Poudre River Arts Center and dream-inspired sculpture

Tomorrow I move into my new studio and gallery at Poudre River Arts Center. I am so excited! It is a beautiful space with so much potential. The Center has been in operation for nearly a year and has hosted a number of art shows, auctions, fundraisers, and art classes. I'm betting there is so much more that can be done and what can be offered.

I have signed up for the events committe, which (as I understand it) will be responsible for making arrangements and taking care of details for events that the Poudre River Art Association votes to do. Soon we will have our first anniversary party/art show.

I taught the second class of mosaics a couple of days ago, which was really fun. We finished design and will start adhering tesserae (glass) to the substrate (picture frame)next class. I love to spend time with and share ideas with fellow creatives.

Today I'll be working on the dream sculpture. This weekend I'll take a new picture and then post it here, before I move it to my studio/gallery at PRAC. It'll be a work in progree there. I'd like to be mostly done with it by the First Friday in May.

I'll end this with one of my favorite quotes:

Art attracts us only
by what it reveals of
our most secret self.
~Jean Lue Godard~

Dreamgroup

Today I facilitate my monthly dream group with 4 talented dreamers. It's a nice intimate group, a perfect size, at least in my opinion. It's amazing what depth and "ahas" we get to in 2 short hours.

I found a quote about art that also fits the kind of dream work that I do. As we sit in circle, and listen to someone sharing their dream, we use our empathy, creativity and imagination when we "take on" the dream as our own. Dreams speak in soul language which makes dreams universal. My approach to dreamwork is that the dreams shared in circle is exactly the dreams that we all need to hear, talk about, learn and grow from, as individuals and as a group.

Imagination is the eye of the soul.
~Joubert~

Art quote

Today I'll be taking some "wall minis" to the Artist Nook to sell - two with hearts, one with inspire, and one with create on it. They're 3 inches by 3 inches - something that you can put on your wall to remind of to be more loving, to create, to live an inspired life...whatever your intention is. I have mosaiced an even smaller "wall mini" with believe on it - it's my favorite.

Here's a quote I love - I love Abraham Maslow. He talked a lot about self actualization, which is a part of the "gold" that we search for, something that Carl Jung also talked about...

A musician must make music,
an artist must paint,
a poet must write,
if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself.
What one can be, one must be.
~Abraham Maslow~

Have a great day!!

An art quote

Today I teach a Beginning Mosaics class. It's my first class and I'm really excited. We'll start out by sealing the substrate (it's a picture frame today) and then working on the design of the mosaic. I doubt I'll have any time to work on the dream sculpture or Epiphany pot since I have dream group today too.

I love Rumi - and this quote is one of my favorites. Art mirrors the artist, the people who view it and the world...

Body of earth,
Don’t talk of earth.
Tell the story of pure mirrors.
The Creator has given you this splendor.
Why talk of anything else?
~Rumi~

Quote of the day

Someone sent me this quote today, which reflects the essence of Law of Attraction, that everything begins with a thought. Some people get into that magical thinking, that all they have to do is want and ask for what they want and it'll show up in their lives. This quote reflects all that changes with a thought, that it is a process, and it all begins with us.

Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
~ Frank Outlaw

Dream sculpture: Transition

The Transition dream sculpture is coming along - I mosaiced about 1/4 of the water late last night. This morning, it looks pretty good. Sometimes I'm not sure how something looks until I've had some distance and time away. Sleep is an amazing way to get perspective.

As I look back, I see that the process of creating the sculpture has been paralleling my process of transition from psychotherapist to professional artist and dreamworker. For months, I was stuck on the sculpture because I was stuck in my life. I have seemed to tread water ever since I left the mental health center almost 3 years ago. I have mosaiced all kinds of items, like furniture, flower pots, mirrors, crosses; and I have sold many pieces. The sculpture just sat there, haunting and naked.

In the last couple of months, I decided to start selling all of my professional books (that I used to have in my therapy office), as well as books that I won't read or need again. As I packed each book, I silently thanked and blessed the person for buying the book as well as releasing my intention that I had at the time that I bought the book. It was time to move on and selling the books felt really good. I was finally making steps to do that.

A part of the Law of Attraction is that you state what you want, "put it out there", listen and heed inspired thoughts and ideas, and you find yourself where you want to be. Most of my therapy books are released and in hands who need them. I have the books that I still want and love. I am creating the life that I love, including mosaicing the Transition dream sculpture. It'll be done by First Friday in May, to symbolize transition is finished - at least this step of transition!

Transition continues to make its transition

I continue to work on Transition...as I transition into the newest phase of my life.

Epiphany pot, Dream sculpture, and Poudre River Arts Center

It's spring - happy spring! Between the snowy, cold days and warmer spring days, I have completed part of the face on the Epiphany pot. I now need to mosaic the lips in bright red, which will be fun. So far the consensus is that it's funky and pretty cool (testimonial by some 14 year old boys anyway!). I will have my computer guru help me post a picture of the Epiphany pot soon - I've given up on being able to figure it out by myself.

The dream sculpture, called Transition, is coming along - the tesserae is all nipped and shaped, and some are even adhered to the base. It's looking pretty good and soon it'll have a home. Pictures coming soon.

I have taken the plunge - I have decided to have a studio/gallery at the Poudre River Arts Center in Fort Collins. I move in on April 20th. I'm very excited to join in the artist community of the Center. My studio will feature my dream sculpture and dream pole in process, as well as other dream art. I will also have some of my mirrors and crosses too...and who knows what else.

Epiphany pot

I've been working on my dream inspired sculpture, very slowly anyway. Today I will sand it so I can work on the face/death mask. I think the colors of the water will be blacks, grays, blues, and perhaps some purple - not sure about the purple.

I have also started another project. I freecycle and I look for different items to transform into a piece of art. Recently I received a large toilet from a fellow freecycler, which was to be transformed into an "Epiphany pot", inspired by something that I saw in one of my favorite tv shows, Scrubs. My epiphany pot will have a face and other features on the toilet, along with with plants growing in its tank, symbolizing the epiphany. I don't think it'll be anything anyone will want to sit on though. I have taken a picture of the toilet with one eye and some of the eyebrow and nose done already. I think it would be really fun to share the process of the transformation of the toilet into a piece of art. But you know, epiphanies are a part of transformation - how appropriate!!