Gentle, My Tender Heart

14/1000 Hearts, 14"x11" acrylic on canvas, $225

Mary Magdalene

13/1000 Hearts, 14"x11", acrylic on canvas, sold

Throughout history there are so many women whose lives will always essentially remain a mystery to us. Mary Magdalene is one of these. Although historians and anthropologists have attempted to reconstruct her life, to a large extent, it remains unknown. In the world of art there is also a lack of  images of female spiritual leaders and I started wondering what some of these women, had they been depicted more by artists, might look like. Perhaps by daring to imagine these women, we might in some way fill in some of the bits of history which are missing.

While working on this piece I did some of my own research on Mary M. and found that the short of it is that she likely had a much bigger role during the beginnings of Christianity and the formation of the church than what has been known until now. Also, the belief that she was the prostitute that washed Christ's feet is erroneous (according to the sources I found), but has been promulgated in spite of that.

This painting was started during a shamanic journey which I was led on by one of my teachers, Katherine Skaggs http://www.katherineskaggs.com/. I started this painting not knowing what would happen and not even planning to paint Mary M. Initially all I painted was one of her eyes, but slowly, she revealed herself to me and as I worked on the canvas, she appeared.

I completed Mary after taking a class at the Cosmic Cowgirl University with Shiloh Sophia McCloud, an amazing artist and teacher! Check her out.
http://www.cosmiccowgirlsuniversity.com/

Listen to Your Song, Listen to Your Heart

12/1000, 12"x12", acrylic on canvas, $170

This is My Prayer

11/1000 Hearts, 18"x18", acrylic on canvas, $290

It amazes me that in spite of the fact that there are millions of us on this planet, on some level, whether we want to admit it to ourselves or not, we are completely alone. Most of the time it is easy to fill our lives with activities and distractions, but when things get very quiet, and we have time to sit and realize that in the end, the only thing we truly have for sure is ourselves, we can feel quite small and scared.

This painting was created on a day where I just felt overwhelmed, insignificant and alone. As I worked on it, I was surprised to see how in spite of this feeling, a radiant and beautiful central focus developed on the canvas. There was something about just sitting with this feeling of aloneness that transformed this emotion into a tall grounded tree full of life and soul.

You Are Loved!

10/1000 Hearts, 10"x8", acrylic on canvas, sold

Modern society is full of distractions, from the internet to gaming to texting and tweeting, there is always a focus outside of ourselves, and it is endless if we want it to be. There are hundreds of messages being sent our way on how we should look, dress and think and with so many distractions, and a constant outward focus, it is easy to forget how much we are loved.

The truth is that we are already loved by most everything else in this world, including the air, the trees, by many of those around us, our family, our pets, strangers. What is often the main road block in our feeling loved is our ability to receive it. 

Each of us is innately worthy of love regardless of the circumstances and at the core, the most important thing is to, firstly and foremost, give this to ourselves. 

Brilliant Heart

9/1000 Hearts, 6"x5", acrylic on canvas, N/A

This is the first piece I completed while learning from Shiloh Sophia McCloud, an amazing visionary artist, writer and teacher. 

Bloom

8/1000 Hearts, 8"x10", acrylic on canvas, N/A

This is another piece that I started during a shamanic journey that Katherine Skaggs, one of my wonderful teachers, was leading me on. This is also about opening the heart, letting go of that tight protective grip we have on ourselves in order to reveal the pearl inside.

7/1000

7/1000 Hearts, 9"x12" acrylic on canvas, sold

As this image came to me after a shamanic journey, I  am still trying to figure out what mountain I am looking at on the canvas. During this journey I saw myself standing at the edge of a cliff looking at this incredible view and remembering a long-lost past where we were all connected to the earth in a much deeper way. Connecting to our own hearts means having to ability to feel a deeper connection to everything around us. This image is a reflection of what we all have inside of us and it is not just our hearts and our souls, but the flowers, a rock, a hill, the sky, the moon, each other.

What Radiates Inside

6/1000 Hearts, 14"x11", acrylic on canvas, sold

Further exploration of shamanic journeying with the focus on the heart again, without any intention or design other than that. When we focus on our heart and open up to what is there, what truly is within us, beyond the mask or our thoughts of what we should be, we find a beautiful gentleness and vulnerability. This opening sheds light and provides space which allows us to see who we truly are and consequently, see others as well, with more clarity and compassion.

5/1000

5/1000 Hearts, 6"x6", acrylic on canvas, $36

This came forth after a morning of meditation and shamanic journeying which focused on my heart. It felt very different from what I had just finished but I went with it nonetheless. After I finished it and took another look at it, I thought about the view I had from my hotel room in St. Thomas, where I had been a year ago. However, I had no idea that it would really be reflective of my next journeying experience as evidenced by one of  my next pieces.