Spiritual Evolution of the Bean

She Continues to Grow Part 9: Installed In Her New Home!

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:00:00 +0000

In February of 2012, I created my largest piece of art to date, 5 1/2 feet tall by 9 feet wide,

"She Continues to Grow" would be on display for my first featured artist exhibit at The Banana Factory in March of 2012 with it's official First Friday opening on March 3rd, 2012.

To roll things back a bit, on Memorial Day in 2010, a woman named Heather Rodale attended my workshop: "Mandala: An Artful Meditation." What I didn't know at that time, was that she had recently been battling with intermediate melanoma - a disease that is never really "cured." She has most generously credited that afternoon as providing inspiration for creating her own three dimensional mandalas and to quote Heather: "My healing journey became an exciting adventure where I found endless healing strategies through expressive arts. While I did not have control over cancer, I did have control over the art I created or my interactions with art and music."

Heather purchased my mural on the opening night of my exhibit and it would be over a year until I would see it again... Her intention was for it to be installed into a new healing arts facility that she was building.

Heather is the founder of Healing Through The Arts "The techniques and ideas I found so valuable in helping me heal, did not exist in one place. I could not stop dreaming about an organization like Healing Through The Arts...The more I learned about the connection between art and health, the more passionate I became in helping others see it as a source for their healing too. Through changes and transitions of life, Healing Through The Arts can provide inspiration for a lifetime of healing."

I would first visit the new HTTA facility (an in-progress renovation of an old farmhouse) in April when I was invited to be one of the judges for their annual Hope and Healing Juried Art Show. With over 120 entries created by local high school students all carrying the message of hope and healing, it wasn't easy to select the winners.

This was the space where the mural would hang - they had to build a larger wall to accommodate it. Heather unrolled my mural to show the group and it was quite an emotional moment for me to see her again.

On April 29th I was invited back to the facility for a very special event when John Toya, a Jemez Pueblo artist and close friend of the Rodale family would be performing a special blessing in his native language to honor the space. It brought tears to my eyes when he said that everyone in attendance would not only receive this blessing but that everyone we will *ever* know - family and friends, will be receiving it as well.

Housed in the main entrance of the facility, I'm pretty much speechless.

Every bit of effort that went into this piece as well as all of those that have come before and after is worth it. All of the emotion, stress, physical discomfort, confusion... I do not have children, and so my art, writing and teaching is my legacy. With much love and thanks to Heather, a courageous warrior spirit if I've ever met one, She Continues to Grow.

Would you like to make a donation to HTTA? Healing Through The Arts is a 501 (c)(3) and your tax-deductible donation provides those in need with information and resources for healing through the arts. Funds also support the Hope and Healing Juried Art Show and Competition for high school students. This annual event promotes the connection between art and healing and acquires an art collection for placement in patient’s hospital rooms to inspire hope and healing from the beginning of care. It also recognizes the talents of students who give to their community through this effort.

You can view the creation of this piece from start to finish on Flickr.

She Continues to Grow Part 9: Installed In Her New Home!
She Continues to Grow Part 8: She Sells and I Let Go

She Continues to Grow Part 7: Pushing it Further towards The End

She Continues to Grow Part 6: The Process as a Whole

She Continues to Grow Part 5: Heather comes to Visit and I Let Go

She Continues to Grow Part 4: Little Details and the Background

She Continues to Grow Part 3: The Painting Begins

She Continues to Grow Part 2 The 90 Minute Sketch

She Continues to Grow Part 1: The Beginning

She is (I AM) Light Part 18: First Friday Comes, and Goes...

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:31:00 +0000

06/07 First Friday and it's supposed to rain all day… I have no energy left. I get to the BF around 5 and all I have to do is hang the artist statement/price signs for my exhibit. I am anxious... I NEVER like to push time but I honestly want the night to be over before it even starts. As I hang the signs, one of the other BF artists comes up to me and after complimenting my work, suggests that I should have shown more of the process of my creating it. (Which WAS part of my original plan) I tried to explain that I'd taken hundreds of photographs and written over a dozen blog posts... I could have created a larger physical exhibit with the prototypes and prints from along the way, but I could only do so much. The documentation exists. If she doesn't sell during my featured month, I can always do a larger exhibit at another location.

I've done SO MUCH up to this point but I'm still pissed that I didn't do more. I didn't get the chance to work on The Six as much as I would have liked - I wanted to tell their backstory - they were going to have names after the helpful guardians in my life.

It's hot in my studio and downstairs in the entrance to the Banana Factory as well. The lobby is crowded with tables and a vendor is offering free food samples. Standing along the wall, I have sweat rolling down my back. I do my best to interact with anyone who stops to look at my work. Friends come through the door and it makes me very happy. Nan, who is about to have both her knees replaced, hobbles in on a cane and it makes me want to cry. My good friend Deb shows up with her friend Donna - the one with the amazing laughing smile which makes me forget about all the stress, if only just for a moment. A man walks through the front door and I catch his eye as he moves through the crowd. I look away, then back again. I don't know him, but he's looking at me. He walks up to me and it dawns on me that this is someone I (barely) new in JUNIOR HIGH that I became Facebook friends with in 2008. I had not seen, nor spoken to him in almost 30 years. He'd been clicking the "maybe" button on every event I'd posted in the last 5 years and tonight was the night he finally showed up. (All this time I though he was just being nice) This for some crazy reason, really touched me. I'm guessing it has something to do with my self confidence because deep inside, I am still the amazingly awkward little girl I was in 7th grade who was constantly ridiculed, threatened, shoved, books knocked from her hands while walking home… All I really remember about Scott was that he was nice to me, unlike the other boy who spit fruit salad in my face because I was "annoying" him.

I won't lie, it feels pretty darn good when people from your past show up to see where you are now. I think in some strange way, it allows for healing to take place. (It *definitely* allows for healing to take place.)

Many more friends came to see my exhibit that night but I expect it might have been better had it not been raining all day and all night - though with my energy so low, I'm not sure I could have handled much more so in my eyes, it was perfect. (I also sold 5 pieces out of my studio that night!)

06/10 Sitting in my studio feeling the post big project blues...

06/11 I forget sometimes, the necessity of being gentle to myself. I can only afford to spend excessive amounts of energy when I've built up the resources to do so. I'm discovering that I am so much more a workaholic than I'll likely ever admit - often feeling guilty if I take time to do something that isn't connected to my "work."

06/12 On an emotional roller coaster. Artmaking created through heart and spirit isn't over when its over. Every step of the process connects me to my highest self yet often leaves me feeling vulnerable and alone. It is hard to look at the exhibit because it feels as though I've abandoned her.

06/14 Having completed "She is (I AM) Light", I now have a deeper understanding that to best serve both myself and the world around me, I must continue to express my creativity in a fearless manner. Knowing that these actions are guided by my highest self, I may not always understand the "why" and that's ok. I am safe in knowing that my work is being done for a greater good.

06/17 Much love and thanks to all who have taken the time to partake in this journey with me. I know "her" journey isn't over, but the story is for now.

My exhibit "She is (I AM) Light" is on display (with each piece available for purchase) in the lobby of The Banana Factory, 25 W. 3rd St in Bethlehem, PA until July 2nd. You may view the exhibit at any time the building is open to the public. M-F 8am-9:30pm Sat/Sun 8:30am-5pm

View the Facebook Event for the ongoing exhibit here: https://www.facebook.com/events/137627039767940/

*Note that I do not keep regular studio hours but if you contact me prior to visiting, I will do my best to accommodate a private showing of the exhibit or of my work in general. It never hurts to pop upstairs to see if I'm in. (Studio #250) .

Friends both old and new show their support on First Friday.

A series of in-progress pictures of this exhibit's creation can also be found on Flickr.

She is (I AM) Light: Part 17 It's all over but the shouting, I've come to take what's mine

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 14:16:00 +0000

06/05 I arrive at my studio around 11am. I have no idea how to hang the 6 guardian pieces. I feel like I did not take them in the direction I had originally intended and I am worried that they will feel disconnected to the viewer. I think they feel disconnected to each other and I am feeling anxiety over them. Laura B. is coming to help me take the big piece down and install the whole thing downstairs.

While I am waiting for her I go over each section and color of the piece and do a final round of tweaking. I feel hyper and really on edge. Laura arrives and I ask her to see if she can come up with an order for the six. She doesn't get much farther than I did. I ask her to take some pictures of my my final day of working on the big piece.

I ask her to double check my "work" and let me know if there is anything that I am missing - that I need to tweak.

Tweaks to the black.

Golden black gesso was used as the background support and then Golden and Liquitex heavy body paints overtop. White lettering and body detail was Golden liquid acrylic. Black cracks and mantra writing in the white blocks was Liquitex black gesso which is more fluid than the Golden black gesso.

Most of the color on this piece was applied with a cheap plastic palette knife because I like the level of smooth that a knife can provide. I have metal knives but the plastic ones seem to allow me more control despite their lack of flex which would make my wrists hurt. It was only towards the end that I used various sized brushes to tweak and touch up. All of the lettering was done with small liner type brushes.

Making sure things feel balanced.

Other than black and white, I only used 6 colors on this piece. I used up three tubes of the green, one each of the blues and half a large tube of the yellow. I had contemplated using a lighter green overtop of the green but that never materialized. The Six used all the same colors with the addition of the light green on one of the six.

I'd used this funky silicone "brush" (which I'd never used before) to apply the white. Adding final tweaks in white.

When I was working on The Six Guardian pieces, I was thinking about naming one after my grandmother but I never made it to the naming stage of The Six. Interestingly, Gram showed up anyway. As I had included the RA MA DA SA SA SAY SO HUNG mantra around the outside protective later of white, I wrote it as it fit and in the one block completely unplanned, was the G from HUNG followed by RA M which looks like GRAM. :o)

I had tested several different colors of yellow prior to this one and had initially thought I'd be using a warmer yellow but this one ended up being the perfect balance between warm and cool.

I am enough!

I tell her that I keep hearing a line from the Van Halen song Mean Streets running through my head: "It's all over but the shouting, I come to take what's mine." I think it's because I know that it's all over but the signing… I don't want to stop tweaking. I put the song on and vow to stop once DLR sings the line. I am evening out the black line around the face when it comes on. I put the brush down. Now I need to just sign the piece. But I don't want to. I say that I can't see where to put it - that if I sign it in the lower right corner that it will break the flow of the green rays. I am practically throwing a temper tantrum and most definitely procrastinating. Laura suggests I try signing in different colors on a separate test piece. Good idea. I try light green - over the green, not opaque enough. I try white - too harsh. Black it is. I hem and haw, I don't want to do it. It means the end. I am not ready to let her go. Laura asks if I need her to leave the room. I say no, that she should stay, but I close the door because I am starting to choke up.

Freaking out because I can't bring myself to sign it. As much as I wanted the process to be over (because it was consuming so much of my energy) I wasn't ready to let her go. This was quite an emotional moment.

I sit down in front of her to gather my thoughts. I grab a brush and I just do it. Had Laura not been there, I still might not have signed it. And like that, "Poof!" it was done. I'd come to take what's mine.

At that point we left the studio and went to eat crepes. My sinuses have been a mess and I'm not feeling my best. I'm sure the stress of finishing this process isn't helping. I didn't just decide to paint a painting for my Featured Artist exhibit. I painted 7. I also took hundreds of "work in progress" pictures and edited them down to slightly over 200. I also wrote about the entire process for my blog and for Facebook. All of the images were edited in Lightroom and uploaded to Flickr. I wrote artist statements and bios and sent e-mail blasts and created events and advertised them on Facebook and invited thousands of friends to view the opening of my exhibit.

When we finish eating our lunch, it is time to take her down. I pull out all of the staples holding her to the wall except those at the top. This in effect, frees her and I am feeling better about letting her go. We gather all of the supplies we will need to hang her and take it all downstairs. The lobby of the Banana Factory is a busy place and it adds stress because I still don't know in what order to hang the six guardian pieces.

I staple her to the wall first and because the wall slants back towards the top, it looks a little odd. I have no choice but to get over it. I decide to use upholstery tacks to hang the six and they can't be pushed into the wall by hand and I'm all sweaty and nervous and it's hard to hold and hammer them - they are going in crooked. I hang the lower right piece first because it feels like it's the only place it can go. I get the four corner pieces hung but I can't figure out where to put the middle two. There is so much traffic in the lobby I could cry. I want this to be over with. I want someone to do it for me. I am now *furious* at the fact that I did not properly measure and cut The Six. Every one is wonky and I think it looks like a display of children's work. I am ready to pull the six down and cut them straight but since I *hate* measuring things, I envision myself making things worse instead of better. Thank god Alison showed up.

Alison Bessesdotter is a fellow BF resident artist and one of the things she does is quilting. I beg her to lend me her eye. She happily suggests I swap the middle two pieces from the way I was about to hang them and explains why. I ask if the wonky dimensions of the Six look really bad and she said no. She understood that their organic sizing was part of my process and I could have hugged her for that. The track lights need to be rearranged and there are two different kinds. Standing on top of a step stool, I can't figure out how to move them and I'm growing agitated. I finally figure out how they release and they are hot and easy and now I can't get them back into the track. Once I finally get them all lined up, Laura takes a picture of me with the exhibit and we notice something strange- you can't take a picture of her without a large glare over her head and chest. (She is (I AM) Light) It's as if she is radiating an inner light that can only be seen in a photo- a type of paranormal photography...

With the last tack in place, all I have left to do is to write and print up the artist statement/descriptions - which I had originally intended to do by hand - white ink on black paper but I realize that there just isn't anything left in me. I have no energy left. But I still have to ready the studio for Friday because Laura is going to watch it as I split my time between my studio and being down with the exhibit.

Linny Fowler looks over my shoulder with approval. Linny, who passed a way just a short time ago, was the founding artist and major benefactor to the Banana Factory. Without her generosity, I might never of had the opportunity to create art in this capacity. Thank you Linny.

Laura helps me to choose and hang new work inside and outside my studio. After she leaves for the day I paint paper with black gesso and then matte medium which I will either paint the statements on, or I will hang the statements over top of them.

Feeling apprehensive. Nervous. Unsure if the exhibit feels as connected as I'd intended. Wishing I would have painted the wall black. I did so much in less than 40 days...

I leave my studio and I go to Staples where I buy three clear plastic frames that I can potentially use to hold the statements and then mount them over the black paper. I go home and start working on the statements. I am using iDraw and I use the figure's head (mandala) as a transparent background layer behind the text and I am totally digging it. I create QR codes for people to access more info about the mantras I used in the art as well as the page where I've included all of the blog posts about the work.

06/06 I finished and hung the painting yesterday. I fiddled with it for a while, touching up this and that. No longer fearful of the I AM statements that I'd included in the DNA- but I had such a difficult time signing it. It meant letting go and it felt the same as when I finish the "Grow" piece. Like a separation was about to take place. Last year I attributed that feeling to somehow knowing in advance that it wouldn't be coming back to my studio and it feels the same way now. As much as I'd like to hang on to her. I see someone else living with that creation. And that's okay because I can always make more- if I so choose. It was so hard to sign- signing means "it's over", no matter how painful or easy the creation process. This time was different. Knowing it was my time to display again, it was in my DNA to go big again and to choose challenging subject matter. I didn't have anything come to me (which was causing me to start to panic) until the last day in April. I'm not sure I ever really acted this creatively from a vision before-I was in the shower and I seen green rays of light surrounding a figure and that's where I started. On the heels of taking my power back and gaining closure from a personal matter, I envisioned a positive a posture of letting go, of acceptance, of forgiveness. Arms spread, I saw her like the Miraculous Mary and surrounded with that green healing light. This piece would be really important to my growth because I had to continuously trust that the ideas would keep coming to me. It was never known to me how each step would progress or how it would end up. As such, I was finally immersed in the process of creation with little censoring along the way. I use the words and mantras as I desired as they are and continue to be a big part of me.

She is (I AM) Light: Part 16 Ok, now that's done... now what?

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 19:00:00 +0000

06/03 More tweaks on the figure.

Added face symbol to hands. Added Om Droom mantra to arms. I finish the white details over the light blue. (which I am really happy about.)

Added Light mantra to double helix - inside- 1st section: Om Hum So Hum 2nd section I AM statements. I write "I let go" and then paint it out and make it "I AM Letting Go" so they are all I AM statements. I get nervous about the I AM statements because they are so personal and I am worried they will be perceived in a cocky way. My intention is for them to be affirmations for all to accept.

I am not sure I like the statements or the order of them. I keep telling myself that it's fine… it's all good… 3rd section - may all be happy. I think she's done, though I am *really* not sure about the 2nd and 3rd sections.

I didn't want to come in today. I think I knew because I'd be finishing it and the end always doesn't feel so good. It's like, Ok, now that's done... now what? So much on my mind, it's like the whole thing didn't matter. (But of course it did)

Everything still needs to be signed. I need to figure out the heads up for the 6. I take all of the photographs but my tripod isn't tall enough to be able to get a good shot of the whole image.

A series of in-progress pictures of this exhibit's creation can also be found on Flickr.

She is (I AM) Light: Part 15 The Guardian Six Completed

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 02:54:00 +0000

06/01 Worked on the 5th guardian piece by painting a mosaic of squares within the red center. Sat on my porch painting like I did before I had my own studio. My husband doesn't understand why I'm paying for a studio and painting at home. Why? Because it's a beautiful day and it feels right. I find it near impossible at times to explain my creative process.

Trying to decide whether or not to paint squares with white or orange - tested with ProCreate.

I decide to go with white. I do eventually go into my studio - more tweaks on the large piece.

Back at home I start the 6th piece while sitting on the floor of the little bedroom and it is extremely awkward to balance the large drawing board that I am painting on. I like the quiet and solitude of painting at home but as our house is so small, I've never really had any good working spaces there. Hence the big studio. I work on this piece listening to Byron Metcalf's "Helpers Guides and Allies" because that's just what they were meant to represent. I am not at all happy as the piece unfolds. I am extremely tired and my hand doesn't feel steady. I feel like I should be better at this by now. I am feeling a great deal of emotion. I tell myself that if I really don't like it that I can paint over it but I know that I won't because this isn't supposed to be about making something pretty. I'm supposed to be "going back to my roots" and creating in an unedited way. I have to push on and keep trusting that it will work out as it is supposed to. As the eyes and birds reveal themselves I start to feel a little relief. I know that I will come back this piece and work over the black with white paint and it will all work out. I think to myself the way my most honest pieces seem to get the most attention and I wonder if that will be the case with this one of the six.

06/02 I sit down on the floor to start adding the white over the black. Listening to Byron Metcalf's Shaman's Heart and my husband interrupts me. We argue. I feel like he doesn't understand my need for solitude when writing/making art.

I finish the piece and I'm happy that I didn't give up on it.

06/03 Finished the 6th piece, though there is no mantra on it.

I think I figured out the display order for The Six.

A series of in-progress pictures of this exhibit's creation can also be found on Flickr.

She is (I AM) Light: Part 14 The Origin of My Mantras

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 03:51:00 +0000

Drumming, mantras and mandalas; what do they have in common? Aside from each being rhythmic in nature, these are the tools that helped me to open up to limitless possibility. By using any of these methods as a focus point, we gain the ability to quiet the chatter in our minds and connect with our higher selves. Call it self-awareness or "finding yourself," the fact of the matter is that prior to my "waking up" I was dying inside a little bit more every day. I was shallow and lacked compassion, made terrible errors in judgment and felt depressed and overall disconnected from my spirit.

Drumming came first and changed everything for me because for the first time ever, I found a place where I wasn't judged for who I was, or even for the level of my abilities. It empowered me. Chanting came soon after and I was first exposed to it through my friend Jim Donovan who learned from Krishna Das. My first experiences chanting were with mantras that were non-devotional in nature - as in, they weren't prayers or salutations to any specific deity but instead, energetic phrases designed to move energy within us. (Raise our vibration.) I loved the way chanting made me feel (calm and grounded) and would over the years add new mantras which seemed to resonate with my needs.

I found that I enjoyed writing the mantras and even using them in my art and was surprised to learn that there was a specific form of devotion dedicated to this. In the book Mantras Words of Power, Swami Radha says "...Likhita Japa, in which the Mantra is written down in lines like sentences, or in shapes and forms...any design that will help reinforce your devotions."

Enter the mandalas. Over the last seven years I've created thousands upon thousands of these circular designs with their repeating patterns and on many occasions I've chanted mantras during their creation.

Even though I've always been sharing my art on the web, I see now that the actual creation of my art was much more personal and introspective in nature prior to my life at the Banana Factory and "coming out" as an artist to my local community. Having a publicly accessible art space makes it all too easy for my years of retail experience kick in and then I caught up in making art for the wrong reasons. It is all too easy to get distracted by what you think you should be doing as an artist, to what you need to be doing as an artist to satisfy the needs of your soul.

When I conceptualized"She is (I AM) Light" I was RELENTLESS with the idea that I had to do this pice first and foremost for ME. This meant making it personal again- which is why I chose to incorporate so many mantras. Everything in this piece is a part of me. All of it. Everything in it has some level of significance or else I wouldn't have included it.

Mantras, affirmations, and blessings used in "She is (I AM) Light"

Om Hum So Hum: A traditional Sanskrit mantra used to balance male and female energies.
Ra Ma Da Sa Sa Say So Hung: Tibetan healing mantra
Om Mani Padme Hum: Simplified, love is everywhere.
Om Bhoor Bhovas Suvaha Tat Savitur Varenyam Bhargo Devasaya Dhimahi Dhiyoyona Prachodayaat: The Gayatri mantra, chanted for wisdom and illumination.
Om Droom Soha Om Amrite Ayer Da De Soha: chanted to remove generational negative karma
Om Amogha Vairocana Maha Mudra Mani Padme Jvala Pravartaya Hum: Known as the Mantra of Light (I'm still working to find a simplified meaning for this mantra - I believe it's something along the lines of purification.)
Aad Guray Nameh Jugaad Guray Sat Guray Nameh Siri Guru Daveh Nameh: Gurmukhi language primarily of the Punjab region of India. A mantra of protection, typically chanted a minimum of three times. A Sikh mantra. The Mangala Charn Mantra
Happy Health Calm and Strong: A mantra I created 17 years ago (1996) to ease anxiety.
You are loved, and you are enough: A reminder of the truth, an affirmation.
May all be happy, may all be at peace, may peace prevail on earth. So be it: The Metta Prayer of Lovingkindness. I've heard it in several different forms. This was my first and still my favorite.

A series of in-progress pictures of this exhibit's creation can also be found on Flickr.

She is (I AM) Light: A Work In Progress Part 13: Putting it Into Words

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 07:00:00 +0000

I believe it is an artist's responsibility to effectively communicate their ideas which is why right now, I'm confused and a little embarrassed about the artist statement I wrote and distributed last week:

"She is (I AM) Light" is about healing, self-love, and having blind faith in the creation process that can take you there.

"She is (I AM) Light" speaks to body image and of self-awareness, of being able to see within yourself what others see in you. ("At your core, you are perfect.") The large blue body (armor) is starting to crack but can't do so without acceptance (arms spread) of fear, resistance and imperfection. (Depicted here through repetition of energetic prayers in the form of mantra and affirmation.) The Six Guardian mandala pieces speak to our never having to do the work alone. Angels, Ancestors, and Spirit Guides watch over us and gently guide us to becoming our whole, true selves - "Who I am but only that others can see" is the me that will be revealed to all.

I apologize. It seemed clear in the moment.

This is my new statement:

"She is (I AM) Light" is about the acknowledgment and acceptance of our full radiant selves. It is about healing, self-love, and having faith that we can become whole again. During this process, our armor begins to crack and will eventually fall away as we begin to embrace that which we have resisted most: Our Greatness.

The Six Guardian Mandalas are representative of our never having to do the work alone - angels, ancestors, and spirit guides are always around us, gently nudging and guiding us along our path to becoming our whole, true selves.

After Friday's opening of this exhibit, I will finish the "in progress" series of posts. I think I'm finished with all 7 pieces... I just need to sign them.

You can also view all my photos from this project on Flickr.

This Friday June 7th - Join me for the Live Reveal of my "She is (I AM) Light" Featured Artist Exhibit at The Banana Factory

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 09:00:00 +0000

My Featured Artist "She is (I AM) Light" Featured Artist Exhibit Reveal is this Friday (First Friday) June 7th 6-9pm at The Banana Factory at 25 W. 3rd St. in Bethlehem, PA.

For the first time ever, I have conceptualized and executed a 7 piece series of work designed to highlight my strengths and reveal my weaknesses.

"She is (I AM) Light" is about healing, self-love, and having blind faith in the creation process that can take you there.

"She is (I AM) Light" speaks to body image and of self-awareness, of being able to see within yourself what others see in you. ("At your core, you are perfect.") The large blue body (armor) is starting to crack but can't do so without acceptance (arms spread) of fear, resistance and imperfection. (Depicted here through repetition of energetic prayers in the form of mantra and affirmation.)

The Six Guardian mandala pieces speak to our never having to do the work alone. Angels, Ancestors, and Spirit Guides watch over us and gently guide us to becoming our whole, true selves - "Who I am but only that others can see" is the me that will be revealed to all.

I started conceptualizing this exhibit on April 30th and as I type this on June 3rd am nearing completion of the work. A big part of my artistic process has been documenting the creative process- the epic tale which you can read here on my blog.

A series of in-progress pictures of this exhibit's creation can also be found on Flickr but to see the completed figure, you will have to wait until Friday.

Additional details for this event can be found on Facebook.

A surprise visit to my studio by former United Nations photojournalist John Isaac

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 03:30:00 +0000

I was standing in the hallway when a man I recognized but never met asked me for directions. I smiled and said, "I know who you are!" As I was directing him down the hall, I caught him looking over my shoulder and through the opened door to my studio. "Is that your work?" Yes, I replied. "Can I take a look?" I swept my door open wide and welcomed him in.

I stood there holding my breath and watching silently as he moved from one mandala to the next, occasionally pausing to look deeply at a particular piece. *John Isaac is an Indian born, award winning photographer who worked 30 years as a photo journalist for the United Nations and who has travelled to over 120 countries. He most recently has been photographing tigers and other indigenous wildlife found in his native India.

He remarked on my patience to do such detailed work and I told him that my creating them was part of my meditative practice. He asked if I had traveled to India or Tibet and I told him that everything I knew about mandalas had come through books and the internet. He told me that I must travel to Bhutan - that the experience would be life-changing for me.

He was carrying a guitar and I mentioned that I play drums. When he asked what kind, I told him that I knew a little bit about all kinds of world percussion and we briefly discussed the language of the tabla (a specific kind of drums from Northern India) which I learned just a smidge about when I took classes from Glen Velez and former Rusted Root percussionist Jim DiSpirito. (da gin na tinaka dhi nah...)

It was an honor to have him visit my studio and I was humbled by his compliments. He seemed particularly drawn to the piece over his right shoulder "Change is a Sure Thing" which includes the mantra Om Gum Ganapatayei Namaha, a Hindu devotional to Ganesh.

*I can't seem to find a current website for John and opted instead to link to a wonderful article that talks about John's integrity as a photojournalist - following his mother's advice, “Human dignity is more important than Pulitzer Prize-winning.” You can also find John on Facebook.

"She is (I AM) Light" A work in progress Part 12: The End is in Sight

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Fri, 31 May 2013 15:43:00 +0000

05/29 I took a big risk by painting in the helix without really thinking about how it will balance against the rest of the piece I am now not sure if the widest part of the outlines are too wide… While I am using acrylic paint, this yellow is not opaque and it is a challenge to have it obscure black. I should note that my concern about balance is my own and not based on what others will think. For a piece to "work" and for me to call it finished, it has to *feel* right and right now, I'm a little worried.

05/29 More green, leveling the rays. Started to paint out the rungs on the bottom part of the helix.

Painted the face design.

Started white detail work on one of the six. (Orange center - the shield)
05/30 Finished the orange centered mandala piece at home. Used protection mantra.

Went to my studio, 2nd layer yellow paint over the bottom part of the helix.

Tried at least 6 times to sketch them in correctly.

I even out the black around the outline of the figure. Added red/orange to palm of hands.

I stop to work on another of the six- the compassion piece. I add white lettering over black.

I start to add white "light" embellishments to the arms, chest area, and part of the body. I paint the Gayatri mantra in the black lines down the side of her body.

The Guardian Six are still a work in progress.

What's left? Decide on mantras for arms, face, double helix- and then paint them. Finish white embellishments. Work on last two of the six guardian pieces. Start hand lettering signs. Finish writing artist statement.

One week until First Friday and the opening of my Featured Artist Exhibition at The Banana Factory. I am going to hold off posting any additional figurative images until after the opening which means come see her in person!

Stay tuned for more updates on the progress of this work. JUNE 7TH SAVE THE DATE! First Friday in June is when this exhibit will open. It will then be on display until July 3rd.

You can also view all my photos from this project on Flickr.

"She is (I AM) Light" A work in progress Part 11: The Helix Prevails!

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Thu, 30 May 2013 09:00:00 +0000

05/28 I see an inspiration for the double Helix in a piece of artwork on the web- one that shows only a few turns of the "ladder". I sketch it out and fellow resident artist Arianne nods in agreement.

I obscure the mantras with yellow and begin sketching the helix with pencil before the paint is dry.

I paint in the helix with black gesso- will need to re-do the bottom section - "rungs" are too close and do not depict enough twist.

I finally did the lines down the arms - not perfect, but I will tweak.

Mantras will be painted in white over the helix design.

05/29 I took a big risk by painting in the helix without really thinking about how it will balance against the rest of the piece I am now not sure if the widest part of the outlines are too wide… While I am using acrylic paint, this yellow is not opaque and it is a challenge to have it obscure black. I should note that my concern about balance is my own and not based on what others will think. For a piece to "work" and for me to call it finished, it has to *feel* right and right now, I'm a little worried.

Stay tuned for more updates on the progress of this work. JUNE 7TH SAVE THE DATE! First Friday in June is when this exhibit will open. It will then be on display until July 3rd.

You can also view all my photos from this project on Flickr.

"She is (I AM) Light" A work in progress Part 10: The Double Helix Eludes Me

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Wed, 29 May 2013 17:34:00 +0000

05/25 I have a vision in the shower of a DNA double helix down the center of her golden body. My friend Heather explains to me what the DNA double helix represents (Two in one) and I actually jump up and down in excitement at how perfectly the definition fits this piece. I search the web for images of the double helix and actually find a "how to draw a double helix" video but despite numerous tries, I am unable to mock up a version that connects to the vision. I am frustrated.

05/27 Sketching ideas with pencil and paper

...and trying out more ideas in ProCreate app. The double helix idea has been scrapped and I try new ideas which include obscuring the white body mantras with yellow then painting over the yellow with black in a pattern which leaves a yellow lightning bolt (crack) pattern down her center. (Splitting her open)

I come up with this pattern and love it until I realize that it would be somewhat of a challenge for me to replicate in paint. The design holds no personal meaning to I scrap it.

I go back to black with the crack then imagine writing my list of "I AM THAT" items on the right half - I AM COURAGEOUS I AM BEAUTIFUL I AM BRILLIANT I AM SEXUAL I AM BRAVE I AM RESOURCEFUL I AM ALL THE THINGS I SEE IN YOU AND YOU ARE ALL THE THINGS YOU SEE IN ME and tiny white mandalas on the left side. I go to bed imagining that this is how I will proceed.

Stay tuned for more updates on the progress of this work. JUNE 7TH SAVE THE DATE! First Friday in June is when this exhibit will open. It will then be on display until July 3rd.

You can also view all my photos from this project on Flickr.

"She is Light" Work in Progress Part 9: I Stop Caring What Other People Think

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Sun, 26 May 2013 09:00:00 +0000

05/23 More overall tweaking. Blacked out her face.

Fixed hands...

and put white blocks around each.

1st layer red & orange added to face.

Started working on 3rd "Guardian" piece - Raphael.

Started to "split her open" with the addition of tiny cracks. (Had a 2 minute "how to draw a crack" lesson from fellow BF artist Adrian Sauers.)

Added the healing mantra "Ra Ma Da Sa Sa Say So Hung" in black to the white blocks. (I am getting good at writing upside down.)

2nd layer of red/orange added to the face.

Colored in same mantra with white so it is less visible.

Added light blue to hands.

I have reached the point where I am solely creating this piece for me. I am being mindful of the execution, but for me to call this successful, it has to be for me. (Quite frankly, this piece is also very much about me.) Sometimes I think the hardest part of being an artist is remembering the importance of why we do what we do - of honoring our gifts by using them in the most unedited way.

I have in the past hesitated to include mantras (as much as I have in this piece) despite their being a huge part of my life for the last 8+ years. They are as rhythmic and cyclical in nature to me as much as my mandalas but I have in the past feared that my using them in my art might be confusing to the viewer because despite their obvious (or not so obvious) connection to the Hindu or Buddhist religions, I consider myself to be spiritual in nature (rather than religious) and consciously choose to use these energetic prayers (although they are not really prayers) as a way to move energy within me. Choosing to include them in this piece in the way I have, makes both me and my art feel whole.

Chanting mantras is known as Mantra Yoga or Japa Yoga. When the mantra is spoken aloud it is known as Vaikhari Japa. When whispered or hummed Upamsu Japa. When the mantra is said mentally, Manasika Japa; written mantra is called Likhita Japa. (From the book: Mantras Words of Power)

What's left? I am contemplating a design over the face - I did it in Procreate but forgot to upload the pic. Something to be added in the arms. Will choose a mantra to add to lines next to body. Deciding what to do with body. Deciding whether or not to do anything to the green rays of light.

Stay tuned for more updates on the progress of this work. JUNE 7TH SAVE THE DATE! First Friday in June is when this exhibit will open. It will then be on display until July 3rd.

You can also view all my photos from this project on Flickr.

"She is Light" A Work in Progress Part 8: I Get Busy

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Sat, 25 May 2013 05:44:00 +0000

05/18 Had a few new ideas come to me, have been fiddling digitally (as on the above image) but nothing is clear. They partly relate to the third eye and crown chakras. I also heard a voice inside my head yesterday say, "Split her open" and while I do know what that is in reference to, (removing the armor) I am unsure if that message pertains to this piece, or the next. (As I write this, I just had an idea relating to the split.)

05/20 Worked on two of the six guardian mandalas. Archangel Michele (name might change) is completed, another one started.

I initially was only going to go partway with this piece but I eventually fill the entire red section with the message "You are loved and you are enough."

Mantras in the black lines.

Added mantras to yellow face and body. White lines added over blue.

It felt great today, it felt real. Sitting there writing the mantras, I was fully present and felt a sense of peace come over me that took me by surprise. I typically spend so much time in my head questioning whether or not I'm doing what I'm supposed to, (by leading a creative life) that I don't really ever have a chance to feel at peace.

Stay tuned for more updates on the progress of this work. JUNE 7TH SAVE THE DATE! First Friday in June is when this exhibit will open. It will then be on display until July 3rd.

You can also view all my photos from this project on Flickr.

"She is Light" Work in Progress Part 7: Awaiting the Next Vision

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Tue, 21 May 2013 09:00:00 +0000

05/16 I don't know what to do next so I import the latest image into Procreate on my iPad and play around.

I will definitely be painting mantras over those black lines and adding the red and orange to the face. Unsure about everything else.

I sort of like the yellow triangle with the black line down the middle of the arm because I could turn it into an arrow - which is a repeating symbol in my art from my arrow breaking ceremony two years ago.

05/17 (Back to the real painting) More tweaking and cleaning up. I erase the charcoal lines in the arms as I don't yet know how to proceed but I know that I don't like what I had planned. (Because I tried it in ProCreate and didn't like it.) I painted in her hands and they are uneven and rough but at least I got them started. For what it's worth, I'm pretty uncomfortable when I don't know what's next - especially when there's a deadline involved. I haven't even touched the six 18x18" mandalas because I want them to "match" the detail of the figural piece which um, doesn't yet exist in my head.

My friend Deb came to visit my studio today. She took one look at the painting and said, "That's you." This time I owned it. "Yes, it is. The me that only others can see."

Wouldn't it be great if we could see ourselves the way others see us?

Stay tuned for more updates on the progress of this work. JUNE 7TH SAVE THE DATE! First Friday in June is when this exhibit will open. It will then be on display until July 3rd.

You can also view all my photos from this project on Flickr.

"She is Light" A Work in Progress Part 6: A Layer of Protection

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:00:00 +0000

05/15 Leveling the green.

More yellow - connected the halo. White w/ silicone brush. Listening to Ozzy, Sabbath, Dio, etc. while working on it. I'm feeling like the white layer protects her. Starting to visualize the small details that may or may not be added to the white "blocks". I may try working on one of these digital images in ProCreate in my iPad to see which direction to take it.

Stay tuned for more updates on the progress of this work. JUNE 7TH SAVE THE DATE! First Friday in June is when this exhibit will open. It will then be on display until July 3rd.

You can also view all my photos from this project on Flickr.

"She is Light" Work in Progress Part 5: Perfection at Our Core

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Sun, 19 May 2013 09:00:00 +0000

05/11 Added yellow (golden) halo. Charcoal sketch to block out next layer. Added black to head, chest & belly. Doodles w/ white charcoal pencil.

05/11 Conceptual notes update: Green is often identified as the color of healing - and also of the heart chakra. I can't help but think "Self-Love" when I see this - something I am notoriously bad at providing to myself. Green is also the color associated with the Archangel Rafael. (who in the Judeo-Christian tradition performs all manners of healing) I am contemplating changing the title.

05/13 Added black body lines with willow charcoal. What a mess! I will use a graphite pencil next time. I am unsure what to do with arms yet. Did a lot of little touchups throughout. Added yellow to face & body.

The yellow (Gold) is representational of our unrealized self - of perfection at our core. Of the person that others see when they look at us.

Stay tuned for more updates on the progress of this work. JUNE 7TH SAVE THE DATE! First Friday in June is when this exhibit will open. It will then be on display until July 3rd.

You can also view all my photos from this project on Flickr.

"She is Light" Work in Progress Part 4: "I am That"

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Sat, 18 May 2013 09:00:00 +0000

The mural "She Continues to Grow" I created for my featured artist exhibit last year was all about transformation. I was struggling to move from one part of my life to the next and was desperately missing the people connected to the part I was moving away from. My thinking was that I would be less of a person without them in my life. To put things in perspective, many of these people I'd only see once a year or would talk to them on the phone once every six months or so - but since I'd had great experiences with them at a time when I was discovering myself, I felt like I needed them to feel whole.

Then one day, it occurred to me to contemplate the qualities I most admired in each of these people. The easiest way for me to do this was visually, so I made up a chart with each person's name and started listing each quality or trait that I loved the most about each of them.

The realization came quickly - most likely because I've read Debbie Ford's book "Dark Side of The Light Chasers" (Quotes below from that book)

"The world is a mirror of our internal selves."

"There is a “light shadow,” a place where we have buried our power, our competence, and our authenticity."

"Once the shadow is embraced, it can be healed. When it is healed it becomes love."

"If you are inspired by someone’s courage, it is a reflection of the courage within you."

In that moment, I realized that every word I'd written on that list, I AM THAT. I am courageous and brilliant and beautiful and honorable and trusting and sexy and honest and generous and inspiring. For the longest time I couldn't see these things in me - I could only see them in other people.

"We each need to become our own hero. The only way to do this is to take back the parts of us that are plugged into someone else, the parts of us that we have given away."

While I'm sure I'll need to be reminded of this from time to time, I'm proud to say that I have a clearer understanding of the way I had disowned and been projecting my positive qualities on others.

This is why I added "I AM THAT" to "She is Light"

Stay tuned for more updates on the progress of this work. JUNE 7TH SAVE THE DATE! First Friday in June is when this exhibit will open. It will then be on display until July 3rd.

You can also view all my photos from this project on Flickr.

"She is Light" Work in Progress Part 3: Mantras, Affirmations & Blessings

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Fri, 17 May 2013 09:00:00 +0000

05/10 Finished the green rays all the way around. *Added special blessings, mantras, affirmations and intentions w/ white charcoal pencil. Added blue layer.

* These all have special significance to me. Ra Ma Da Sa Sa Say So Hung is a Tibetan Healing Mantra. Happy Healthy Calm & Strong is my own personal mantra. Ad Guray Nameh, Jugaad Guray Nameh, Sat Guray Nameh Siri Guru Davey Nameh Waje Guru Ji Kay Khalsa Wahe Guri Ji Ki Fateh is a mantra of protection. Om Mani Padme Hum means love is everywhere/everything. Om Amogha Voirocana Mani Mudra Mani Padme Jvala Pravartaya Hum is the mantra of light. Om Hum So Hum is a mantra to balance our male and female energies and interestingly enough, "So Hum" or "Soham" also means, "I am that."

The "Om" on her throat relates to the sound that is used to activate the throat chakra.

"May all be happy, May all be at peace, May Peace Prevail on Earth, So be it and so it is" is a mindfulness prayer. I am not aware of it's origin but I am aware of at least two different versions.

Initially, I conceived of the figure's pose being related to release, of letting go of things that no longer served me. (As "She" is of course, Me. And you, and you, and you as well.) "I am fearless" is a reminder to me that I have at times been incredibly fearless in my actions and that I can tap into that at any time I wish.

05/11 Added 2nd coat of green. Changed the bottom so she was no longer floating. Added light blue layer.

Stay tuned for more updates on the progress of this work. JUNE 7TH SAVE THE DATE! First Friday in June is when this exhibit will open. It will then be on display until July 3rd.

You can also view all my photos from this project on Flickr.

"She is Light" Work In Progress Part 2: Drawing Her In

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:02:00 +0000

Stay tuned for more updates on the progress of this work. JUNE 7TH SAVE THE DATE! First Friday in June is when this exhibit will open. It will then be on display until July 3rd.

You can also view all my photos from this project on Flickr.

"She is Light: Who I Am But Only That Others Can See" New Major Work In Progress

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Wed, 08 May 2013 18:53:00 +0000

I am at it again... creating another big transformative piece.

Every 15 months or so, each resident artist at The Banana Factory Arts and Education Center have an opportunity to exhibit their work in the main corridor inside the front entrance. Last year I went far outside my comfort zone by creating a 5x9 foot mural specifically for this event. This June will again be my opportunity to display my work and this initial vision came to me on May 1st after being inspired the day before by a specific color combination on a small (4x4") unfinished piece in my studio. I woke up and envisioned a woman surrounded by green light... I immediately grabbed my iPad and created a rough sketch (shown above) in an app called Procreate.

The next day, (May 1st) I start to explore different color combinations to match the initial "sketch". This is acrylic paint - Golden and Liquitex brands over Golden Black Gesso on a piece of recycled mat board.

To have the opportunity to try a few different color/design combinations, I take three more gessoed mat boards and sketch out the approximate proportions.

Of the three, this becomes my favorite.

I doodle over the paint - a likely direction I will head once I get all of the color on the canvas.

This is a black gessoed unstretched canvas that I currently have stapled to the wall in my studio. It is 64 inches high and approximately 52 inches wide. I created this first sketch by finding the center point. (Centering myself?) I use a white charcoal pencil to create the sketch.

I am less concerned with the figure being perfectly anatomically correct but I would like it to be somewhat balanced in all the right areas.

I use a sponge brush with black gesso to "erase" areas so I can re-work them.

For our First Friday open house, I decide to put all of the design and concept elements on display.

These elements could end up on display in the final exhibition. (See the little 4x4" canvas that inspired the color combination?)

I create a description for this work in progress to be part of my in-studio display.

"She is Light" (working title) Concept and design notes:

Large figural piece to be flanked be 4-6 18x18" mandalas in complementary colors. All pieces to be on unstretched canvas primed with black gesso. Colors inspired by small 4x4" piece. 1st mockup was created on my iPad in the ProCreate App. (Initially envisioned a bright green background)

Color swatches tested to choose colors (and determine what I will need to buy) 3 "sketches" created to work on form, design and composition.

On the theme: (subject to change)

Woman/female form representational of "self" body image, self-awareness, divine feminine, universal consciousness (all connected) - "light" pure of heart, divine spirit, we are energy, the body electric. Projecting positive energy, Love and Light, "At your core, you are perfect." - JD

Physical body posture inspired by "Miraculous Mary." Body halo (Our Lady of Guadalupe) is known as a "mandorla"

Large body over smaller - symbolic of armor, protection, fear, resistance. Yellow core = golden = perfection. Acceptance "Who I am but only that others can see" SMS 050213

These are the six mandalas I am creating to be a part of the overall exhibit. I'm envisioning three on each side of the larger piece.

They too are a work in progress.

Working with a palette knife, I begin to add the green to the background.

So you can see the design sketches.

I question why I didn't just paint the whole background green and then add the black to separate the green rays of light. This is where I've stopped for the moment.

More work on "The Six"

Closer look at some of "The Six".

Most people associate my art with the mandala since they have been such a huge part of my life for the last 6+ years, but my women figures have also played a large role in my personal growth as well as my growth as an artist because they are all in some way, self portraits of a woman discovering herself.

Stay tuned for more updates on the progress of this work. JUNE 7TH SAVE THE DATE! First Friday in June is when this exhibit will open. It will then be on display until July 3rd.

You can also view all my photos from this project on Flickr.

A visit from Nigeria's Art Ambassador Ibiyinka Alao

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 18:22:00 +0000

Nigeria's Art Ambassador Ibiyinka Alao ("Call me Ibi") visited my studio this past Sunday and I was overjoyed at his positive reaction towards my work.

He kept looking around at my work with a huge smile and saying, "Yes! Yes!" as if in complete understanding of who I was and what I was doing with my art. I told him that my mandalas were an extension of my drumming- of the rhythms I loved to play, and that's when he told me how his people believed that "art was music frozen in time." Can you believe that? I love it! We spoke about Nigerian (Yoruba) drum rhythms such as Ibo and and of the late great Babatunde Olatunji.

I currently have a large canvas on my wall primed with black gesso and he asked about it. I told him that it was awaiting a vision and how I preferred to work on black because of the bold way my colors look over top of it. He told me how Nigerian artists from the Osohgbo tribe often work in a similar manner.

Ibi was visiting the Banana Factory to teach a workshop as part of their new heART Series. You can read more about him and view his work here.

Donna's Mandala

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 09:00:00 +0000

This is Donna with her new mandala painting. I am calling it "Donna's Mandala" because it was untitled when she purchased it from me during a recent First Friday event at The Banana Factory.

I'd started this piece sometime around June of last year (2012) when I was still in studio #249 - right around the corner from where I am now. Notice that I was playing with the same colors as in the piece with the three girls.

I had no real intentions, just me and a palette knife.

A thin brush adds additional elements.

Closer.

Adding more details with a brush.

Adding red.

Closer

Closer yet.

Pondering how to proceed.

From another angle

Waiting patiently to be finished,

I decide to do my trademark white details over black and I declare it finished.
The off-center mandala. I've noticed that people seem to comment more on the off-center pieces than the ones I "try" and center. I wonder why?

Closer.

This piece had been included in a recent exhibition called "Impromptu" in the Hallway to the Arts on the 1st floor of the Banana Factory. That's also my piece on the right.

Frequently Asked Question: How did you start making mandalas?

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 09:00:00 +0000

How did you start making mandalas?

I had seen a drawing labeled as a mandala on a photo sharing website. It included the description: “this is a meditation i do … begin in the center and work out, breathing and praying, until i think i am finished. must be finished in one sitting.”

This was at the beginning of 2007- right around the time I was becoming much more serious about personal growth and once I tried this “meditation”, I was instantly hooked. I had already learned to access what I like to call “my higher self” through drumming and the repetition of energetic mantras so it was easy to see how this circular art form would become a natural extension of the work I was already doing. With my brain constantly working in hyper over-drive, the rhythmic nature of these creations has been one of very few things which has allowed me to shut down the chatter.

“Finished in one sitting” meant instant gratification and that’s something I needed at that time - to see physical proof of my transformative progress. And since the description of this exercise didn’t offer any specific rules on the construction of the mandala beyond working from the center out, this gave me permission to make them in any way I desired without ever feeling like I had to judge their quality. By removing the element of self-judgment and critique often connected to traditional art making, mandala art would prove to become a huge foundational element in helping me open up not only to myself, but also to future artistic possibilities.

Mandala above was the first I'd consciously created 01/06/07 after learning of the mandala meditation.

Intention is Everything

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 09:00:00 +0000

I choose to believe that we can greatly increase the quality of a situation by setting a specific intention prior to its inception.

Do you agree?

The mantra in the background of this piece is "Om Gum Ganapatayei Namaha" a devotional mantra to the elephant headed Hindu deity Ganesh. The mantra is repeated to bring about change and transformation.

Mixed media art (acrylic, colored tissue paper on recycled mat board) by Stephanie Smith. Original art currently in a private collection.