The myths we hear lead us to a place the mind will not go directly

There have been stories that we have heard since we were young.  They are about gods and monsters, heroes and villains.  As we get older we can still sense the magic they hold, but we push them away as if they have nothing to teach us about life. We judge old cultures for believing in fairy tales as if our newspapers were the truth and those stories were entertaining little ditties told by people not as sophisticated as we are. Though many have lost their meaning because they pointed to a culturally bound truth; still some point towards what it means to be human and to act humanely.  These stories aren’t true in the scientific sense, but that doesn’t mean they have no value.  Myths can point us toward what is best, and worst in humanity. They can remind us that compassion and honesty aren’t good ideas because they are right or perfect, but because they are intrinsically the best way for the world to work. myth102814a

 

 

 



 

Thoughts, Our Responsibility, Our Power

We are given very little, it seems, in things in life we completely control. Our hearts seem to have minds of their own, the other people in our life feel what they will seemingly affected, but in no way controlled by us.  The weather, our finances, our family, to one extent or another our health, all seem out of our control.  What we can control is our thoughts, at first that can feel like a small thing in a big world, but it turns out that it is enough to totally shape our experience of life.  So let us resolve to respect the thoughts we choose as the world makers that they are.

thoughts

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#creative#Fiat Lux#heart#let there be light#mind#perceptions#quote#reality#saying#thought#thoughts#wisdom

Fiat Lux 4
Uncategorized / No Comments / August 12, 2014

Some say there is no such thing as magic, but I can’t help but see it everywhere.
magic1



Fiat Lux 3
Uncategorized / No Comments / August 11, 2014

Wisdom out in



I spent last weekend with Lady, at one of my brother’s near Pittsburgh.  I did a little home based beverage and painting class for his wife’s craft crew.  Here’s early in the night and since I didn’t’ get everyone’s permission to use their faces I just blurred people until they were unidentifiable, but I think you’ll get the picture.

Here we are about mid way though.

Here we are about mid way though.

This is how Lady’s tree turned out.  Love it:-)

Lady's tree and the the three dot additions she made are great!

Lady’s tree and the the three dot additions she made are great!

The next day we headed out to a Pirate game and I got a great shot of the city as we were heading to our seats.

 

Its just a beautiful skyline on a beautiful day even if it was a rough game for the Bucs,

Its just a beautiful skyline on a beautiful day even if it was a rough game for the Bucs,

 

I’m working on a redesign for this website and hope it’ll be up and running in a couple weeks!  I’m excited and hopeful.

May peace find you when you least expect it and need it most,

~B~

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#acrylic#art class#artist#green#hills#Last Weekend#paint#Pirates#Pittsburgh#PNC Park#red#Skyline#tree#Wine and Canvas#yellow

Power
Uncategorized / No Comments / June 5, 2014

My latest work has been an new style for me, but and old subject. Power has honestly always scared me and I feel the need in my life to again explore it again. I went to some classic sources in my life. A book named The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene, the Norse myths, which shaped my imagination from the time that I heard about them, and in a classic fashion the Thesaurus. Words have power, with out doubt. Then of course the Fluer-de-lis. It  has represented royal power and persists as a symbol in a powerful way even though it is shrouded in controversy of origin, representation and initial usage. I also included the Reiki symbol for power because of special feeling for the idea of the positive energy it represents adn the inclusion of the swirl.

The style was heavily influenced by a book called Creative Paint Workshop for Mixed-Media Artists by Ann Baldwin. I bought other books and cut pieces out, I printed out things from the web, I translated things for aesthetics before using them and found ways to incorporate them into this piece. I  also originally intended there to be a representation of  money as well, but it didn’t feel right by the time came to lay it down. I learned quite a bit during this project, but more importantly than that was the expansion in both my belief in my own abilities and in my imagination. The piece went through a progression that looked a lot like this:

 

Layout

Layout

48 Ways to power in Yiddish and paint

48 Laws of Power in Yiddish, Reiki power symbol, Odin’s Horns  and paint

Power from a Thesaurus in yellow and fleur de lis

Power from a Thesaurus in yellow and fleur de lis

 

Edge covering in textured teal

Edge covering in textured teal

Runes, Aleph, Tav, tissue, some interference blue and gloss gel glazing.  Ten I had to repaint the Fleur to get it out front again.

Runes, Aleph, Tav, tissue, some interference blue and gloss gel glazing. Then I had to repaint the Fleur to get it out front again.

Viola!  Power.

Viola!
Power.

 

 

A 24″x 24″ mixed-media piece on gallery wrapped canvas. That process took days, but other than Night Bridge it’s my favorite piece so far.  I love being able to use symbols and words with the textures to achieve a many faceted expression of a single idea. Having physical layers and depth has been great. I’m thinking about moving to some small pieces for a little bit, but I’m excited to come back to something like this again soon.

 

We need Power, but Power is no friend. It has its own agenda and if you do not win against it, though you have all the power in the world, in the end Power will instead have you. 

 

Wide awake, with fear, respect and absolute assurance,

~B~

 

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#24"x 24"#absolute assurance#acrylic#Arabic#copper#fluer-de-lis#gallery wrapped#mixed-media#Norse#Power#reiki#respect#Toltec#Wide awake#with fear

I had a chance to help Lady out on a project she’s doing for us and was able to get pictures taken of some old work of mine that were previously not on here.  Here is what I have had in backlog:

 

This I called a satellite abstract.  A picture from above of a place on the coast.  It feels like a retreat to me, but at the same time the fact that it is being looked at from above plays with the idea of privacy and our lack of it in today’s world.
The copper road an abstract satellite style look at a world that feels like a retreat to me.

The Copper Road

 

This is an archaeological painting to me.  Something lost and old, but now found, but found with it’s secrets in tact.  There is a mystery here and yet it is not hidden any more.
An ancient wall that holds secrets.

An ancient wall that holds secrets

 

First I painted this then I realized it was from here:

“Sleep baby sleep
Now that the night is over
And the sun comes like a god
Into our room
All perfect light and promises”

Dream baby dream
Of all that’s come and going
And you will find out, in the end
There really is
There really is no difference”
  ~ A New Sensation, INXS.
Morning fully broken above the sea: A Dream.

Morning fully broken above the sea: A Dream

 

The reason I paint is that I feel the thing with in me, like a secret that my mind may not know, that needs to be expressed; I know not how, so I start…

 

May your hearts dreams be seen before your eyes in time for them to be fully savored,

~B~

#acrylic#artist#backlog#brown#copper#dream#fleur de lis#gold#joy#painting#pastel#purple#road#satellite#sea#sun#texture

In what I have found to be my favorite random holiday of the year, my gout has disappeared!!!  :)  I have been able to focus and work in ways that have not been true since before I got my second cold of the past two years (which feels like was three weeks ago).

I watched a video yesterday from Cory Huff from The Abundant Artist about creating a good artists website, which was very good and has me looking for a redesign for this site.

Last weekend I met a photographer, that teaches art, who is a family friend of Lady’s, that I hope to contact to take some pro pics of my paintings.

Lady also went out in the unknown world and found a brick and mortar that may be a place I could work/volunteer at and have my own booth in and a Starbucks that displays local art.  All that combined with my health being back on par has me quite excited.

 

 

It’s worth it, it really is :o)

 

~B~



So it’s been a process, but here is the final product.

Good on its own.

Good on its own.

 

And back to where this started, to see if it accomplishes the task that it was originally intended for.

Night Bridge, in context.

Night Bridge, in context.

 

I wish the stars showed up better, please click to see a full sized version of the pic.  I just love it here and Lady likes it too:-)

I’m already working on the next piece inspired by the doodle in a note book back at OU when I was feeling quite lost and trying to imagine my path in life…

 

The path of life winds and it will find a way to expand, ready or not,

~B~

#acrylic#beautiful#blue#mountains#orange#original#painting#purple#red#teal

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