Realeyes Gallery

A Dream of Iridescent, Post War Lands, Shimmering with Phenomenological Magic

2013-03-25T10:05:00.001-07:00

Went to higher levels in my dream last night!

Kids, teacher tour, with a little boy and his mom...
Outside of school, big lush paintings of the back of kids heads, and an uphill climb thru grassy stairs to their play area...
Once inside the doors, we could see that school was outside too though...
And Hagrid was there...
I was trying to take pics.
Teacher said that good teachers shouldn't teach about separate races, or borders;
These kids were super multicultural,
As if it was the future, and post war, post nations.

The trees to our left were gorgeous.
Hagrid swung away on them, returned, and they disappeared, like a veil lifting.
We saw the sea, and these red brick castles with moorish circular architecture.
The sky was pinker than any sky I've ever seen, shimmering, as if our senses had multiplied.
A thin, sparkly, iridescent wall of water appeared, from the sea up until forever, moving around slowly.
It was beautiful beyond words.
A lady and her sea creature friend rested on the rock.
At night we decided to gallop off to explore more...
They weren't horses, but flat hover boards with room for two, and a soft grey lining.
I prepared my passenger seat and they put a saddle on the front.

Credit: Copyright S. Weiller, 1999-2006

The Seer: An Illuminated Portrait

2013-03-12T14:17:00.000-07:00

The Seer
2013 | 18 x 22.5" | watercolor and pens on heavyweight paper

This piece started as a tentative experiment and through it I rediscovered the joys of watercolor. Though I had to work more quickly with the paints, there's a richer, deeper tone with the colors than I can get with graphites.

I decided to reference Wind for the hair, an earlier experiment in watercolors that turned out well. The blue triangular 3rd eye blast and triangular shirt pattern also reference a recent piece, Lushness. I enjoyed merging the more formulaic, mathematical visuals with the flowing chaos of the hair.

I recently went through a lot of old fashion photos left from making catalogs for my day job at moreTrees. This piece was based on one of those, and I found a lot more that I want to loosely reference for artwork. After researching fashion illustration for years, it seems I'm officially delving into it, too!

Details:

Prints and original available.

If you're interested in fashion illustration too, I'd recommend the following books:

...and
...and

The Lushness: An Illuminated Portrait

2013-03-01T16:56:00.000-08:00

The Lushness
2013 | 24 x 36 | graphite, colored pencils, and pen on vellum

Loosely a self-portrait, I wanted to add this piece to my series for a few reasons. It challenged me to go into some incredible detail recreating a skirt I hand-painted in reality. Because my day job is clothing design, I'm often drawn to do portraits when there's a hint of a fashionista in them. This was the first time highlighting an article of clothing I'd spent so much time on. It was even featured in the Utne Reader, because it represented high fashion meeting eco-fabric.

Beyond the fashion, I've also been wanting to do more geometry. I've heavily used chaos and flow for this series, and while still wanting to convey a sense of abstract expansiveness, I wanted something more geometric, controlled, formulaic. I decided upon a tornado of triangles, and I learned a lot working with them. Once brushing up on my Equilateral, Isosceles, and Scalene options, I did some initial sketching and realized the "rules," if you will, of their own kind of flow. In my brain, as I worked, I felt like a spider must, connecting one strand at a time, making a web that connects without fail.

The expression on her face captures a blissful moment that comes with a few sips of wine, or a walk in the woods, or a bit of meditation; a quieting of thoughts, acceptance, peace.

more details...

Wind - An Illuminated Portrait

2013-01-29T13:14:00.001-08:00

Wind
2013 | 18 x 22 | graphite, watercolor, and pen on heavyweight paper

A few days ago I did the initial sketching for TWENTY new pieces! They'll mostly fall into my Illuminated Portraiture and Illustration series, but I'll be reaching out of my comfort zone to include new techniques and materials. In addition to my usual graphite, paint pens, and acrylic, I'll be experimenting with oils and watercolors for the first time in a bit. The place I want to take these series demands more blending, fluidity, and lushness. I'm hoping oils and watercolors can help bring me there.

Piece 1, called Wind, demonstrates an experiment with watercolors, plus some new pens. I like that she turned out more ethereal than what I could capture with my previous toolbox.

Prints available soon!

Transmission -- A New Illustration

2013-01-17T12:51:00.000-08:00

Transmission
2013 | 18 x 23 | pencils and paint markers on heavyweight paper

Here's the Transmission, but in words:

We live in a Both-And world, not Either-Or.

Sometimes people get stuck in feeling a lack of love, that there's not enough to go around. There is! Just shake off the cobwebs of fear and awaken to your own love within. Expand it, like light growing brighter, and find your faith in the universe. Take the steps you need to, to reach your goals, but also hold "don't know" mind, to allow for the external world to do it's part too.

Let go of worry. Breathe and know that you are safe. You are Loved. Everything is wonderful right now, and will be in the future.

My Thoughts on the Newtown, CT Shooting Tragedy

2012-12-16T15:01:00.001-08:00

What is it about our society that is churning out mentally unstable, violent beings at a disproportionate rate compared to the rest of the world?

I don't know if it's violent media, early drug prescriptions, fluo rescent lights, sugar, stress, lack of exercise, exposure to toxic chemicals, heavy metals, GMOs, or a combination of all and more, to create the perfect storm of insanity...

But we all know this culture needs massive change. What can we do in our own worlds to help a culture emerge that is peaceful, loving, kind, compassionate, healthy, and safe?

In my own little bubble, I've chosen to be vegan for the last 17 years; it's the easiest way for me to contribute to compassion in our collective consciousness. I want do more. The paradigm of violence, especially against innocents, has got to stop.

I've been crying with the rest of the country, and my heart aches over this. As it does for the children needlessly, recklessly, immorally killed by America's drone strikes in the Middle East.

The days are getting darker, but in less than a week, the winter Solstice will be upon us, and we must remember to shine forth our light, as the sun returns.

I can imagine a peaceful, green planet, where humans live sustainably, with integrity. We have so much creative potential, let's all work to support visions of a harmonious world in every way we possibly can!

Hunting the Elusive: An Illuminated Portrait

2012-11-14T14:08:00.000-08:00

Narwhal Triumph
2012 | 20 x 24" | paints and graphite on vellum

Disclaimer: the subject and artist are vegetarian and vegan and fully non-violent. This is a violent-seeming piece but don't panic; it's just playfully weird.

To me, this piece is about three things: Play, Hunting the Elusive, and Triumphing over those Mysterious Depths. Of course, I think in metaphors and maybe this isn't what Rob had in mind when he choose "Narwhal Hunter" as his halloween costume for Festival 8. But creating this crazy character marks him as one of the more imaginative and hilarious people I know, and I wanted to celebrate that moment with graphite and paint.

The Spirit of Narwhal calls to the imagination and deeper truths. Narwhal embodies freedom, fantasy and beauty. Narwhal energy helps you open your mind and discover hidden meanings.

A deep-diving mammal, Narwhal is the unicorn of the sea. Narwhal energy stimulates romance and flights of fancy. Dreams and ideas can be vivid and multi-dimensional. The Narwhal spirit enhances perception, and reveals subconscious or universal truths. In captivity, narwhals don't live long. The Spirit of Narwhal urges you to choose the path of freedom, be true to your nature, and fill your life with passion and wonder.

Narwhal energy can help heal emotional wounds and soothe a broken heart. On the reverse side, beware of losing perspective, submerging yourself in fantasy to flee an unpleasant reality, or drowning in the cold dark depths of a loveless soul.

This speed drawing video shows the piece unfolding:

Narwhal Triumph :: An Illuminated Portrait by Meghan Oona Clifford from meghan oona clifford on Vimeo.

The Universe is a Dream Machine :: How to Make Vision Boards Work for You

2012-10-24T16:45:00.000-07:00

"The universe is a big dream machine, churning out dreams and transforming them into reality, and our own dreams are inextricably woven into the overall scheme of things." ~Deepak Chopra

In the dark of April's Super Powerful New Moon Portal of 2011, a friend and I creatively engaged with our visions. We wrote down our goals and cut up images of them, creating Vision Boards. And they worked. Not only did everything on mine came true, but was the best year of my life (so far!)

Being such a visual person, the language of the vision board works for me really well. It brings the ephemeral world of dreams into reality by making the intentions palpable.

I recently finished another for 2012-13, and I love staring at it throughout my day. We really can make dreams come true!

Tips to Make Your Vision Board:

1. Gather your tools: your favorite pen and paper. A firm piece of poster board. A glue stick, scissors, and magazines.

2. Allow time and space to create a little ritual for it. Light some candles. Turn on some relaxing music. Sip some peppermint tea.

3. Start with your goals. Brainstorm on some scrap paper first. Use statements that start with "I will..."

4. Write 10 Goals, a sentence for each one.

5. If there are certain traits you've been wanting to stress more lately, use them as much as possible. i.e. "I will....with compassion." "I will...with authenticity."

6. If there's anything you need to let go of before moving forward, be sure to include that in your goals: "I will let go off ____ in order to _____"

7. Cut out words and images from your magazines that support your goals. You can also search Google images and Pinterest for more ideas. Arrange, and glue, and enjoy the process.

8. Hang it over your desk, or somewhere you see everyday. Allow the images to become real.

A Dream: Down the Octopus Path to The Water Place

2012-10-17T14:59:00.000-07:00

My sister showed me cages full of octopuses, then loading me up with a few to transfer/save. I had to carry them in my clothes which was making me very squeamish, obviously!

From there, R and I were at a Phish show, then leaving it, separately, along a long, winding, treacherous, narrow path. I had to balance carefully as some parts of the path narrowed into a slippery balance beam over ocean waters. Looking back, I saw people falling off, but onto soft sand, so it really wasn't as bad as it seemed.

I knew we had to get to "The Water Place." We lived in a cave there, and just wanted to sit at the intersection of the moving waters, which were many mossy streams converging under a forest canopy. When we stood on the shallow waters, the bubbling made an ethereal music that sounded like light.

On the way there, I ran into a couple who was divorcing. They had children and I tried to convince them to stay together. The wife, who looked like St. Vincent, was bored. I told her the honeymoon period doesn't last forever, but love can. The husband thought if they moved to Madison, they'd be okay.

I finally found R waiting for me very patiently, and we headed towards The Water Place. Phish was playing there, but it was too loud, and eventually stopped so we just listen to the water.

I just discovered Dreamcatcher.net, so also posted this dream there. I'm excited to join an online dreamers community, as my dreams are usually vivid, sometimes lucid, and always amazing.

Artist Statement for Visual Taoism Series

2012-10-12T15:11:00.000-07:00

Visual Taoism
Meghan Oona Clifford
Artist Statement, 2012

This series is a visual Taoism of sorts. The universe seems to require both chaotic flow and mathematical order. To study this mystery, I'm playing with the dualites of abstraction/conception, entropy/structure, flow/alignment.

Using acrylics and paint pens on wood and canvas, I create abstract voids and fullness, intricately woven waves and geometric mandalas, to visually explore both chaos and order.

I'm especially intrigued with where this chaos and order unify, and seeming dualities become one.

Click here to see online portfolio

Gravity Studies: An Ongoing Artistic Obsession

2012-09-26T12:36:00.000-07:00

I have an obsession confession; I am compelled to photograph every thread that randomly comes across my path. Thread, rope, string, twine; whatever it is, I never disturb it, only document it's state of being.

I wonder about the story behind each piece; it fell, it remains there, unnoticed by most, until once again, the world will sweep it up into it's next location. It's random, chaotic, unimportant, and yet to me, interesting enough to stop me in my tracks and take notice, every time.

For my previous post on this weird artistic habit of mine, please check out Falling Apart at the Seams, from 2009.

Post-9/11 Art : Leaves No Trace

2012-09-11T11:41:00.000-07:00

NPR asks "Are All Young Artists 'Post-9/11' Artists? "Their worldview is defined by the angst, the unease, the trepidation of the difficulties of the 21st century," he says.

I think most humans struggle with these feelings throughout history. However, 9/11 being the first attack of our lifetimes on American soil, did ripple into our cultural landscape and into our collective soul.

I didn't artistically respond to 9/11 until a few years later, the day I watched 9/11, the French documentary about the NY fire department, which just happened to place them there at the time of the tragedy. I lived out in the woods with no TV on 9/11/01, but emerged to go to grad school at the San Francisco Art Institute, during which we watched this documentary in a class called Personal Culture.

Needless to say, the horror finally hit home. The film crew was up in the mix with the firefighters every step of the way, and the fear was palpable. I went home reeling, and immediately contrived and filmed the short video piece below, as a visual way to process the impermanence of all life.

Sonal: New Illuminated Portrait

2012-09-10T12:07:00.000-07:00

Sonal
2012 | 20 x 24" | paints and graphite on vellum

Buy Prints
Canvas, metal, and acrylic prints
Original
See the Full Illuminated Portraiture Series

I've been antsy to work with this photo for awhile, but the move (pics coming soon!) and a crazy summer deterred me. It felt great to finally unearth the half-started vellum and crack it out. I love her enthusiastic expression; something about it just said to me "Light."

I took some artistic liberty and repositioned her arm to be interacting with the light beam. For the first time, I merged geometric work and portraiture with flowing abstraction. I think the three modes wound up working pretty well together.

Here's some snapshots of the process:

Many thanks to the beautiful and enigmatic Sonal and her photographer friend!

Details:

Freefloat: An Illuminated Portrait

2012-08-23T15:51:00.000-07:00

Freefloat
2012 | 16 x 20" | paint pens, colored pencils, and graphite on vellum
Buy Prints
Buy Original

See the Full Illuminated Portraiture Series

This piece marks delightful revelry at it's most innocent and timeless; the ephemeral joy of blowing bubbles on the 4th of July, creating one's own floating galaxy for the spirit to drift away on. I wanted to capture cosmic champagne bubbling over into our souls.

Thank you Lizzy, for embodying this playfulness of spirit that I’m always chasing to illuminate.

In progress...

...adding background flow...

...almost done...

...Detail 1...

...Detail 2...

Life-Affirming Bliss: A Mystical Review of Phish

2012-08-20T18:08:00.000-07:00

It's Round Two of Phish Tour this summer and my soul is soaring like a dove because of it. Often at a show, I have a moment of doubt and irritation, "I'm over this, too old for this, it's too much..." This immediately disintegrates into creative movement, deep connections with open hearted people, and then, with new and old friends, a merging into Oneness. The music leads us there.

On the third night at the historic Bill Graham, Phish decided to utterly destroy the venue with a mind-blowing, non-stop dance party that continued into the streets of foggy San Francisco even after they took their last bow.

I've heard the term "Journey Work" from my dentist, of all people, in regards to the nitrous experience, and during "Bug," at my 85th Phish show, the lyrics and music went so deep into my cellular structure, to evoke a whole psychological release of things that simply don't matter.

Thus freed, my heart opened with delight at Trey's divinely downloaded guitar plucking during YEM. He can tickle your soul with his talent. Trey talks about "getting out of the way of the music," and "being a channel," and he accomplished this with great mastery this weekend. In this way Phish provides a modern day shamanic service, akin to mystics of old, but now inspiring so many people to get back to themselves, together.

I workout at the gym, but this was the best workout of the year. Transcendentally healing dance parties are definitely the best way to go to keep your heart and body in tip top form. Celebrating with friends is such an important part of existence. Humans forever have been dancing together by the primordial fire, and to get to experience that ancient expression in such a massive group, with supremely stylized, musical wizardry, has been a huge part of my artistic development.

Feeling incredibly grateful.

For a little bit more about My Adventures in Phish, read "The Source of Inspiration: Phish Shows in the Summertime", and check out "Meghan Oona featured in Surrender to the Flow!"

Here's more on Trey Anastasio's process.

And here's a lovely review of Phish 8.19.12 by the Oakland Tribune: "There are nights when the Phish guys can come across, at least for a song or two, as mere mortals. Not on this night. Not on Sunday, Aug. 19, 2012. On this night, they were golden gods of rock 'n' roll...."

Set One: "Crowd Control" "Party Time" "Axilla I" "Reba" "Free" "Mound" "Walk Away" "NICU" "Back on the Train" "Gotta Jibboo" "Roggae" "David Bowie" Set Two: "Crosseyed And Painless" > "Light" > "Sneakin' Sally Thru the Alley" > "Crosseyed and Painless" "Theme From the Bottom" "Rocky Top" "Boogie on Reggae Woman" "Meatstick" "Bug" "You Enjoy Myself" Encore: "Ride Captain Ride" "Tweezer Reprise"

Thoughts from Trey:

“Any musician is a channel, there’s no question in my mind about that…the musician's job is to do work in a disciplined way and learn as much about music as possible, so that they can get completely out of the way”

"The musician only has one job, and that's to listen. Listening is the essence of all great musicianship."

“If we let go, and we get our hands off it, I can sense that the connection between the music itself and the audience gets... bigger.”

“And I can tell you, like in many disciplines, it takes work to let go!”

~Trey Anastasio

Void Studies

2012-08-17T10:52:00.000-07:00

f.

a. The Feminine, Spacious as the Sky, by Miriam and Jose Arguelles. Northwest Coast Indian totem pole, symbolizing ceaseless generation from infinite space.
b. Ibid. Supreme Goddess as Void, India, 19th century.
c. Tantra: The Indian Cult of Ecstasy, by Philip Rawson. "Cosmic sun. Tanjore, 18th century. Wood, painted 12 in. Ajit Mookerjee, New Delhi.
d. The Ritual Art of India, by Ajit Mookerjee. "Pure consciousness, the metacosmic void. (Rajasthan, c. 18th century. Gouache on paper)
e. Ibid. Yoni with vegetation issuing from it, painted on a house-wall. (Rajasthan. Contemporary expression of traditional form)
f. Untitled, by Jørund Aase Falkenberg (WP no. 3), Acrylic on wall, ca. 5×5 m, Reconfigure, The Drawing Room, London 2008

Highlights from Meghan Oona: Illuminated Art of Flow Opening at Black Faun

2012-08-06T17:27:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictorial highlights from my lovely weekend opening at the Black Faun Gallery. A celebratory time was had by all; the sangria flowed and the art looked positively royal against the unique purple walls.

Many thanks go out to Jehmima, Sievert, Kevin, Roman, Esther, Bean, and Robbie D for helping make it happen. Enjoy!

Me with Mindscape of Optimal Flow.

Black Faun Art Gallery

Event Vertex Meets the Light

Hestia

Mindscape of Optimal Flow

Dionysus with Erleichda, an animated / video projection piece

Hestia and Anteros

Grail-keeper and She Who Traverses Through Space

Custom hand-painted hats

Grail-keeper

Alignment and High Priestess of Space

Mystic Humboldt

Home Sweet SF

To purchase any of these originals, they're now on my Etsy Store. Prints are available here.

Meghan Oona Clifford: Art of Illuminated Flow Opening at Black Faun Gallery

2012-08-01T14:58:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends! Black Faun Gallery will host an art opening for me called Art of Illuminated Flow, this Sat the 4th, coinciding with the ArtsAlive walk from 6-11.

I'll be showing Illuminated Portraiture and my Alignment/Flow series, plus an animated video piece. Originals, prints, organic clothing, free gifts, and more! The Strawberry Sangria will be flowing so come on by to celebrate!

The Black Faun 120 2nd St., Eureka, California 95501
More Event Info Here.

The Source of Inspiration: Phish Shows in the Summertime

2012-07-16T11:55:00.000-07:00

In my life there have been a few consistent sources of major inspiration; walks through nature, falling in love, discovering interconnectedness on the web, and... celebrating and dancing with friends at Phish shows.

It's not for everyone but it is for ME. And about a thousand of my closest friends. You can read all about my involvement with Phish, and my portrait series of Phish kids here.

Below are the few pictures I took of this first leg. I was too busy living to remember to take pictures, but the ones I did capture bring me right back to the summer heat, the sense that I'm Home, and the joy in my heart.

North of Chi:

Gary IN

Alpine Welcome

Dancin Shoes

Going In

Trey and his Magical Guitar

New Friends

Pavillion

Sunrise Drive

Wind Power

Reminds me of lazy teenage days reading On the Road by Jack Kerouac, wishing for the freedom to get on that mystical highway. One day, you realize Freedom is your middle name!

Who's your Archetype?

2012-06-18T14:25:00.001-07:00

1.the original pattern or model from which all things of the same kind are copied or on which they are based; a modelor first form; prototype.
2.(in Jungian psychology) a collectively inherited unconsciousidea, pattern of thought, image, universally present individual psyches.

Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell, my heroes! If you're interested in delving deep into archetypes and mythology, get up with these giants, they will rock your world!

There are so many vastly varying cultural traditions yet so many similar origin stories and archetypes. It seems crazy but our humanity is somehow linked together with our collective unconscious stories.

As a child I gobbled up Greek myths, and as a young adult enjoyed (for entertainment purposes more than anything) astrological archetypes, tarot characters, and the Hero's Journey that we see, all day long, in our novels and movies. Think: Lord of the Rings and Star Wars.

I wound up identifying with several characters, and in doing so, learned to embody certain traits within this story of my own life. For instance:

Artemis comes in handy during breakups; it was she, after all, who made her father Zeus promise to never make her marry... strong, independent spirit as she was.

I exude Aphrodite's essence when I'm busting out all the romantic stops to let my boyfriend know he's so loved and appreciated ;)

As The Empress, I invite friends and family into my home to celebrate with decadence and a dash of debauchery.

The High Priestess in me serves as intermediary between Idea-land and this material world, allowing me to ferry illuminations across the mysterious waters through my creativity.

The Princess of Cups shows up sometimes too, with her gentle, intuitive nature, guiding my choice to be vegan, and tread lightly upon the earth.

And lastly, The Moon appears as my dreamworld, a vast and lucid journey through another land I find equally real as this one.

Who are your archetypes? If you've never thought about this, start here:

Which characters in your favorite movies / tv shows do you identify most with? Who inspires you?

Investigate the "Major Arcana" of the tarot deck. Which cards speak to you most?

Look around your space. What figures/characters/people are represented? The visual keepsakes you hang on your walls are clues to your own, inner self.

What were your favorite stories as a child?

If you're familiar with Greek myths, who are your favorite Gods and Goddesses?
Left to Right:
Demeter, Goddess of the Harvest, holding baby
Persephone, Hades' kidnapped bride of the Underworld.
Hermes, God of Thieves and Travelers.
Hephaestus, God of Fire.
Aphrodite, Goddess of Love.
Aries, God of War.
Hera, Goddess of Marriage.
Zeus, God of Lightning Bolts and Gods.
Poseidon, God of the Sea.
Athena, Goddess of Wisdom.
Apollo, God of the Sun and Music.
Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt and Wilderness.
Dionysus, God of Wine.
(center) Hestia, Goddess of the Hearth.

*

*D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths
** Spiral Tarot by Kay Stevenson

Look over your answers... Do you see any patterns emerge? These patterns can give you a clue to the personality traits you either already exhibit, or maybe you're gravitating towards so you can learn to integrate the lessons these characters provide into your Way of Being.

These archetypes will morph over time throughout your life. Take the time to hang out with your archetypes, they have wisdom to bestow!

Your Sweet Spot: Guide to Unleashing Your Flow

2012-06-13T10:21:00.001-07:00

I have some insight to offer, especially in the realm of Sacred Creativity, Inspired Craftsmanship, and Effective Illumination. But sometimes -- A Confession -- I stop short of sharing what I've learned over the years, maybe because sometimes I feel like no one's listening, it's all been said before, no one cares, or maybe I still have a bit of the inner "who do I think I am to dish out my crazy insights, anyway?" (Wah.) But then my kick-ass can-do attitude returns to remind me that not only do I have a bangin resume, but each year my art practice and clothing company grow more and I know there's value to share from those experiences.

Keeping all this in mind, I'm about to shower you all with some wisdom! I've developed some handy tricks to maintain the workflow, and it's these I'm sharing today:

You know the feeling of Flow -- that optimal experience of losing track of time because you're so absorbed in your process. I read a bunch of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's work, including Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, which focuses on the psychology of and stories from highly creative people. Fascinating stuff, and from it I've found myself more observant of my own patterns, and what it takes for me to find that sweet spot...

Unleash the juiciness that is Flow with any of these ideas that float your boat:

Work in spirals.

If you were to trace your daily movements from above, would it be a straight line from your desk to the bathroom and back again? Break it up! Create different work stations and areas of your space that include sitting, lying down, standing, drawing, computing, pacing... whatever full spectrum of active engagement you like best, make room for it, and add it to your process.

Playlist it up.

Music is a miraculous tool. Make different playlists according to your needs and utilize appropriately. If you're in a communal work situation, have headphones on hand. I call my playlists: a.m. sweetness, dance party, deeper nighttime, happy fluffy, haunting, hip hope, hypo, meditational techniques, preppin, and run towards. Depending on my mood, I'll listen to hypno when I'm painting, dance party when I'm organizing, and deeper nighttime when I'm writing. Make your playlists work for you!

Be lazy.

I don't really mean lazy lazy. But studies have shown that insights and solutions come during downtime. So be sure to get 8 hours of sleep each night, take long hot baths, enjoy lingering lunches, and trust that your brain is still chewing on the problems while you're relaxing, and will spit out the solution when least burdened.

Ritual.

My morning ritual includes brewing a large french press of mate and only then do I feel like I'm ready for work. It's not the caffeine per say, but the reassuring cup-in-hand. Like a blankie, but for productivity. Find your blankie.

Morning Maté
Everyone likes their morning elixir just so. Here's how I do it.

Add Boiling Water to French Press containing 1-3 Scoops of Maté, in 1/4 C Cold Water. Steep for 5 minutes, strain into cups.

Add: 1 Dropper-full of Liquid Vanilla Stevia
Unsweetened Oatmilk to taste
Optional: Peppermint extract, to taste. Ice, for hot days

Research.

That word "research" isn't very sexy. But it is so exciting to live in this time, with access to a world of artists, writers, thinkers, and spiritual seekers that all connected on the web. What works for me is Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Gmail, Reader, and Blogger. Plus a series of bookmarks labeled "Art Sources, Spirit, Health, Family, Dreams, Music, and Soc-Poli-Eco." However you organize your web surfing, surf the waves that bring you the most joyful inspiration, and surf often.

A lovely chat.

If you have a partner or super cool mom or a good friend, have a nice chat with them about your current project. Sometimes feedback from your sounding board, or even just their presence, can lead you to Solutionville.

Shake that Ass.

Move your body, get your cells happy. Do yoga, dance, walk, do cardio, whatever works best for you. If you can get sweaty, that much better. Sauna-cold shower-sauna-cold shower works wonders. I've had so many insights come during a workout it's unbelievable. I like to have my iPhone on me so I can type in Notes during cardio.

Get Wasted.

Well not wasted, wasted, but a glass of wine or 2 can go a long way to unleashing some creative thinking. Get relaxed, unwind, find that sweet spot. Reboot.

Self-Inquiry.

Dive into your core. I tend to love workbooks and self-helpy kinda guides that move me towards my truest essence. Meditation can also quiet the mind and connect you with the inner creative field. Or try out these 50 questions to reposition your thought process with some fresh perspective.

Organize!

Your space should feel like mission control for your sacred work. A little creative mess is one thing but after each project, spend some time (it doesn't take long) with some music on, cleaning, organizing, and sorting. You'll feel freshly renewed to tackled your next thing.

These work for me, hope they bring some inspiration to your process as well! Anyone have anymore tips for gettin er done? :)

*(c) Wake up World

Color Study: What's Blue and White and Red all Over?

2012-06-08T13:56:00.000-07:00

Do certain colors follow you around?

I go through color phases where a dominant combo will pervade all aspects of my life... until the next one does. For years, oranges and blues together were my thing. Lately, the oranges have shifted to reds and pinks. I laughed when I realized it's all patriotic up in this joint but blues and reds are just gorgeous together, and Betsy Ross would surely agree.

I collect paint swatches with no intention to paint!

My living room pillow collection. (I designed and handmade the turquoise flower pillow :)

My place of dreams.

A tapestry I bought in the Yucatan when I was 10.

Candle holder from Whole Foods, Owl from Target.

My mugs and cups.

A hat I made with this hue-scape in mind.

A similar palette from Design Seeds, based on a horrifically unhealthy looking dessert ;)

Oh and have you seen my blog header lately? ;)

"Red is the color of fire and blood, so it is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love. Red is a very emotionally intense color. It enhances human metabolism, increases respiration rate, and raises blood pressure. It has very high visibility, which is why stop signs, stoplights, and fire equipment are usually painted red...

Light red represents joy, sexuality, passion, sensitivity, and love. Pink signifies romance, love, and friendship. It denotes feminine qualities and passiveness. Dark red is associated with vigor, willpower, rage, anger, leadership, courage, longing, malice, and wrath...

Blue is the color of the sky and sea. It is often associated with depth and stability. It symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven.

Blue is considered beneficial to the mind and body. It slows human metabolism and produces a calming effect. Blue is strongly associated with tranquility and calmness. In heraldry, blue is used to symbolize piety and sincerity...

...blue suppresses appetite. When used together with warm colors like yellow or red, blue can create high-impact, vibrant designs; for example, blue-yellow-red is a perfect color scheme for a superhero...

Light blue is associated with health, healing, tranquility, understanding, and softness. Dark blue represents knowledge, power, integrity, and seriousness." - Color Wheel Pro

The Void.

2012-06-06T12:05:00.000-07:00

The Void
2012 | 40 x 20" | acrylic and paint pen on canvas

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I finally finished The Void piece! My back hurts from hunching over the final details for the last two days but I’m happy with the end result.

Long fascinating with emptiness, spaces between, and the void, (see last 2 posts for void research and void pictures), I became inspired to create a piece to explore how this feels to me. In my view, the void is yin to the source's yang. It's not the spark, it's the quiet from which the spark comes from. It's pre-sound, pre-conception, pre-cognition. We reach it through meditation, when all of our "self" falls away, and the peaceful emptiness washes away our ego. It's the space between the inhale and exhale. It's the pure field of possibility.

A lot of my work blends the duality of extremely precise handiwork with a more freely flowing style. This is no exception. The paint drips act as a veil between our mundane world and where the Void resides; to access it takes intentional awareness.

"Pure unorganized creativity, the void, chaos, inspiration and beauty have to come first. We must become comfortable with this space of holding all possibilities without form. Then the vision and intention and organization will follow naturally and without any effort. Chaos never remains unorganized for long. This is one of the principles of the universe and we must let go of our need to always control the chaos we perceive around us. The need to control chaos is rooted in the fear of the feminine and thus breeds a fear of creativity, destruction and change." ~Lena Stevens

Wanderer, stay hungry, and honor your exile. Wherever we came from in the first place, that's where we're headed. ....Jelalludin Rumi, 12th cent.

Also, I just joined Instagram! Please follow "Meghan_Oona" for my photographic explorations. So far it's mostly wine, a design, and handsome men ;)

Ancient Depictions of The Void

2012-06-01T12:06:00.000-07:00

As artists and humans, we want to investigate and explore everything. So how do we make a picture of "nothing"? I've been fascinated with "depictions of nothing" for years, especially these more ancient renditions, below.

Is this "nothing" the beginning or the end? The source or the goal? Is this nothing in us all the time, despite all the "somethings" that keep our ego-life so busy? I think, yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes.

As Sir Ken Robinson describes in his TED talk, a little girl in a classroom was drawing and the teacher went over to investigate. "What are you drawing?" she asked, and the girl replied, "I'm drawing God." The teacher told her that nobody knows what God looks like, and the girl responded, "They will soon."

...and one modern depiction... f.

a. The Feminine, Spacious as the Sky, by Miriam and Jose Arguelles. Northwest Coast Indian totem pole, symbolizing ceaseless generation from infinite space.
b. Ibid. Supreme Goddess as Void, India, 19th century.
c. Tantra: The Indian Cult of Ecstasy, by Philip Rawson. "Cosmic sun. Tanjore, 18th century. Wood, painted 12 in. Ajit Mookerjee, New Delhi.
d. The Ritual Art of India, by Ajit Mookerjee. "Pure consciousness, the metacosmic void. (Rajasthan, c. 18th century. Gouache on paper)
e. Ibid. Yoni with vegetation issuing from it, painted on a house-wall. (Rajasthan. Contemporary expression of traditional form)
f. Untitled (WP no. 3), by Jørund Aase Falkenberg, Acrylic on wall, ca. 5×5 m, Reconfigure, The Drawing Room, London 2008

Meditations on The Void

2012-05-31T12:39:00.000-07:00

void [void] noun
8. an empty space; emptiness: He disappeared into the void.
9. something experienced as a loss or privation: His death left a great void in her life.
10. a gap or opening, as in a wall.
11. a vacancy; vacuum.
Origin: 1250–1300; (adj.) Middle English voide < Anglo-French, Old French < Vulgar Latin *vocīta, feminine of *vocītus,
dissimilated variant of Latin vocīvus, itself variant of vac ( ī ) vus empty; see vacuum; (v.) Middle English voiden < Anglo-
French voider, Old French < Vulgar Latin *vocītāre, derivative of *vocītus; (noun) derivative of the adj.