When art has a mind of its own

A few days ago I wanted to play in my artjournal and this time I felt like making something abstract: no pretty faces or flowers or even a jumping dolphin. I just wanted to get  some colors on the page and maybe add few marks. Everything about this page would be playful and intuitive. So I started to paint with hues of red, yellow, orange and brown.  

After the first few layers had dried, I noticed the shape of a cloak behind a tree and immediately all my intentions with this page where gone, like dust in the wind. The painting took my hand and guided me into a darkening autumnal forest where a little girl and her dolly came across  a cloaked woman with a lantern in her hand. .. I added some oil pastels to enhance the shapes which were eager to be found.

Then the only thing to do was to add some details and this is the final result:

Although I really enjoyed working on this page, the next one might be an abstract. But then again nothing is certain when you start playing in your  artjournal

My artjournal page is done!

The Magicians from last Monday got some help from three Queen of Wands yesterday to persuade me to finish my artjournal page. I was inspired to create this page by a free workshop,“Art Journal Wisdom” from Connie Solera over at Dirty Footprints studio

On day three, “ Get It Out, Get It Down”  she invites you to write down everything what prevents you to create; your fears, your not being good enough and not having time enough; just write it down anything that comes to mind.

Then tear it up in little unreadable pieces and paste it on the page and paint over it. Use it as an extra layer in your art work. And so I did. I hid my fears under thick layers of earthy colors: good riddance! But to my surprise they’ve found a way out. In the distance a Vulcano is  erupting fire and brimstone. Apparently Fear of Failure can’t be suppressed and neither can any other emotion. So the woman is sitting there quietly and watching everything the volcano spits out, acknowledging every piece of fire and lava as parts of herself.

After the layers of paint I stopped working on it, not knowing what to do next but I was certain it wasn’t  finished yet. Today I created a final layer of oil pastel to enhance the shapes and colors of the painting. And now it is done!

My Painting of Mother Mary and her Child

As some of you might already know, lately I have been working a lot with the Mother Mary Oracle by Alan Fairchild and this has inspired me to create my own rendition of Mary with several different media. Her presence in my life has opened the door again to connect to the Divine Feminine. For me she is a very familiar representation of the Mother of all things. She is gentle and loving and her being a mother, I suspect her to be strong and protective too. The Mother Mary oracle highlights so many more different aspects of her, which I am very eager to explore.

During my shadow work in October I’ve come to embrace the creative fire of my inner Knight of Wands and this has resulted in picking up a large canvas and painting Mother Mary and her Child. It took me quite some time to finish it because when you create something, fear is always looking over your shoulder…

(inspired by peggy apl seeds) 

My Painting of the Femine

Yesterday I've finished my painting of the Feminine. I was inspired to make this painting by Connie Hozvicka from  Dirty footprints Studio. She promotes an intuitive way of painting called Fearless Painting®

First I will show you a few pictures from the painting process, so keep scrolling for the finished painting. The painting is made with acrylic paint and oil pastel.

Note how I've turned the painting. I originally was going for a landscape with mountains in the shape of a woman. It literally “turned” out differently 

And here she is; my rendition of the Feminine. Now she has a face! And again M has made this beautiful picture with her camera!

My Painting – Reclaiming freedom!

Today I would like to share my painting with you. It is quite different than what you expect from me. Because of that it is rather daunting for me to make this post. But since the process of making this painting has given me so much pleasure and an enormous sense of freedom I  decided to take this last hurdle too.

I've started out with a simple line drawing without thinking beforehand what I wanted to draw. Because the large shapes did remind me of monsters, the last thing I did was drawing the eyes.

From there on it was a playful experience with paint, palette knifes and brushes. Is the painting finished? I don’t know. Perhaps in a few days I will add another layer. Or I might start a new one. Or I'll paint a few simultaneously. Everything goes, everything is allowed! Isn't that amazing! 

(Ps Sorry for so many pictures but otherwise I wasn't able to convey the process properly.)

Six of Cups: Closing the Gap

Druidcraft Tarot

A while ago I received a comment from Prince Lenormand about my creative blocks, in which he had added a link to the Six of Cups from the Druidcraft tarot. That card really hit the mark because it felt if I was torn between parts of myself and not being able to connect them: The man is inside the house, looking outside longing for the time when he was young and everything was still simple.The children are playing outside and having fun together. The only thing I could do was to go upstairs to my room and pick up my paint, some scraps of paper and make a mark  I was inspired to try this by a post from Sharon form the Wishing tree. 

It felt so good and it was much more easy than I had expected. I used to do a lot of Art journaling and what I have made this time is quite similar: I've started with pasting pieces of paper on a white sheet, added some paint en crayon and  I printed out some sentences I had written and the children from the Six of Cups. It is funny but after I had finished the collage bit, I noticed the gap between the two parts. And there and then I decided to use that as the theme for this Art journal page.

Bridging the gap between me and myself

In the end

We're not that different at all

Meeting at the playground of my mind

Where the gap between fantasy and reality is closed.

This was a careful start. I am not there yet, but I know now I am still able to create something. This wasn't about the result but merely about me humming, singing and playing without fear. I would like to thank everybody for their kind and encouraging words. They have meant so much to me.

Hugs Ellen