As regular readers may know, my art process is intuitive and usually without a preconceived idea about what will emerge. I do not set about to make representations of particular things or ideas; rather, I start with materials (e.g. bones, bark or other detritus; intriguing papers or fabric; or compelling pre-printed images), and see what "wants" to go with what (to be combined into something new)--what wants to emerge. I typically have a general form in mind--I would know I am working on a figural sculpture, for example, or a mask, or a piece that is part of a series relating to boats and crossings--vessels that take us from one place to another. Any given piece reveals itself in the process, however, and I m always having to I discover what feels right and where and how it should go.
Since the process is fluid, I am often unsure what the piece may be "about" until it is finished. I have learned from the SoulCollage(R) process to let it speak to me --I ask it to tell me about itself, in its own voice. (In SoulCollage, we ask the finished collage to speak in the first person, to tell it who and what it is and what it wants us to know.) In the last five years or so I have begun to use this kind of inquiry with almost everything I make. It's a form of channeling.
The messages that emerge often repeat over and over, with persistent themes. They reflect back to me what I am dealing with or picking up on--sometimes my own issues, but even more what is going on in the broader energetic field in which we live. Last year I chronicled the way my own SoulCollage cards were tracking the return of the divine feminine. I had started making images about patriarchy and how it was oppressing both women and men, but realized that over time, the images showed that the divine feminine was getting stronger, even edging into a kind of gender-blending. (Now I am seeing this in the culture at large, with the whole non-binary gender phenomenon seeming to intensify by the day). I documented much of this progression in my blog post of October 10, 2018, so please scroll down through the archives to review that if you are interested.
The same process seems to happen with all the things I make, whether it's two dimensional collage or three dimensional assemblage, or poetry, and it even extends to this blog itself, for my posts follow what feels like it "wants" to be shared at any given time. It's fascinating to see how this all plays out.
I'll share a few examples today, and (especially if I get any positive feedback) will continue with some different themes in future posts.
One of the themes that has been showing up for years now is the idea that there are emerging energetic changes that are changing our reality--even beyond the shifting balance away from patriarchy, we are moving into a very different consciousness. Many of the images come forward with witnessing figures, who watch the changes; other figures serve as guardians who hold the space. Related images show something emerging, or new energies rising up. This kind of imagery may have first appeared in collage form, but it comes through in three dimensional guardians as well. I'll start with some of the collages (this is just a sampling--it's hard to know where to stop!) and share what they "said" about themselves. To get the message and the full photo, click on the image and look at the caption.
Since the process is fluid, I am often unsure what the piece may be "about" until it is finished. I have learned from the SoulCollage(R) process to let it speak to me --I ask it to tell me about itself, in its own voice. (In SoulCollage, we ask the finished collage to speak in the first person, to tell it who and what it is and what it wants us to know.) In the last five years or so I have begun to use this kind of inquiry with almost everything I make. It's a form of channeling.
The messages that emerge often repeat over and over, with persistent themes. They reflect back to me what I am dealing with or picking up on--sometimes my own issues, but even more what is going on in the broader energetic field in which we live. Last year I chronicled the way my own SoulCollage cards were tracking the return of the divine feminine. I had started making images about patriarchy and how it was oppressing both women and men, but realized that over time, the images showed that the divine feminine was getting stronger, even edging into a kind of gender-blending. (Now I am seeing this in the culture at large, with the whole non-binary gender phenomenon seeming to intensify by the day). I documented much of this progression in my blog post of October 10, 2018, so please scroll down through the archives to review that if you are interested.
The same process seems to happen with all the things I make, whether it's two dimensional collage or three dimensional assemblage, or poetry, and it even extends to this blog itself, for my posts follow what feels like it "wants" to be shared at any given time. It's fascinating to see how this all plays out.
I'll share a few examples today, and (especially if I get any positive feedback) will continue with some different themes in future posts.
One of the themes that has been showing up for years now is the idea that there are emerging energetic changes that are changing our reality--even beyond the shifting balance away from patriarchy, we are moving into a very different consciousness. Many of the images come forward with witnessing figures, who watch the changes; other figures serve as guardians who hold the space. Related images show something emerging, or new energies rising up. This kind of imagery may have first appeared in collage form, but it comes through in three dimensional guardians as well. I'll start with some of the collages (this is just a sampling--it's hard to know where to stop!) and share what they "said" about themselves. To get the message and the full photo, click on the image and look at the caption.
Poems that express this same idea have come through too, and again, it wasn't until after the fact that I realized how aligned these are with the images and their messages. (Remember, these appear over a many-year period). Two recent examples:
The Waiting Ones
They watch closely, these figures,
at the ready, alert,
waiting for the signal, the gate to lower
and the knowing to rush in.
They are your familiars
attuned to the future
and the moment of release.
Witnesses
They stand here, still,
awake and waiting.
They know what’s going on.
Holding presence, holding space,
solidifying energy and making it visible,
amplifiers, directing the sound
lining up the structures and
singing silently to the rising notes
of love.
Here are some examples of the guardians and witnesses that have emerged
in the three dimensional work.
The Waiting Ones
They watch closely, these figures,
at the ready, alert,
waiting for the signal, the gate to lower
and the knowing to rush in.
They are your familiars
attuned to the future
and the moment of release.
Witnesses
They stand here, still,
awake and waiting.
They know what’s going on.
Holding presence, holding space,
solidifying energy and making it visible,
amplifiers, directing the sound
lining up the structures and
singing silently to the rising notes
of love.
Here are some examples of the guardians and witnesses that have emerged
in the three dimensional work.
I do hope readers will share their impressions and responses to this post--to individual pieces and to the whole concept of channeling the energetic field through this kind of art. It seems fairly unique. How does it make you feel? What elements matter most?Where else can I share this body of work (who is supposed to receive it)? What questions do you have? Please let me know. Thank you!
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