Following the Moon: Wake Up

Esperance, Drozda, canvas tapestry, 72x54", 2010
Esperance, Drozda, canvas tapestry, 72×54″, 2010

 

Welcome to ‘Following the Moon’. The ‘Purity’ Moon cycle begins Tuesday, February 21. 

Today, February 20, is  the last day of the Balsamic Renewal Phase.  Dream of being awake!

My wandering friend Sara sent along this beautiful reminder to wake up on this day:

February 20

Maha shivratri is the day when shiv tattva touches the ground.
The consciousness (ethereal world) is 10 inches above the surface. On this day, it touches the Earth element. It is very useful for people to keep awake and meditate. This helps in fulfillment of desires….

It helps you grow stronger in your being.
It is like a new year for a sadhak (seeker).
The night on this day, when the constellations are in a particular position, it is auspicious. It is considered an auspicious moment for a spiritual aspirant.

It is the wedding of the spiritual and material world.

Ratri: That which comes you comfort is Ratri.
That which takes you from the issue to the solution is ratri. Ratri means night. It removes 3 types of discomfort.

Shivratri gives you comfort and confidence that the Divine is with you and He/she is your valentine.

Ask yourself what really, really, really works and reassure yourself in the areas that feel like a fit. As you come closer to the Equinox of March 20 sense that there is a shift taking place. Energy is beginning to move at a quickening pace.

The Crescent Phase of this ‘Purity’ Moon cycle begins Saturday, February 25, and extends through Monday, February 27. During the Crescent Phase you can instinctively nurture your Purity vision. Feel the strength required to push into the ground of your being as though you can root into the earth. Stretch into the light and ask questions to learn what is waiting for your pardon. During the Purity cycle we can forgive the world.

                                                                                                     

I send along  special heartfelt  thanks to Ursuline College and Tri-C College for including me as Guest Artist, Keynote Speaker: ‘Planting Seeds/Harvesting Health’ and Workshop Presenter: ‘Making Life the Master Peace’  at ‘The Art of Mental Health and Wellness’  the 12th annual Art & Healing Exhibition at Tri-C Gallery East, Cleveland, Ohio.

Thank you Mary Sender, Amy Jacobs and all of your staff.  Thank you gallery curator Roy Bigler. You all created a smooth and effortless ease that surround every aspect of a delightful experience. Thanks to all who attended the lively opening talk and the amazingly jazzed workshop…what a fabulous day!

If you, Dear Readers, are in the Cleveland area I invite you to stop in at Gallery East through March to savor the creative works of many who understand the power of creative healing. The exhibit is sponsored collaboratively by the Tri-C Creative Arts/Pre-Art Therapy Department, the Ursuline College Art Therapy & Counseling Department and Tri-C Gallery East, with support from The Buckeye Art Therapy Association.

                                                                                               

See you next Monday for the First Quarter ‘Purity’ Moon

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Following the Moon: Who Now?

 

The Full Renewal Moon, Drozda, 2012

The Full Renewal Moon, Drozda, 2012

Welcome to ‘Following the Moon’. We began the ‘Renewal’ Moon cycle on January 23. I hope that you’re finding the pace and the purpose of your Art/Life gathering momentum in a way that feels stable and grounded for you. The whole idea of taking this time within the Mystery is to discover the tempo that feels most natural for your Art/Life so that you are well aware of the rhythm that feels healthiest for you.

Monday, February 6 is the last day of the Gibbous Phase. The three days of the Gibbous Phase provide a level of energy that’s best for: create, create, create! Create in conjunction with what it is you’re attempting to renew.  

Fishin', Drozda, detail, 2008

Fishin', Drozda, detail, 2008

The Full Phase of this ‘Renewal’ Moon cycle begins Tuesday, in the late afternoon, and extends through Friday, February 10. At the Full Moon each month cyber friend Dr. Lilan Laishley shares her beautifully designed monthly Full Moon Newsletter. Here’s an excerpt from the current issue:

During this Full Moon we continue to work with the creative and innovative energy available during this Year of the Dragon. Dragon combines the visible actions of a bold innovator with the invisible essence of a spiritual mystic. Bold innovation and spiritual mysticism seem like two very different qualities, and our job this month is to figure out how to bring them together in ourselves. Fortunately we have a Full Moon in Leo (bold!) and Neptune in Pisces (mystic!) to help us out.  As I contemplate this Moon I have come to believe that only actions infused with spirituality will create the changes we need in this world. Fortunately for us, these qualities are as close as our own heads and hearts.

 The Full Moon is when we take the time each month to reflect and catch a glimpse of our brilliance. Pause and review.  What is it you choose to Renew? This very lively place in the Winter/Spring quadrant of The Mystery is a natural ‘intention setting’ zone.

This is clearly one of my favorite times of year. My birthday falls during the Renewal Cycle on Feb. 15. I’m reminded often in my Art/Life that my passion is to Renew, to keep things fresh, to affect the quality of the day as the highest of arts and to learn from the challenge point on the opposite side of the Natural Wheel: August/Trust.

‘Renewal’ energy abounds.

You might ask, ‘What in my Art/Life could benefit from a bit of revitalization, replenishment, rekindling, repair, restoration or… simple change? Where do I feel  resistance taking place?

All year we are being given the opportunity to change. On Saturday, February 11, just after midnight (EST) open the door to sharing what you are choosing to Renew.

In my investigation on ways to feel renewed I came upon this gift.

What a perfect time of year for breaking up patterns of rigidity. Ice is hard yet it’s water just the same.

Wren House Cove, Drozda

Wren House Cove, Drozda

Thaw some aspect of the Art/Life in preparation for movement as the Equinox brings you closer to giving birth to your balanced and stable 2012 Art/Life focus.

See you next Monday, February13 during the Dessiminating Phase…what part of your Renewal will you be willing to share?

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Read the complete 2012 Lifecycle Forecast and email me for the gift that’s offered…it will provide individual focus for you.

 

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Following the Moon: Renew You

Happy Year of the Black Water Dragon…Monday, January 23 through Thursday, January 26 brings us the New ‘Renewal’ Moon.

At the New Phase of each Moon/month the opportunity presents us with a lovely three days for creating a vision.  The Lunar New Year brings its gifts of the Dragon…this is a benevolent creature of imagination…what a fine time to just imagine what’s possible.

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Girl, Drozda, watercolor/Arches

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Girl, Drozda, watercolor/Arches

What calls out for Renewal in your Art/Life?

You can look deep inside….there’s still plenty of quiet time.  What do you discover that’s needing to be refreshed?

At the New Moon you’re standing at the Eastern most point on your Moon/month circle. This is where we meet the dawn, it’s the beginning. Take a moment to gaze out and imagine the four weeks ahead…naturally there is so much coming to meet you….what do you attract? What are you calling in?

The New Moon is that classic space in which you hold the vision of the ‘art of the start’. Feel inspired by the not yet experienced, there is adventure ahead. It’s the time to embrace the active emotion that can propel you toward your passion. It’s time to visualize the emergence of new levels of strength and clarity foryour beauty filled Art/Life.
It’s a powerful dedication…being  filled with inspiration as the Equinox approaches…the chant might be…’something wonderful is emerging, something wonderful is on its way’.

On Thursday, January 26, evening (EST), the phase shifts to the Crescent.  The Crescent Phase suggests a time of struggle. Positive pushing. A kind of tension that I use  for research. You may decide to put on the brakes a bit and channel any tendency to move too fast. We’re still within the MYSTERY Quadrant until March 22. Each Moon/Month during the Crescent Phase you can dig in and ground your vision knowing you have 3.5 weeks to focus upon its healthy growth.

A Deep Hunger, Drozda, Mixed Media/board
A Deep Hunger, Drozda, Mixed Media/board
 
Hold a vision and give it roots as you consider the ‘Renewal possibility’ coming to meet you. Stay focused. Practice investigative thinking, examine what it is you’re renewing in your Art/Life, explore your options and delve into study. Make inquiries.Ask for the Inner Guidance to show you evidence of what needs to be replenished, restocked, readied for your next big step forward in 8 weeks.The Moon/Month that encompasses February brings your yearly opportunity to devote 29.6 days to rejuvenation and a new Art/Life chapter…. what might you open up to?We remain in the Mystery zone…snuggle up and stay close to your dreams. Cozy in, wear your pajamas and sip tea as you imagine what is coming to be renewed in your Art/Life. Rest…the pace is quickening…keep the balance.
Thanks to all who joined the new AHA’s Ages & Stages eStudio…
…The New ‘Renewal’ moon has begun and the ‘AGES & STAGES’ eStudio doors are open.

I look forward to seeing you next Monday, January 30 for the First Quarter Renewal Moon…what action are you going to be ready to take?

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Read the full 2012 Lifecycle Forecast and connect with the energy opportunity of the Natural Year ahead.

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Following the Moon: Refining Tradition

Day (detail), Drozda, mixed/canvas

Day (detail), Drozda, mixed/canvas

Monday, January 16 through Thursday, January 19 brings us to the 3rd Quarter ‘Cleansing’ Moon.  At the 3rd Quarter Phase of each Moon/month the opportunity presents us with a lovely three days for giving grateful thanks.

You can take a deep soothing breath. You can refine this into a tradition.

At 3rd Quarter you’re standing at the top most point on your Moon/month circle. Take a moment to gaze out absorbing the lay of the last three weeks terrain and count the blessings.

The 3rd Quarter is that classic space in which you can realign. Feel washed over by the wisdom gathered and guidance received. It’s the time to embrace the Instinctive You. It’s time to be grateful to yourself for all the ways in which you have wisely chosen to invest in your Art/Life.

Be filled with gratitude for the wealth given to you to share within  your world.

On Thursday, January 19, mid afternoon (EST), the phase shifts to the Balsamic. The Balsamic Phase brings us to the transformation zone deep within the MYSTERY Quadrant. Each Moon/Month during the Balsamic you can set aside time to dream the vision for the next cycle.

Breathe in possibility even as you’re resting. No hurry. Practice the calming of the calm. Imagine resting in utero. That’s an empowering image for the Northeast section of your yearly walk coming to this place on the Circle. Take a moment to absorb the replenishing fluids that support you as you float, suspended, in utter solitude, untouched by the world. You have come to the place of complete withdrawal, removing yourself now from the engagement of the last three weeks.

We’re almost through the first Moon of the Mystery Quadrant. At this point you’ve gained enough distance to look over your shoulder. Notice. Recognize the Inner Guidance that’s moving you intuitively forward.

Recently I listened to one of my teachers talk about the importance of taking  a “Moral Stand”. That’s a perfect way to be appreciative of the Muse of the Cleansing cycle.

Rescue (detail), Drozda, Acrylic/wood

Rescue (detail), Drozda, Acrylic/wood

She carries you now, letting you rest so that you can see how your Art/Life surrounds you with choices that enable you to clear away the time wasters and ventilate the Orenda, your deepest creative inner space.

On January 23, next Monday, Moon Day, the door opens to the Renewal Moon cycle. The February Renewal Moon is your yearly opportunity to devote 29.6 days to just that: regeneration, revitalization, rejuvenation, repair….all in preparation for rebirth at the March 22, Spring Equinox.

I look forward to exploring this next Moon/Month of the Winter/Mystery Quadrant with you as we wander and wonder into the second of three Moon/Months of winter on the Natural Calendar Wheel.

Mystery points to ambiguity, the unidentified and the secret… yet during this Renewal cycle we can lift the veil and peek into the beginning, the birthing and the vision that’s coming up and up from the deepest recesses of the emotional adventure coming to meet you in your next walk round the Natural Wheel.

Luna See

Luna See

BECOME AN AHA ADVOCATE:

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN

8 weeks: $80.00…click on the BuyNow button top side bar

I look forward to seeing you next Monday, January 23 for the New Renewal Moon….and for the  ‘Ages & Stages’ eStudio

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AHA’s ‘Ages and Stages’ eStudio REGISTRATION OPEN NOW

       

 

‘AHA’, a members only blog opens today…

Joyfully Renew YOUR Art/Life energy for 2012!

The AHA eStudio: ‘Ages & Stages’ will provide a members only blog post once each week for 8 weeks.

This AHA e-Studio combines PDF downloads and audio clips and will conclude with your having a printable reference guide for mapping out your yearly creative patterns…perpetually…the entire format is custom tailored to fit the current Age & Stage of YOUR Art/Life while giving you the tools to keep up to date as the years unfold.

This AHA eStudio is for you if you’re willing to initiate a Mind/Shift and:

~ create a vision for 2012 that’s rooted in YOUR Personal Year energy field

~ renew your focus/research skills so that you are growing YOUR best Art/Life
~ take definite action to stand in the light of YOUR Art/Life brilliance 

~ see the adventure in YOUR Art/Life challenges & obstacles

~ reflect and recommit to cultivate YOUR Art/Life vision

~ share YOUR gifts and talents in fresh organic ways

~ stay on target with growing YOUR dream Art/Life

~ spiral, moon by moon, through the year in the direction of YOUR dream Art/Life

‘Ages & Stages’ is designed to provide energy information that is specific to YOU

 

STAKE YOUR PLACE ON OUR MEMBERS ONLY BLOG…REGISTER NOW:

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Following the Moon: Nature/Nurture:You

~Welcome to the Full ‘Cleansing’ Moon~

Standing at West Gate, Drozda, Ink/Bristol Board, 9x12"

Standing at West Gate, Drozda, Ink/Bristol Board, 9x12"

Monday, January 9  through early evening (EST) Thursday, January 12 brings you the opportunity to reflect (that’s what Full Moon’s make room for) upon all that you are willing to face and release as part of  the Cleansing of your Art/Life at this time. I’d like to share with you the creative brilliance of my friend Lilan Laishley. You can Google her and sign up for her newsletter at the top of her home page. I put her link in repeatedly and for some reason it wouldn’t open. Lilan is a word artist who writes a beautifully illustrated Full Moon journal/newsletter that you may enjoying subscribing to. I know that each month I brighten when it arrives and I am ever delighted by Lilan’s gift for word-weaving the ‘above with the below’.

This, the Full Moon segment of the cycle, is an important time for nurturing yourself. The Full Moon is that classic space in which we can see our shadow and it can sometimes feel a bit spooky and disconcerting. Thta’s for good reason. It’s a marvelous time of the Moon/Month to allow yourself the time/space to claim more of who you are now. It’s a time to relate to yourself more clearly. Who you are now, in January during the Cleansing cycle is not known because you’re in the depths of the Mystery. Yet even in the ‘not knowing’ you can recognize that you are filled with treasure of  enormous value to yourself and our world.

We’re in the first Moon of the Mystery Quadrant. Each year at this time we can delve into the unseen, unknown, mystical aspects of Inner Guidance that carries and yes, even propels us like creative rockets, ever moving intuitively forward.

One of my teachers talks about the importance of being an “existential detective” and that’s a perfect term to apply to the Cleansing cycle.  Look at how life and others are presenting data that either uplifts or depletes you. Existential detective is a fitting way to frame a relationship with yourself, and others, during this time. Mystery is aligned with uncertainty. There’s a requisite trust during this 90 days of Winter that carries us deeper and deeper inward.  Each year for six fall and winter moon/months we circle back toward ‘death to the material world’ so that we can learn to calm down and turn Within.

Calming down is not an easy thing to do. Practice. Be as natural and as nurturing to yourself as possible. This is the time of year to be breathing into the depths of your beautiful valuable BEING.

Persephone's Dream, Drozda, Mixed/canvas, 6x6'

Persephone's Dream, Drozda, Mixed/canvas, 6x6'

Six months, annually, for travel to the Creative Deep Within allows for delving into the subconscious gold mine of your Art/Life. This mining activates the ‘coming out’ at Spring Equinox when you carry your Art/Life gold out to face the light of day. This yearly practice is infinitely useful. No hurry. Every year we enter a never before visited realm. Being a detective and studying the Mystery of our mining process is an exhilarating uplift. Two weeks from now you’re going to be feeling a strong pull toward ‘getting on with it’. For now…relax a bit deeper. Sense into YOUR ideas and inspirations. Begin to set an intention for the gold coming up to the surface in spring. More about that in a moment.

Thursday evening, January 12 we flow into the Disseminating Phase of the ‘Cleansing’ Moon cycle. What might it mean for you to disseminate (share) an impulse to cleanse? Hmmm. What would that look like for your Art/Life at this time? What do you have stored away that you could share? An idea? A skill or gift or talent? While in the depths of the Mystery you can invite the Golden Guides and Muses of your depth realms to show you the gold that is yours to share…and then, in some way do that before Monday, January 16 at dawn. Just offer some part of your mystical being to those you know can hear you…even if that fortunate being…who can hear you… is your precious self.

follow the moon

follow the moon

                             IT’S TIME TO BECOME AN AHA ADVOCATE:

                        January 12…this Thursday… registration opens

 

On January 24 as the New ‘Renewal’ moon begins, AHA’s for the Art/Life e-studio will open with ‘AGES & STAGES’…THE NATURAL ART OF PERSONAL ENERGY MANAGEMENT ‘Ages & Stages’ explores YOUR gold mine applying eight focused ways to deepen your Art/Life adventure. In this eStudio we will be getting personally attuned to the gifts and talents that are yours to share… in 2012…specifically. You’ll be able to place your Art/Life goal on the Natural Wheel at Spring Equinox and watch the unfolding Moon by Moon.

In this AHA eStudio the enrollment is being kept small so that we can really sink deep into YOUR gold mine bringing YOUR treasure to the surface for Spring Equinox.

This is an opportunity to experience the application of receptive/feminine time: THE NATURAL ART OF PERSONAL ENERGY MANAGEMENT as we do here at  ‘Following the Moon’, to your current age and the Art/Life stage that you’re in.

You’ll learn how to do that for yourself and then you’ll be set year after year. Our work together provides you with a perpetual way to relax your relationship with time.

‘Coming to know YOUR ‘Ages & Stages’ allows you to be bringing the best YOU have to offer to every situation, relationship, opportunity and challenge within YOUR Art/Life…this is the time YOU were made for.

Being a member of the AHA community will be a rich and enlivening… no pressure… addition to your Art/Life.

We’ll have a grand time exploring ‘Ages & Stages’ together …specifics will be coming on January 12…this Thursday as registration opens.

 

I look forward to seeing you next Monday, January 16 for the Third Quarter, Cleansing Moon.

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Following the Moon…Relaxing into the Middle Way

Hindu Flyer

Hindu Flyer

Welcome to the Cleansing Moon cycle and our first step into the New Roman Calendar Year…may it bring all that your heart desires. 

2012 will be bringing forward all that you have worked toward over the past 4 years.

My yearly article,  Lifecycle Forecast  for 2012,  is posted  and I hope that you’ll take a few minutes to check it out. It’s hefty so you may choose to bookmark it. The information is there for reminding you throughout the year that you’ve hit the balance point…this is the year of learning to walk, what in Buddhism is referred to, as the Middle Way.

Sunday, January 1 through Thursday, January 5 is a terrific period for taking all action possible to clear away the old and unusable. This is the Cleansing cycle so all manner of release and refresh is in order. We continue to move through the quietest time of the year. With Winter Solstice, on December 22, we stepped into the last quadrant of the Natural Year’s walk around the wheel.

The next three Moon/Months are all about sinking into the MYSTERY… Ahhhh…couldn’t you use some of that level of immersion in your Art/Life?

The definition of IMMERSION: the act of immersing or the state of being immersed: as a : baptism by complete submersion of the person in water b : absorbing involvement c : instruction based on extensive exposure to surroundings or conditions that are native or pertinent to the object of study.

 

 In the last few posts I’ve been sharing images of water and with the mild weather that we’ve had here at the beach it’s been easy to hang out and take advantage of all of the beautiful views that surround. It goes without saying that during the Cleansing cycle hot baths, saunas, steams of any kind and floating, whenever possible, are in order.

Since I have been ‘Following the Moon’… being a Luna-tic for 22 years now… I’ve also been experimenting that long with the keywords that represent each Moon/Month. Here’s a review of the moon by moon keywords given to our culture as a gift from Sun Bear: January=Cleansing, February=Renewal, March=Purity, April=Clarity, May=Wisdom, June=Illumination, July=Growth, August=Trust, September=Love, October=Experience, November=Introspection(death&rebirth), December=Strength.

 I’ve experienced many forms of consciously chosen techniques for Cleansings during this period of the year. I have several favorites…one of them is the Floatation Tank.

Here’s a bit of info on the technology available that allows for the most glorious sense of being held in space, cleansed of any outside stimulation:

The pleasures and perks of the modern float tank are based on a revolutionary scientific approach to deep relaxation called Restricted Environmental Stimulation Technique or R.E.S.T. for short, first developed back in 1954 by researchers at the NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health) in Washington.

During the past 20 years the remarkable effects of the float tank have been systematically studied and applied in such areas as health care, medicine, fitness training, sports science and education. Meanwhile, floating has caught on in America, Australia and, more recently, Europe and Asia as a powerfully productive and creative form of recreation in its own right.

 How does It work?

            Scientists estimate that up to 90% of the brain’s normal workload is caused by the effects of routine environmental stimulation the combined effects of gravity, temperature, touch, light and sound on the muscles, nervous system and sense organs of the body.

           The float tank screens out these external physical stimuli, creating a pure state of “sensory” relaxation. Under these unique conditions your body has a chance to restore its natural powers of self regulation, while you simply lie back and rediscover the latent abilities of a deeply relaxed mind.

            While you are floating, your ears are below the surface of the solution, cutting out external sounds. Many people, however, find that gentle ambient music accelerates and intensifies the relaxation process. The Apollo’s powerful underwater speaker system creates the feeling that you are floating in a sea of music, enhancing the rich dream-like quality of the experience.

            The temperature inside the capsule is kept at a constant 34.5 degrees Celsius – relaxed skin temperature. As a result, the nerve endings which cover the surface of the skin no longer perceive any sense of separation between the skin and the silky mineral solution which surrounds it…read more

 

As much as I have loved and gained benefit …I understand that the idea of floating in a closed, darkened tank may seem disconcerting…especially if there’s a fear of claustrophobia…

 

'In You Go', Drozda, Acrylic/wood, 2003

'In You Go', Drozda, Acrylic/wood, 2003

Yet in no time at all the sensation is one of being gently carried…and it’s possible to simply drift held by the warm water…

'Did I Dream This?', Drozda, Acrylic/wood

'Did I Dream This?', Drozda, Acrylic/wood

The darkness of the tank creates a feeling of earthy suspension and a most natural way of B E I N G

'For Amy', Drozda, Acrylic/wood

'For Amy', Drozda, Acrylic/wood

In all the experiences of floating no two are ever the same and the peace that comes is the deepest and truest. The time invested (usually an hour long session) allows a gentle cleansing of the emotions and a rebirth of the sensory…upon re-entry to the world outside the Art/Life feels fresh…the eyes see the ten thousand things fresh and anew…

'Morning Song' Drozda, Mixed/canvas

'Morning Song' Drozda, Mixed/canvas

However you choose to experience  the concept of ‘cleansing away what no longer fits’…I send you all best for this first of Moon/Month cycle’s in the Roman Calendar Year. May you find peace during this week of taking action in the direction of clearing away the old.

The Gibbous Phase extends from Thursday, January 5 until next Monday, January 9 and as Luna moves across the sky swelling into the Full Phase we’re offered the opportunity to create create create within the space that we’ve made by the cleansing.

I look forward to seeing you next Monday, January 9, at the Full Phase of the Cleansing Moon.

Much balance and peace to you in The Year of the Middle Way,

~Iona

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Enjoy the 2012 Lifecycle Forecast

 

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A Water World

River View: Dusk

River View: Dusk

It’s the Strength Moon cycle and this week the energy is offering each of us the opportunity to be as creative, in connection to our current goal, as we can allow. We’re moving toward a Lunar Eclipse at this weekend’s Full Moon…The Full Moon makes me think of the pull of the tide so here are a few more shares on the topic of water.

Palm, Kim Keever

Palm, Kim Keever

The glorious, albeit disorienting, large format photographs by Kim Keever are on exhibit at MOCA .  I’ve had the pleasure of spending time with them over the last two months and also observing how catalytic Kim’s method is for inspiring minds. My young artists in the MOCA ‘Saturday in the Studio’ arts apprentice program quickly found themselves enthralled.  This was made easy for them with a terrific hand’s on corner of the gallery. Two empty 20 gallon tanks are surrounded by baskets of many miniature landscape elements that Keever favors. With these,  tiny clamp on lights and filmy fabrics that drapes ‘like his pumped paints’ they were very happy to create their own versions of ‘tank art’ (as they coined the term).

Here’s a bit of info on Keever’s process…and a video of him working in the studio…

“New York-based Kim Keever makes photographs of bonsai-scaled landscapes assembled inside a 200-gallon tank that is filled with water and topped with paint pigment and addressed with lights and gels to create convincing effects of clouds and atmosphere. His tropical vistas, sylvan forests, and mountain views openly wear their own artifice while they also display the fine-grained complexity of the real thing. Looking at them can be an otherworldly experience. NewArtTV visits Keever at his East Village studio.”

 
 
 

Kim Keever
Kim Keever

  ”Kim Keever’s painterly, panoramic photographs represent the evolution of landscape painting—embodied by the Hudson River School, Luminism, and Romanticism. Artificially contrived by the artist, Keever meticulously constructs his dioramas in a 200-gallon water tank and then submerges them in water. Working quickly to capture the diffusion of pigments with a large-format camera, he makes photographic glimpses into a world that is both familiar and fantastic, awash in unnatural colors.”

 

I wish I knew how to add the video clip image…simply not my strength today ‘-( …so I’m doing it this way… please enjoy this wonderfully endearing water tale: Bottle

  

 

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Gratitude for Water

 

my path down to the water

my path down to the water

“Water, whether still or in motion, has so great an attraction for the lover of nature, that the most beautiful landscape seems scarcely complete without it. There are no effects so fascinating as those produced by the reflexions in nature’s living mirror, with their delicacy of form, ever fleeting and changing, and their subtle combinations of colour.”

 
- Montagu Pollock – Light and Water: A Study of Reflexion and Colour in River, Lake and Sea, 1903 -

 

heading  into the cove
heading into the cove

 

heading  into the cove

heading into the cove

hooded mergansers in the cove

hooded mergansers in the cove

heading out into the open water…

Messing around in my boat

Messing around in my boat

It’s been a magnificent week of being on and near the water…

Messing around in my boat

Messing around in my boat

messing around in my boat

messing around in my boat

messing around in my boat

messing around in my boat

 

Coming back home… 

coming back into the cove

coming back into the cove

and later in the day…walking along the East Coast at sunset…

walking at the edge of the continent

walking at the edge of the continent

walking at the edge of the continent

walking at the edge of the continent

walking at the edge of the continent

walking at the edge of the continent

walking at the edge of the continent

walking at the edge of the continent

walking at the edge of the continent

walking at the edge of the continent

walking at the edge of the continent

walking at the edge of the continent

walking at the edge of the continent

walking at the edge of the continent

It’s the ‘Strength’ Moon cycle and a time to turn toward what it is and how it is that you find the strength to move forward in your Art/Life.

In this week ahead the call is toward attending to any research and moving to take a quiet action to connect to that opportunity.

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Media Blend & Contemporary Retablo

Media Blend at MOCA

Media Blend at MOCA

 “If the only prayer you ever say in your whole life is “thank you”, that would suffice.” Meister Eckhart

 My catalog blurb reads something like this…

Media Blend: Step outside the box and find new ways of seeing. Sticking with the tried and true can also be stiff and stagnant. Discover exciting combinations of materials… express… make handmade prints, stamps, stencils … experiment with a wide variety of mediums…unsettle and surprise yourself.  Each session builds on the last: experiment with ideas in deeper, more personally relevant ways and unleash an invigorating style…of your own.

Here’s a sampling…

Media Blend a MOCA

Media Blend a MOCA

 Your inspiration may be a gift…

Media Blend at MOCA

Media Blend at MOCA

It may arrive through a poem…

Media Blend at MOCA

Media Blend at MOCA

your impulse may rise up through a deeply personal story…

Media Blend at MOCA

Media Blend at MOCA

 or you may be following a dream…

or mourning a loss…

Media Blend at MOCA

Media Blend at MOCA

I respect and appreciate that my studio participants are open to what will unfold…they lean into the exploration that comes from their own courage…and they also open heart and mind to a new freshness.  Many who walk through the door  ‘never make art’  or ‘haven’t made art in a very long time’…many simply want to see what can happen with the blending of materials in ways they wouldn’t have personally expected.  Many have always been artists…like we all are in our own way…and in our changing ways. Many shy away from the ‘art’ idea yet feel the magnetic pull to see what may appear.

Media Blend at MOCA

Media Blend at MOCA

 For some a healing is occurring…

Media Blend at MOCA

Media Blend at MOCA

for others an ending is in view…

Media Blend at MOCA

Media Blend at MOCA

 Some may be borrowing from what has gone before…

Media Blend at MOCA

Media Blend at MOCA

 Or recognizing  where the music got stopped…

Media Blend at MOCA

Media Blend at MOCA

There may be a birthing…

Media Blend at MOCA

Media Blend at MOCA

 There may be a torment…

Media Blend at MOCA

Media Blend at MOCA

 personal yet universal…

Media Blend at MOCA

Media Blend at MOCA

Media Blend at MOCA

Media Blend at MOCA

Media Blend at MOCA

Media Blend at MOCA

 There may be Ancestors to acknowledge…

Media Blend at MOCA

Media Blend at MOCA

 strengths to claim…

Media Blend at MOCA

Media Blend at MOCA

 new ways to grow…

Media Blend at MOCA

Media Blend at MOCA

And many ways to Shine the Divine…

Media Blend at MOCA

Media Blend at MOCA

At this lovely time of Thanksgiving…

I’m giving thanks for the grand mix of Creatives who come through my door of the Media Blend and Contemporary Retablo studios at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art  delighting , enthusing, enjoying, discovering, inspiring… semester after semester…  going places new and different… giving the soul another layer to its whispering voice… with a blend of media and a willingness to make meaning.

Thank you all.

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