Forever Soul Art

Friends posted 2 separate posts that relate and leave me in awe. We are all soulfully connected!

Yesterday, Michael McKnight (waving) posted the words below. The words became a person and sat down with me- and followed me around. Asking me to ponder the intensity of the poetry.

“When your soul and mine

have left our bodies and we are

buried alongside each other,

a Potter may one day mould

the dust of both of us

into the same clay.”

--Omar Khayyam

I stood in the shower- the water letting the energy settle upon those words.

Being a sculptress now, I understand these words from an enlightened perspective. The words astounded me. Left me in awe.

How incredible a gift would that be? To take someone’s ashes and create art for the loved ones left behind? A daunting task. A personal incredible process to create one piece of art that holds the last part of your loved one.

Perhaps the ashes should be made into many angel wing ornaments and sent to the loved ones left behind. (grinning)

A bust created capturing the spirit and incredible energy of a loved one- THAT would be an ideal piece of art to make.  A beautiful piece of art with the last particles of that person forever encapsulated into clay. THEN it is fired and last forever, as that new form.

I was scrolling through facebook and KayMarie (waving) had a post with the photo you see above. 

Yesterday, Professor Margaret Keelan (waving) said the thing she loved most about clay is its sustainability after it is fired. Think about this. Most things- decompose. Clay, after it is fired to its highest temperature, is permanent. It can be broken, yes indeed. However, it stays in that shape.  There is a permanence about clay.

Archeologist spend their lives searching for fragments of a past. Shards of clay to give them a peek into what was. I find the idea of creating something much more valuable now. As an artist I am thinking “soulfully” about the art I make now. What will some archeologist say when he picks up the pieces of my art?

I can see him, in my minds eye… Holding my winged woman- and admiring her shape- the details of her wings, and see his smile. (smiling) I LOVE art!

Sing and swing your hips!! (grinning) Thats right- thats right! I can see you smiling!!! FEEL alive- feel the tingling energy running up your spine! Now turn on the music and dance!!!!

P.S.-Mark, everything is ok. No worries. (hugging you tight)

Dignity

I leave with you a beautiful passage by John O' Donohue, from his book: Eternal Echoes.

May we all walk with dignity today! (grinning)

Dignity of  Presence

There is a great beauty in dignity; it is a special quality of presence . It is lovely to behold people who inhabit their own dignity. The human body is its own language. Every gesture you make speaks about who you are. The way you hold yourself, how you walk, sit, speak and touch things tells of your quality  of soul. Some people have a clear dignity of carriage and composure. You sense their self respect and the ease with which they are at home in their own presence.

There is no forcing of presence; they do not drive themselves outwards to impress or ingratiate themselves. Other people squander their dignity completely. They live a half mile out side themselves, their personalities sprung in search of notice and affirmation. Your presence inevitably reveal what you think of yourself. If you do not hold yourself in esteem, it is unlikely that others will respect you either.

When you learn to embrace yourself with a sense of appreciation and affection, you begin to glimpse the goodness and light that is in you, and gradually you will realize that you are worthy of respect from yourself.

When you recognize your limits, but still embrace your life with affection and graciousness, the sense of inner dignity begins to grow.

You become freer and less dependent on the affirmation of outer voices and less troubled by the negativity of others. Now you know that no one has the right to tarnish the image you have of yourself.

There is such a feeling of shame when you let yourself down, when you have acted beneath your dignity.

There is something demeaning about having done something that is “infra dignitatem.” You would give anything to return to the point ten minutes before the fervent and act differently.

Having dignity of presence is not to be equated with being nice, always good, or behaving conventionally.

You can be as free as the wind in your views, beliefs and actions; you could be angry and awkward at times and still hold your dignity.

Neither is dignity equivalent to stiffness or arrogant aloofness of personality. Dignity allows an immense pliability  and diversity of presence, but still holds the sense of worthiness and the honor of a larger horizon of grace and graciousness.

Even in compromising and demeaning situations, you can still hold your sense of dignity. At such times your sense of dignity will keep a space of tranquility about you.

Young at heart

Yesterday was a fabulous day-I was young at heart!  My heart was soaring and skipping along! I got a great critique upon my sculpture and I got to skype with my children last night! (smiling sigh)

I didn’t know how much I missed my babies until I saw them last night. It took a lot to not cry. I was sooo happy!! My  daughter had just had her molars pulled and was recovering and I was relieved to see her. And as I mentioned in my yesterdays blog- it was my son’s birthday!

It was a nice surprise to see them both! We should do it weekly! (grinning)

I am sooo thankful for the people that look over and after my children. Margaret has the best friend- Star, (Waving) who has been helping Margaret heal from her mouth surgery. Thank you Star, I was worried sick about Marg, and you have been an incredible friend and nurse! Rost and Tanya- thank you sweet hearts- I can not thank you enough for loving on David and caring for him. (hugging you all!)

Above you see me trying to hug my sculpture. My art is what keeps me going here! I am in LOVE with creating art! I have learned sooo much about "seeing". Who knew you could relearn to see? Or even to "see" for the first time? Once you see- you can not un-see. (grinning)

Lawrence said: "Be gentle, yet firm with the clay. Do not maul it." He made me laugh about the Beatles. He said- when the musicians would come back to there mansion with their dates, what music would they play? He makes us think and ponder the larger "picture." It is a joy to hang out and learn art with the maestro artist Professor Noble.

Today is ecorche!! I love the body!! I am in love with the body and the beauty of how well put together it is..it astounds me.

I feel like a little kid. You might have played in a stream as a kid, trying to build mud damns or stick damns to control the flow of the water. Think back to those “wonderful world of wow” moments (waving at Anita) and let those memories remind you of those simple wonders. How happy playing in the mud made you feel.
(grinning)

That’s me! Everyday I get up thinking wonderful thoughts about creating incredible art! I get to play with mud everyday!

One day, I will have an art healing center, where you can come and lay in the mud with me. We WILL heal ourselves with the mud- becoming young again at heart- with LOVE!

My BEST ART!!!

I birthed the most magnificent art-my son, David.

Today is my son’s birthday. I still remember the birth. I won’t make you read through the gory details. (laughing)

But LORDY mercy!!! He was a huge baby!! I about bled to death having him! (all moms say that)

David ask your dad- I fainted in his arms- thinking I could just get up and go to the toilet.

(TMI?)

Back to my son...

He came out with his fist in the air- like he was ready to get into a boxing ring and kick some booty! (grinning) 

I do recall there being a telephone in the delivery room and we talked to my husbands parents and I thought- LORDY this baby is big enough to carry 2 middle names!

He is smart as can be, all numbers sing and dance for him- like LIFE is one big number party. I am in awe of his scientific mind! He is a big sweet teddy bear of a love. He stands tall, like a majestic red wood, an incredible strength of endurance.

Dave, you have been all over the place, moved like a richochet rabbit all over the United States and lived through hurricane Katrina. Everything has made you stronger.
Keep singing!! Oh- reader- did I mention- he has a fabulous voice?!

 Happy Birthday Sweet Love!!

I am proud of you and how incredible you are!  

You shall flourish and be abundant.

You shall live to be a healthy strong (and young at heart) man.

You shall make your dreams come true.

Because you are- that kind of dude.

You see it, you believe it, then you keep at it- until you achieve it!!

You are the most persistent person I know. And you know the saying: (“Persistence is omnipotent.”)

I am pulling you into my arms for huge swaying hug!

I love you David! May all your birthday candle wishes come true!

Your crazy mom...

"Insist on being you"

Last night was a wonderful night! I took 12 illustrations and turned them into Christmas ornaments! Then I went into my poetry group to say good night to my sweet peeps and was stunned by a poem!

The poem was entitled:
You are Peace.
Ajit Sripad Rao Nalkur wrote these last 2 lines:

“All you need to do
Is insist on being you.”

Those words swept me into a glorious wave of soothing light…I was suspended in the “birth” moment. I sat stunned for a moment- just silent- looking at the screen dumbfounded.

I believe I will take those words and tape them to my mirror.

Think about it. How many times have you have I am going to do blah blah blah..and then you blow it off. If you really WANT to be happy…and be better…then-these words will help you.

I am going to try “insisting on being me”…

Oh..attached are some of the illustrations being  transformed into ornaments. God knows I hope I can get them fired in the next 2 weeks…cutting it close.

Loneliness

One of my first doodle drawing- showing my confused state.
Feb. 2013 Stan, I hope you don't mind me using.

It is not like me to be melancholy…forgive me for stepping out of my normal happy go lucky genre. However, the past 3 days have taught me much.

Thanksgiving is over. It was my first EVER alone. It has given me a wealth of emotions to create from. How does one portray loneliness?

It would be a great future project to have my future students work on!

(smiling sigh)

If your would imagine a towering wall. The front side of the wall- are all the words that mean happy gathering. The sounds emanating from the laughter- the clinking of china and silver. The football game in the back ground. THEN- the opposite side of that wall. The dark side, sits a lone figure. That is the reality of what I just experienced. I brought it upon myself. (sigh) I do not ever want to do it again. It is a scary place. THat I'd just as soon leave alone.

I made it through. I drank all 3 bottles of wine…I sipped one a day. I glazed art- and chilled with my art. I am attached to these pieces – because they helped me focus outside of myself. They let my mind get lost in the hair line stroke between black and blue.

Ready now to stop laying in the muck of slimmy  aloneness. It is time to get up and create-CREATE – create!

I have 3 days to sit in the shadow. It was my choice. I lived through it- and NOW know- beyond a doubt what life and love is about.

God knows I know.

The  shadow of the holiday

I have finally lived through the black fire

Loneliness

I sat at the bottom of the well

Of total abysmal black

One voice

The rope that hung down

Upon which the bucket had fallen ages ago.

The holiday showed me

Her back

I am getting used to her silence

The front of her all happy and party time

The shadow side I dwell

Doing push ups

Becoming stronger

So I can scale her slimy walls of forgetfulness