuono