I'm sharing in some detail about two of my collages--their genesis, their materials, and how they reinforce my ongoing spiritual (and natural world) journey. The post weaves touches upon my nature adventures, my art-as-inner-guide insights, and my artistic process. Comments welcome!
Several years ago, I made a powerful SoulCollage® card. It was the night of the vernal equinox and one of the first water blessings associated with the protests over the oil pipeline at Standing Rock had just taken place. I was feeling happy, and experiencing a strong flow of energy. The card told me its name is Mor, which seemed almost too much of a pun with “more,” but that was clearly it. Mor had a lot to say:
Several years ago, I made a powerful SoulCollage® card. It was the night of the vernal equinox and one of the first water blessings associated with the protests over the oil pipeline at Standing Rock had just taken place. I was feeling happy, and experiencing a strong flow of energy. The card told me its name is Mor, which seemed almost too much of a pun with “more,” but that was clearly it. Mor had a lot to say:
I am the beautiful metallic man, covered with shiny coins and trailing orange wisps of energy as I ease down the river. I ride my bean raft, my living vessel, and I touch the water as its life-giving energy moves through my hand. It is clear, fresh, clean, and carries away debris in a constant state of renewal. I am abundance and radiance, the man of the future perhaps, the reflector (as a woman is a reflector) but also the shining sun. I am bringing forth this orange energy, which beams vitality and energy, a second chakra creative force. I am an empowered male with very strong legs, and yet my posture is reminiscent of a mermaid, and I am open and receptive. I am a guardian for you, one who brings ease, comfort in the body, and the ability to watch it go by. The orange bits are little energy pixies, enlivening, the forces around you—I show them to you and they trail in my wake, like dragonflies.
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This past fall I made a dimensional collage that came to be called Riding the Waves. It was another manifestation of Mor, I realized, one incorporating natural materials, texture, and mystery. It features elements from a still-unidentified woody pod or root-like structure that I found first on the beach in the Pacific Northwest and then again by a riverbed emptying into Lake Superior. These “fingers” are smooth and almost silky, strong enough to have survived what may have been a long ride in moving water. I love handling and positioning them, aligning with the energy of their exuberant curves. The pointed shape of the figure’s body came from the image of a poulaine, an impractical and showy part of a knight’s armor, and I “tamed” it with a painted mesh paper. The figure’s head is made of soft feathers, and one arm is extended by a piece of fossilized shark’s tooth found near my Gulf Coast home. I created the warm background surface with layers of transparent paper. The oranges recall the orange pixies of the Mor images, and I feel the those colors work well with the pale blue of the frame—they are complementary colors, making the whole piece “pop” and hold the eye. This piece spoke to me, too:
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This past fall I made a dimensional collage that came to be called Riding the Waves. It was another manifestation of Mor, I realized, one incorporating natural materials, texture, and mystery. It features elements from a still-unidentified woody pod or root-like structure that I found first on the beach in the Pacific Northwest and then again by a riverbed emptying into Lake Superior. These “fingers” are smooth and almost silky, strong enough to have survived what may have been a long ride in moving water. I love handling and positioning them, aligning with the energy of their exuberant curves. The pointed shape of the figure’s body came from the image of a poulaine, an impractical and showy part of a knight’s armor, and I “tamed” it with a painted mesh paper. The figure’s head is made of soft feathers, and one arm is extended by a piece of fossilized shark’s tooth found near my Gulf Coast home. I created the warm background surface with layers of transparent paper. The oranges recall the orange pixies of the Mor images, and I feel the those colors work well with the pale blue of the frame—they are complementary colors, making the whole piece “pop” and hold the eye. This piece spoke to me, too:
I am riding the waves, skimming along the shifting energies. I am joyous in this ever-fascinating manifestation and pointing to the ever-emerging future. Note how my waves reach up ready to tickle and welcome me, pointing to the heavens and reaching from their own medium. Note my antennae-like hair strands, picking up the shine and energy of what is above. I too am confident, relaxed, and connected with the spirit world and emerging feminine.
When I make these collages, I let the images and the materials guide me—they have to feel and look right. They hold all the stories and associations of their components--Riding the Waves holds the embodied memories of being outside collecting in three very different natural environments, the years of teaching about poulaines in a costume history class, the satisfying tactile feel of working with paper and feathers. As the same theme comes through so much later, I am excited and gratified: this too represents ease and confidence, joy, the increasing strength of the feminine, the cleansing of water, and the ability to go with the flow. This is an ongoing more-ness (Mor-ness), both reflecting and foretelling the bright energies and the rightness of being in the ever-changing emergent moment.
When I make these collages, I let the images and the materials guide me—they have to feel and look right. They hold all the stories and associations of their components--Riding the Waves holds the embodied memories of being outside collecting in three very different natural environments, the years of teaching about poulaines in a costume history class, the satisfying tactile feel of working with paper and feathers. As the same theme comes through so much later, I am excited and gratified: this too represents ease and confidence, joy, the increasing strength of the feminine, the cleansing of water, and the ability to go with the flow. This is an ongoing more-ness (Mor-ness), both reflecting and foretelling the bright energies and the rightness of being in the ever-changing emergent moment.
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