Spiritual Evolution of the Bean

Quake Mandala gets an upgrade from Posca Paint Markers

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Mon, 21 May 2012 17:02:00 +0000

I just bought a set of ultra fine Posca paint markers from Jetpens.com. I have not as a rule, been a fan of paint markers. I've tried several kinds, (Krink & Sharpie) and they just didn't work out for me. For the tiny white detail work you may have seen on some of my other pieces, I'd been using a white Uni-Ball Signo gel pen - which had to be fixed with acrylic spray as the ink wasn't waterproof. (Posca markers are water based acrylic.)

It was when I just bought another batch of the white pens (also from Jetpens.com) that I decided to try the Poscas. The ink flows and has a consistency like none other I've tried. I absolutely "MUST" get more as they have seemingly filled in a missing element to my work.

And so this, which was previously "finished" last year,

Became this.

In the last five and a half years I've literally made thousands of mandalas in all different kinds of media but in the beginning, most were created with fountain pens, drawing pens and markers. Using a "writing" implement has always made me feel most comfortable as it lets me work quickly. Quickly meaning that I could easily drop into the meditative state that the repetitive nature of mandala creation encourages in me.

Working with acrylic paint has at times been both gratifying and frustrating. Gratifying because of being able to work bigger, with lots of bold colors, and also to play with textures within the paint. Frustrating because of my lack of dexterity with a brush. I know that comes with practice but it has in some ways made me feel like something was missing from my work. Sitting and working with the markers on this piece for several hours led me back to that meditative place and I am *ecstatic* just thinking about the possibilities in combining the two elements.

This piece is currently available for purchase - please message me for details.

*This piece was named "Quake" because it was literally finished moments before the 5.8 magnitude earthquake that hit the east coast last year on August 23rd at 1:51 pm. After cleaning out my brushes and putting my paints away, I went upstairs to lay down and take a nap. I wasn't on the bed 5 seconds when I felt it move- once, twice.... watched my floor fan start rocking back and forth, then felt like the house was twisting. My brain went through about 20 different scenarios (neighbor's washing machine walking, gas line explosion..) before setting upon earthquake. EARTHQUAKE?!? I jumped up, grabbed my glasses and phone stood in the doorway (I think that's what you are supposed to do in an earthquake) but then said out loud "Fuck this!" and went running down the stairs and barefoot out the front door. I still wasn't sure what was happening but as I watched the power lines swaying back and forth I knew I wasn't crazy. Phone in hand I kept trying to dial 911 - busy.. Busy? WTF! I finally get through and they say they don't know what it is yet. I jump on Facebook then Twitter from my phone. My friends all along the east coast and up to Canada are reporting having felt the same things. It blew me away to have actually experienced an earthquake in eastern Pennsylvania.

Now please excuse me while I go buy more pens.

Mandala Painting WInner!

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Thu, 17 May 2012 15:52:00 +0000

Congrats to Lisa C. from Texas, she is the winner of my recent mandala painting giveaway!

Thank you to all who entered! Please know that I am very grateful for the kind words that many of you left in the comment section. It is heartwarming to read how my art and writing is received by others. Namaste!

Please stay tuned for future giveaways and for details surrounding my studio move. (I'm moving into a bigger studio at the Banana Factory!)

Blog Giveaway! Enter now to win this piece of my original art!

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Fri, 11 May 2012 17:57:00 +0000

Would you like to win one of my original paintings? Read on!

This is an 11x14" piece of original mixed media artwork entitled "A Place for Me." Primarily painted with acrylic, it was created on Multimedia Artboard and will be shipped to the winner in a rigid mailer.

To enter, simply fill out the form below and click "submit." Once entry per person, contest closes at Midnight EST on Tuesday May 15th. Winner will be chosen at random, notified by e-mail, and announced here on the blog later in the week.

*Note: If you are viewing this post via e-mail or in certain browsers you might not see the form below. Please visit the blog directly to enter at: http://www.biffybeans.com/2012/05/blog-giveaway-enter-now-to-win-this.html

Please feel free to share and Tweet this posting - and thank you for your support!

*Update - this contest is now closed - thank you to all who entered!

Inspiration For Creation

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 09:00:00 +0000

A current (yet unnamed) work in progress created in my studio at The Banana Factory.

A few days ago I was inspired to paint a number of different of surfaces yellow. Golden Diarylide Yellow to be exact. I painted two canvases, pages in half a dozen sketchbooks, (my color books) and also several pieces of matboard.

The yellow in my color books allowed me to play around with different color combinations before committing to one particular shade of blue on the canvas.

Once I got a series of pleasing colors on the canvas, I tested a particular brand of black paint to see what it might look like on the canvas.

These paints are by jo sonja, Golden, and Liquitex.

Discovering New Color Combinations

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:24:00 +0000

I've got a bunch of books like this in varying stages of completion. I use them to discover new color combinations.

Sometimes I play around with new images, or practice using different brushes and techniques.

I typically use acrylic paint in these books but also watercolor paint and artist crayons. Acrylic paint is often applied with a palette knife. In the middle book in the above image I used a stamp that I created out of foam rubber.

I enjoy flipping through these books and seeing all the possibilities...

Art Chair Fundraiser Bidding closes 04/22 You Can Own This!

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:04:00 +0000

I was recently asked to create an art chair as a way to raise funds for a local festival - the Allentown Freak Out. The bidding is taking place on Facebook and is only open until the 22nd. There is currently a high bid of $105 on this chair.

8 chairs were decorated by 10 artists: myself, Jessica Echevarria, Steven Leibensperger, Laura Beth Love, Wandie Vidal, James Harmon, Winifred Helton-Harmon, Barnaby Ruhe, Alison Bessesdotter and Steven Condra.

The chairs have been on tour for the last month at various spots around the Lehigh Valley like the Allentown Brew Works, Sangria restaurant, Home & Planet, Fox Environmental Center and The Banana Factory.

These chairs were graciously donated by City Line Construction.

The project was conceptualized and organized by my good friend Diane Teti of the Allentown Art Works.

Questions? Please send a Facebook message to the Allentown Art Works, the auction sponsor. Buyer is responsible for pick up in Allentown, PA at auction end. The link to bid is here where you can also see the other 7 chairs.

I had never painted a chair before... This one had a metal base and a wooden seat. I cleaned and primed the metal and then used black gesso as a base coat.

Underside of the seat.

I wanted to leave a special message for the new owner of the chair.

Working on the chair in my studio at The Banana Factory.

I had a great deal of fun working on this and am considering future possibilities...

The stripes felt very Dr. Seuss to me.

Wouldn't you like to have this in your house?

Best of luck to the highest bidder!

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

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 17:31:00 +0000

02/24 I could be finished but I'm not. Unhappy with the belly graphic I added the previous day, I cover it up. I take a deep breath after deciding the blue/white graphics on the girl are a little bland and start filling in some areas with red. White fill is added to wing areas.

I am still feeling as though the background might be too much.

02/26 I had to push it further....

After talking with a few of my fellow artists, I make a bold decision (not without fear) to outline the whole of the girl and two mandalas with white paint - literally obscuring hours and hours of work.

It sucks at first but I can immediately see how it makes the foreground pop against the background.

This was a 5 hour session which included more tweaking and rework to the black outlines and the white fill.

02/28/12 "This is the end, my beautiful friend"

True story: standing in my studio after another 6 or so hours working on the mural while listening to my classic rock playlist, paintbrush in hand and pondering what to do next or if maybe I'm finished when I suddenly realize that the song playing is "The End" by the Doors. I get it, I get it! It's done!

This 6 hours of painting was spent retouching the black outlines, and white fill within those black lines, ensuring the main white outline was opaque enough to my liking and also going back over each of the major colors in each of the mandalas to make them "pop." I am very happy I added the white outline.

02/29/12 My mural "She Continues to Grow" is officially finished.

I do one last pass over yesterday's dried paint with the palette knife and she's finished.

My husband is with me as I do this. Fellow Banana Factory artist Holly Scott helps me to remove the staples that have been holding it up for the last 35 days and we roll it up, take it down to the 1st floor and install it on the featured artist wall across from the main entrance to the Banana Factory.

03/25 - Quick Update - The finished mural is on display at The Banana Factory through the end of March if you'd like to see it before it moves on to it's new home.

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

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 09:00:00 +0000

On 02/18 I'd teach my empowerment workshop (Mandala: An Artful Meditation) to 33 people at the Baum School of Art in Allentown, PA. I had been a little nervous to teach such a big group (I think my largest had been about 25) but I showed up fully present and it went very well. I even sold several pieces of art at the end. I told the group how I would be putting together a small studio workgroup to teach fearless artmaking and several of the participants were immediately interested.

I am back working on the mural, adding more background, more painting/scraping...

02/20 I FINALLY decide how to make the bottom of the wings look more like wings and I love it! I white out the area around her midriff and add detail inside the wings.

I start to add the "fills" on her body - the white detail over the black outlines. It will take a great deal of thought from this point forward of where all to put it as sometimes I'm not sure whether or not to leave some of the black lines show.

The background is almost completely filled in...

I start to feel really depressed. I want this thing DONE already. I feel like it's taking everything out of me.

(It was and it did. It was at this point I would realize that I was starting to experience separation anxiety. I knew the mural would be finding a new home (that was a gut feeling) and before it was even finished, I was mourning it's loss. Or rather, morning the loss of those old parts of me that the mural had come to represent.)

02/23 In the last few days/week that I would work on the mural, I would begin to feel very good about the process as a whole. I can be stubborn as can be with regards to letting go and moving forward because it's difficult for me to see my own potential. I am so very grateful I've had the pleasure of having friends with whom I was able to trust with helping to guide my personal growth. I wouldn't be who I am without them.

02/23 With the background complete I remember feeling like it might be a bit too much.

Signed but not yet finished.

And so what do I do? Add more graphics to the girl and the wings to make the whole thing even busier. I notice that some of the "tattoos" have personal symbolism that hadn't really shown up to this point - most specifically the triangle shaped arrows.

I add detail to the rounded white areas near her belly and I am happy that I decided to carve that area out.

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

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 09:00:00 +0000

02/13 Background covered in white (but not opaque - I want the black to show through) More mini-mandalas are added.

Her wings are painted in and I really struggled for a long time with choosing the color. I used Golden's Quinacridone Violet - which unlike all of the other colors I would use, isn't nearly opaque. As soon as I started filling in the wings I was very fearful that I had made a mistake. (They would eventually get several coats and prove to be the most perfect color.... )

I remember being extremely emotional working in my studio on this day. I think the amount of energy I was spending on this project was starting to get to me.

I painted in her halo/crown and added the first body detail. I replicated the pendant from a previous painting - this makes me happy to repeat symbolism from piece to piece.

I am not happy with the bottom of the wings.

02/14 My dear friend Heather comes to visit and in this shot, finally allows for a sense of scale. (She is 5ft. and the canvas is actually 5'4" high)

Yellow is added to the crown and more detail work is added to the mandalas.

02/16 I continue working on the background while Heather relaxes in my studio. If it wasn't for her, there wouldn't be any pictures of me working on it. Thanks Heather!

I contemplate asking her to add a mandala - after all, this is someone who has taken 6 of my mandala workshops over the years at the Rhythm Renewal and Rhythm Revival. But if I do, then I wouldn't be able to say it was wholly mine.

I do wish I could have ALL of my Rhythm family add a mandala to it- Jim Donovan, Bryan Fazio, PJ Roduta, Jaqui MacMillan, Becky Bickford, Mike Deaton, Kim Cooper, Jen Mills... (The list goes on and on...)

It is during this background work when I think a lot about what this piece represents. It took me until I was 36 to find my "tribe." Prior to that I'd never really felt like I fit anywhere and this would often be quite painful and difficult as a child. In high school it would get worse as I didn't have any close friends and would often just disappear in the crowd, and eventually disappear altogether when I quit school at the beginning of my junior year.

In 2005 when I got up the nerve to go to a few drum circles, it was like a massive puzzle piece clicking into place. I *finally* found a group of people that encouraged me to express myself without judgment.

I would eventually become close friends with Jim Donovan - a drum workshop facilitator, university music instructor and one of the founding members of the band Rusted Root. I would come to learn that drums were the tool through which Jim would teach us all how to be more present in our lives and to let go of anything which wasn't serving our highest good - a spiritual message that would resonate so very deeply with me....

I began to work with Jim to promote his events, write ad copy, do web design... Then one day, we decided that I would help him write a book and for the next two and a half years I would become immersed into his life... we eventually assembled a large number of anecdotes which when combined with a series of conceptual pieces based upon his personal beliefs, created a very powerful inspirational memoir. Through the process of working with someone with a wealth of world experience who was willing to share, I myself would grow by leaps and bounds not only by listening, but through his (seemingly relentless) encouragement and motivation.

Through Jim, I would go on to meet many other wonderful friends - honest people who were also standing and shining, living in their truth. These people became my tribe, my family and I felt warm and embraced in this world.

As the years started to pass and I started following Jim's suggestions to empower myself, I noticed something that began to concern me. As I started working on myself and the things that were important to me, some of these relationships started to, how should I say, "thin out." These were the people that loved me unconditionally and who lifted me up any time I would talk to them, be around them..... but I had another life to begin. I know that these people will always be a part of me, that they haven't gone anywhere and that they all still love me as much as I love them...

I had to start letting them go. I had to start letting the old parts of me go. It was time for me to take what I'd learned and start teaching. Embracing myself as an individual. Coming "out" as an artist in my local community. Using all of the skills I'd learned while working with Jim - it was time to start using them for my own benefit.

Having Heather come to visit, it was hard. I've known her (through Jim) for the last 5 or so years. But it also wasn't as hard as I'd anticipated. I shared with her my fears of letting go - and she understood and loved me just the same.

To have spent a lifetime finding a world where you are accepted with open arms, the thought of letting go was excruciating - but I knew I had to do it anyway. "She continues to grow." The 60+ hours I'd eventually spend on this piece would be my way of letting go - and at times it hurt so bad...

The thing about letting go is that you can't unlearn, you can't unremember. While things once very important are allowed to be released, they are still always a part of who you are in this very moment. It's a knowing that no matter what, it's all good. And so I continue to grow...

03/25 - Quick Update - The finished mural is on display at The Banana Factory through the end of March if you'd like to see it before it moves on to it's new home.

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

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 15:58:00 +0000

02/07 The left mandalas continues to grow and I begin to add white fill over the black outlines.

I will continue to work and re-work these outline/fills almost to the very end - a reminder that I should maybe try working a little neater so I don't have to go back and fix it. (Or continue to work spontaneously and in the moment) Live and learn....

I begin to wonder what the background will include. One of my fellow artists suggests "a million little mandalas." Great minds think alike as that was at the top of my shortlist of ideas.

I take a deep breath and begin adding the white over the black (which was painted over white) with a small palette knife. I am fearful at first and then it quickly clicks into place.

I add a few mandala to the section of background I had painted and think... "YES!" (Black over white over black over white - Seriously? Yup)

02/08 More mini-mandalas added.

These go quickly since I'm so used to drawing these designs but still take a fairly long time to complete. I am working with Liquitex black gesso. I only stop when my right elbow and shoulder begin to ache.

It is at this point that I start to realize that I might be slightly insane.

More paint and details added to the mandalas. Scrape, scrape.

03/25 - Quick Update - The finished mural is on display at The Banana Factory through the end of March if you'd like to see it before it moves on to it's new home.

She Continues to Grow - Part 3: The Painting Begins

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 23:43:00 +0000

01/28 I hold my breath and decide to paint over the sketch I had created with the Neocolor I Artist crayons.

I think it was probably right around this moment when I realized that despite the fact that some of the crayon had rubbed off, they still were wax crayons with "water resistant" on the label. Though the Caran D'Ache website did state that they could be used for underpaintings... (As a wax resist)

The way I would work from this moment until completion was to use acrylic paint with a dry brush with paint straight from the tube - with no added water. Once the paint was dry to the touch I'd grab a palette knife and scratch at the paint to reveal the wax underneath. (Think sgraffito) Some of the crayon would become obscured by the paint but by using this scraping process, I allowed some of the crayon to show through which gave the painting a worn, aged folk art look that made me want to do back flips of joy.

After thin layers of paint and subsequent scrapings, I would create a mural which (to me) had an aged folk art look that reminded me of an old side show banner. If there is one thing for certain about my art - it's that I prefer unique and organic. I absolutely "love" when old layers of paint show through - it leads me to ponder the history of a piece. I am *very* pleased at what I would consider to be a "happy accident."

01/29 More paint is added and for the most part, I am following the colors that I used in the original sketch. Paint/scrape paint/scrape.

Interesting to note that the black center ring on the right hand mandala would not be filled in until almost the last day of painting on the mural.

01/31 More painting/scraping. The left mandala starts to slightly change form. The girl gets painted in.

02/02 The mandalas continue to get painted - I stop working to complete "Hayden's Adventure" a 10x10" painting I will be submitting into the Banana Factory's upcoming White Works Show. I also start to get ready for First Friday.

02/06 I want to leave the mural as is and allow people to see it at this stage.

These are the paint scrapings from when I reveal the wax resist. I ponder keeping them in a small jar but in the end, I throw them away.

She Continues to Grow: Part 2 The 90 Minute Sketch

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 09:00:00 +0000

01/26 I don't yet know what media I am going to use - but I know I want to sketch a few things out.

It takes me a while to think of what I can use on the canvas without having to add a sealant. I know I can't use an oil based product (pastel) under acrylic. I consider conte crayon but can't determine what they are made of. I also consider the Neocolor II crayons but think because they are water soluble that they would make a mess if smudged or if painted/sealed over. I search the Caran D'Ache website to understand what the Neocolor I's are made of - are they oil based? Wax based? I figure out that they are wax based and see on the website that they can be used for underpainting. (if I would decided to paint over them) I like the idea of using a wax crayon because if I decide to create a sketch of only crayon, I won't have to fix (use a spray sealant) it.

I create a pretty well detailed sketch in about 90 minutes.

I remember thinking that this sketch went pretty quickly but that it couldn't possibly be finished - that I simply could not hang an image to represent me as a featured artist that was only created in 90 minutes. This is a prime example of me being insanely critical of myself and of how I and my work is to potentially be perceived. It doesn't dawn on me until later that that initial sketch didn't really take me 90 minutes to complete. It took me a lifetime and a few thousand mandalas....

I remember starting with the mandala on the right (representing present/future) and then thinking about adding a few of the girls - but it ends up being only one. I do the mandala on the left which is slightly off-center to the one of the right. (In the end, this works to my advantage)

I decide that I don't like the center of the left mandala and obscure it with black gesso and then re-sketch it. I also fix the ring around the center of the mandala on the right.

At this point I think I might be happy with creating a finished piece with this media until I happen to rub the wing area with my finger and see that the crayon has rubbed off on my finger as if it were a regular chalk pastel. "what the heck???" I am not happy. I've used the Neocolor I's before and they really don't smudge. I don't know why this has happened. I really, really, don't want to have to add a spray sealant.

She Continues to Grow Part 1: The Beginning

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 05:31:00 +0000

01/24 The beginning. For the month of March in 2012, I will be one of the two featured artists at The Banana Factory.

I decide to take a recently purchased 5x9' piece of primed canvas and staple it to the wall of my studio. My intention is to create a mural with images and symbolism depicting my personal transformation from one version of my self to the most recent one. There will be mandalas and there will likely be at least one of the girls. (Nudie Boobie Girls as I affectionately call them.)

I grab my friend Holly Scott to help me staple the canvas to the wall - it unceremoniously takes only about 5 minutes. I then stare at it for a while wondering how it will come out, if I'm making the right decision to do a mural - heck, the largest I'd worked prior to this was only 30x30".

In my gut I know it will be good but I really have absolutely no idea how to proceed.

I spend $50 on a bucket of Golden black gesso to cover the already primed canvas. I expect it to take a long time as I only have a small roller and I forgot to bring a paint tray. I dip the roller into the bucket and get to work. I end up using only a fraction of the paint and am finished in about 20 minutes.

I start searching for inspiration in my carious art books. I draw a sketch... I lay out my clippings and search for inspiration while adding them to my inspiration book.

Stay tuned for more...

This Friday: Stephanie as Featured Artist and Mural Reveal at The Banana Factory

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 19:12:00 +0000

Each month at the Banana Factory Arts and Education Center in Bethlehem, PA, two of the resident artists are chosen to display their art in the downstairs lobby. For the month of March, I will be one of those artists with a show opening this Friday. (Part of South Bethlehem's First Friday celebration.)

In honor of this event, I've worked the last 36 days to create a mural 5 feet high and 9 feet wide entitled "She Continues to Grow." At the center of the piece is a near life-sized winged female form flanked on each side by a four foot mandala- the background of which is filled with hundreds of additional tiny mandalas. The piece was intended to reflect transformation and growth. This is the largest I've ever worked and also the longest amount of time I've ever spent on a single project with having spent over 60+ hours spent trying to let it go.

I once said that my art was only ever limited by physical size constraints. By moving my art making out of my kitchen and into the Banana Factory, my visions are much closer to manifestation.

I hope you will join me this Friday night from 6-9pm - as there is a TON of cool stuff happening at the BF. Additional details for this First Friday event can be found on Facebook. Please feel free to share and invite your friends.

View a series of images on the mural in progress below - but see the completed mural, you will have to wait until Friday. :o)

No Lack In Pure Desire

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +0000

I have thoroughly been enjoying the book Ask and It Is Given: Learning to Manifest Your Desiresin which the general concept is that you can manifest by focusing your energy on what you want and not on what you don't want, can't have, can't do etc. That wherever you focus your energy is what you will bring to you - good or bad.

For example, say you want a new car. If you continuously focus your attention on what a hunk of junk your old one is, how much you hate it, etc., you don't allow the energy of pure desire (I want a new car) to manifest because you are ultimately spending all your energy actually holding on to that old car by keeping it's negative aspects first and foremost in your mind. Remember that the law of attraction is "Like attracts like."

If you instead focus your energy on the car you want and the color you prefer, and how it will feel to sit in it, and where you will go... you begin to project the energy of pure desire, and through that same law of attraction, the universe responds (matches) to your energy and you start to actually bring your desires closer to you.

Similar concepts have been discussed in books like The Secretand also Creative Visualization: Use the Power of Your Imagination to Create What You Want in Your Life.
I can speak from personal experience that these concepts work and all you have to do is start putting them into practice. The less you focus your energy on the things you don't want, you free up energy to focus on what you do want.

PS: It is never enough to simply "wish" your dreams into existence. Action and hard work is imperative to achieving your goals. Though maybe "hard work" isn't so much so when you approach things with clear intentions of what you want to accomplish. ;o)

02/09 Mandala Demonstration at Blick Art Supplies in Allentown, PA

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Blick in Allentown, PA will have a special mandala art demonstration by yours truly from 1-5PM. This is a great day to enter to win free prizes, get the best discounts on art supplies, (I'll be stocking up on paint to finish my mural work in progress.) and visit with me!

From the Blick events page:

Thursday, February 9, 2012 is Blick Madness! Join us at any one of our 36 store locations to play our Instant Win Game (while supplies last)! Each piece is a guaranteed winner. You could win discounts up to 50% off of your entire purchase or a $100 Blick gift card! Don’t miss the opportunity to win big!

We’ll also be hosting a Valentine Card Making demo and a Screen Printing demo at each store location. Take home your own card creation and screen printed tote for free (while supplies last)!

Enter to win a copy of Adventures in Mixed Media provided by Random House. We’ll be raffling one off at each store! Thursday, February 9^th, is also the last day to enter our $5,000 Dream Studio Sweepstakes and the art student exclusive sweepstakes for a $200 Dream Project!

It’s Madness! Don’t miss this exciting, one day event full of fun, demos, discounts, refreshments, and more! To find a store near you, please visit our Store Directory.

Setting Intention

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +0000

I have shared my mission statement with you before:

“My world is one of abundance. I believe there will always be more than enough. I create this reality by modeling openness, living in a mindful way, and by inspiring others through my own means of honest self-expression; art, writing, teaching & music.”

It was important to me to somehow put this in my art studio so I created this, framed it with a purple mat and if you are a fan of Feng Shui, placed it in my prosperity corner.

Something Blue

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Work in progress. Acrylic on canvas.

Which Direction?

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Acrylic on canvas, I'm calling it "Which Direction?" I started with a canvas covered with black gesso. I loosely painted over it with a matte purple, scratched out a bunch of circles with the end of my brush and then painted them in with orange. More black gesso overtop and around. I wanted to use different a mix of different designs.
Added red to the center. I'm liking it. Now blue. My friend Darryl George asked if it was finished at this phase- which got me to asking, "Is it? Should I stop?" No... The brain says keep going and so I do. This bit of white looks great and I am feeling good and then I add the black stripes (a stamp I made from a wine cork) and am now no longer sure. Did I just ruin it? I add the green and become convinced I've ruined it. I leave it this way for the night even though I wanted to do more. I like to do things in one sitting if possible but I get the feeling that I will destroy it if I don't stop now. I come back the next day and have gained perspective. I slightly obscure the black lines in all but the foremost mandala. I add a few more layers to the green on that same mandala. I am then inspired to add writing - chants and mantras that are meaningful to me. My last step is to take some clear gloss medium and paint over each mandala so when you see them they POP against the matte purple. It is now finished.
This is the Gayatri mantra - a Sanskrit mantra of illumination.

Go on...

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Go on, get exploring
Do everything
Create momentum
Approach life your way
Expect adventure
Practice the way of the moment
Be free
Imagine life's endless possibilities
Seek your true hidden power.

- Stephanie Smith 12/11

Collage pages of found poetry and contribution to the 2012 Sketchbook Project World Tour

A place for art

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

I used to paint in my kitchen and when I was finished, I had to put everything away because there just wasn't any space to leave it out. If I wanted to, I can now leave all my paints and such wherever I want them because it's MY art space - though I find that at the end of the day I feel quite uncomfortable if I don't put things "away." I can't lock the door behind me if there isn't some kind of order - which is hysterical. I'm not a neat person. I'm quite messy. I now have a place where I can be as messy as I like yet I'm constantly putting everything in it's place. One of my new artist friends asked me, "Do you always work so neat?" and truthfully, no. I don't. So I don't know what that's all about, except maybe a fear of leaving myself vulnerable. For the most part, the artists at the Banana Factory all work with our doors open so we can interact with anyone who visits and maybe I'm fearful of people seeing me make a mess. I'm guessing that this whole new world is simply showing me new parts of myself that I didn't know existed. Once I meet them, I can choose to keep them around, or let them go if they do not serve my highest good.

Pushing Out

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

It still feels new, my studio does. For three years I created the bulk of my art at home and now I am doing it within a completely different space which sometimes feels strange. I share the 2nd floor with 10 other artists and sometimes we are all there, sometimes just a few. While I absolutely love creating around other creative people, I find that as much as it is fulfilling my need for arts camaraderie, I sometimes feel like I am holding back from full expression in that space. Like I am playing it safe because to a certain degree, I feel like I am on display and mustn't screw up. And here I am - the woman who teaches others about feeling confident with their personal expressions. I teach them to resist the urge to judge yourself - to know that whatever you do is perfect for the sake of trying.

Hello, can I hear me?

I really do know all of these things, so I guess I'm still learning about myself and how to create in this different kind of space. I also keep forgetting that if I really wanted to, I could occasionally still make art at home. I've removed most all of my art supplies and such from the house so there would specifically be a separation of "work" and "home" spaces but.... I think my brain tries so very hard to sort, categorize and organize my existence - sometimes it's exhausting.

The piece above is a work in progress and is tentatively titled, "Pushing Out." It's a painting on top of another that didn't work out. I was trying to create something and my brush slipped and so I ran with it and tried to turn it into something else and it completely didn't work at all. I got emotional and cried. Sobbing quietly behind my closed door - wondering if this whole thing is a fluke - if I really belong to this community at all... I allowed myself to feel for a while - because it's good to feel, and then a week or two later I simply painted over it. In many ways my new life feels like slipping into a long lost glove - that somewhere along the way I forgot how much I enjoyed creating art and it just got pushed behind all of the other things in my life. Now it's front and center and it feels amazing and challenging and frustrating and exhilarating.

I will continue to push outward from myself and grow even further...

Let's Get Lost

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:20:00 +0000

Grooving. I enjoy discovering new ways to depict my girls. Caran d'Ache Neocolor II Crayons and acrylic paint in a Canson sketchpad. Technique inspired by the book Expressive Figure Drawing: New Materials, Concepts, and Techniques

One of my pages from my contribution to the 2012 Sketchbook Project World Tour. Collage and acrylic.

Manifestation 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 19:22:00 +0000

So now it's time to get rolling into 2012. Do you have any special plans for this new year? Lifestyle changes?

I created a "Manifestation List" for 2012 and the way I did it is that each statement on the list is written "as if."

For example, part of the list is "Who I am." (As opposed to "Who I want to be") At the top of my list I wrote "In 2012 I...." and then statements such as: "Am healthy,""Am compassionate," "Listen to others," "Express myself fully.

The other part of my list are of things I specifically want to accomplish. I'm still working on this part for this year but for example, on last year's list I included "am a reiki practitioner" (done) "firewalk" (done) "have my own art studio." (done) The interesting thing is that when I wrote those things on my list at the end of 2010/beginning of 2011, I had no clue how I was going to make them happen - but I did believe in the possibility that they could happen, and so they did.

You are in charge of creating your own reality. Choose to begin now.

Amazing Primal Drum Music by Byron Metcalf

noreply@blogger.com (Biffybeans) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 10:00:00 +0000

I discovered Byron Metcalf's music a short while ago and have not been able to stop listening to these 4 albums. Primal, tribal, healing- they are everything I enjoy listening to, especially while creating art. If you are familiar with any of the music from my previous list of favorites, I'm sure you will enjoy these as well. (Click on any of the images to listen to samples.)