Soul Art® ~ Transitioning the Transition

It’s the middle of summer, in the middle of the year 2020, I’m in-between paintings and projects… And it feels like a good time for a Soul Art® Journey.

I had a friend join me in my studio and we went through the process together. I’m calling this session, Transitioning the Transition, as we both travel along through our in-between worlds… (letting go of the old to make way for the new).

We set aside an afternoon (and later, some food and wine!) and got creating!

Soul art is a five step process that involves setting an intention, body mapping, creating your art, dialoguing with your art, and a spirit action. Here’s just a little video sample from our day:

Soul Art® is a unique creative process that acts like a bridge to your spirit, revealing your inner truth and providing clarity, insight and deep transformation.

Please contact me if you’re interested in a Soul Art® journey (either in studio or virtually) or if you’d like more information. I’ll be putting together a new program or course in future (depending on interest).

The State of Creation

These days it's easy to get swept away with all the external happenings in the world around us... To become fearful of the unknown and to have so many changes thrust upon us... 

So now I find it even more important to steal myself away for a few hours of studio time (or nature time!) to keep myself feeling somewhat normal in this fast-changing world.

I've always felt as if I'm living in two worlds... One I don't have much control over (only in how I respond to it), and the other world is my own inner world where I can choose what I want to experience and surround myself with... (but the two are also connected and the one operates within the other). The inner world and the outer world... 

How can art transform us?

There are two states of mind; one is based on survival and one is based on creation.

Survival is fear-based. When we're in this state we feel separated and disconnected. We're concerned with the ego self, which is judgemental and analytical. We see things as ‘out there’ and separate from us. This is the critical mind. When we're living in this state we're unable to grow and create.

When we're in the creative state we're feeling love, joy and inspiration. We feel connected and whole. Time and space disappear... We become Self-less. The ego moves out of the way. This is our natural state of BEing... 

Art is a way to bring you into the present moment. You move into a place where you forget your problems, time disappears... Your energy moves from your head to your heart.

“When you are so in love with life and what you’re creating, then you’re in your natural state of being. ”

The more you experience this state, the more your body (your subconscious mind) recognizes it as You... and you begin to grow this new way of Being.

This is how art transforms us. It brings us into the present moment where we experience ourselves as whole Beings. The more we can be in this state, the more we increase these higher feelings of love, joy and inspiration. We're able to grow and re-create ourselves and our lives.

“The secret to art is love.”

— Antoine Bourdelle

And perhaps the secret to love is art...

My Forest Studio

I love the forest. For me, it’s a mysterious and nurturing place that soothes my mind, body, and soul. 

Where I live, I’m surrounded by the huge, grandfather trees of the rainforests in British Columbia. Whenever I can, I make my way into the woods for a run, a hike, or simply a leisurely walk. Not only is it healthy fresh air, but it’s also therapeutic!

In Japan this is a practice called shinrin-yoku. Shinrin means forest and yoku means bath, so it translates to forest-bathing. You don’t need to exercise to receive the benefits of the forest, you only need to take in the atmosphere of the forest through your senses, so just taking time out from your busy life and going into the woods brings positive health benefits.

Here's a little video I made a couple of years ago when I was in Norway. It's a beautiful and tranquil place…

“Get lost in nature and you will find yourself.”

When I can’t be in my art studio, creating art, you’ll find me in my forest studio… Being nurtured by nature so I can Dream, Imagine, and Create…

Dream Catcher

A Fairy Tale

“The fairy-tale journey may look like an outward trek across plains and mountains, through castles and forests, but the actual movement is inward, into the lands of the soul.”

— Terri Windling

Dream Catcher (read the fairy tale)

The world needs more heArt

It’s interesting that the word ‘art’ is in the word ‘heart.’ 

Silence is the doorway to greater knowing.

If the eyes are the windows to the soul, then the heart is the doorway.

Art takes you into your heart, through the doorway, and connects directly to your soul.

In the state of creation you are so focused in the present moment that problems disappear and you lose track of time and space. You’ve moved into your heart.

Art has the ability to transform and transcend the problems of everyday life. When you connect to your heArt, you connect with every other heart. There is no separation.

Fears drop away...

“Art washes away from the soul the dirt from everyday life.”

— Pablo Picasso

When you’re in your heart, time does not exist... You’re in the ever-expanding now…

And you just know.

“Art remains the one way possible of speaking truth.”

— Robert Browning

In every work of art is the energy of the heart.

The world needs more heArt.

Creating space for transformation...

Lilies of the Woods, oil on canvas, 36” x 36”

“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. ”

— Hans Hofmann

The world is a little quieter these days (at least, my world is). There's still a steady buzz of traffic outside (but much less!), and more cyclists and pedestrians everywhere it seems... But the drive from A to B is less focused on the A and B, and more on the drive itself. Even standing in a line-up to get into a store has become a new activity. Like going for a walk... It's more about the walk and less about the destination. (You know you'll get there eventually).

In some ways life is changing at an incredible speed... Yet ironically, day to day life feels slower. 

Feeling impatient won't get us there sooner, so we might as well enjoy the walk.

I'm using this time to clean up, clear out, and simplify.

“The harder you chase something, the faster you go and the less you’re able to let life meet life. If you’re having difficulty coming up with new ideas, then slow down …Creativity exists in the present moment. You can’t find it anywhere else.”

— Natalie Goldberg

Every year I choose a "Word for the Year" and this year it took me some time to choose my word. I had a feeling early on (since last Fall) that this year would be different (but I had no idea how much!). I eventually chose the word 'transformation'. I don't really know why, other than it felt right for this upcoming, big year of change.

So now that I've cleared space (in my mind and my surroundings), I'm going to take the opportunity to create some Soul Art®!

Soul Art® is a unique creative process that acts as a bridge to your spirit, revealing your inner truth and providing clarity, insight and deep transformation.

(You can read more about how Soul Art helps me as an artist here).

Happy Are The Painters

“Happy are the painters, for they shall not be lonely. Light and colour, peace and hope, will keep them company to the end of the day.”

— Winston Churchill

I would have been writing from Iceland today… But, “Life is what happens when you’re making other plans…”

So here I am, in my own studio, for my April ‘Artist in Residence’ program and a voucher from Icelandair for a future journey.

And who knows what the future will bring? Nothing is only good or only bad… They’re two ends of the same stick. When life becomes uncertain, then I say to myself, “Well, I can always just paint”. And so that is what I’ll be doing for the foreseeable future.

At some point I would love to open my studio again to others to come and join me. Please contact me if this interests you and you’d like more information.

Land and a Sense of Place

Mt Kaldbakur - oil on artboard on wood panel (8”x10” x5)

“The Energy Zone - The Eastern area of Hrísey is said to be full of energy and is considered to be the second most powerful area in Iceland after Mt. Snæfellsjökull Glacier. The energy is transferred to Hrísey from the stunningly beautiful Mt. Kaldbakur across the fjord. Here you can sit down and enjoy the scenery while inhaling positive and relaxing energy.”

I am drawn to northern landscapes. The vast, rugged, and often stark beauty of the north stirs deep-rooted memories of a land where my ancestors came from.

Growing up on the West Coast of British Columbia, I’ve been fortunate to live on the edge of nature, between the forest and ocean here in North Vancouver. This place, where I’ve lived most of my life, has helped shape who I am and what is important to me. As an artist, I’m inspired by the beauty of nature and my art reflects this, with my colourful flower and nature paintings, and more recently my Forest Tales project. While creating this series, it’s brought me back to my childhood love of fairy-tales and the mythical beauty of the forest and nature.

It’s also re-connected me to my past and I’ve recently travelled back to my mother’s homeland of Norway. Here, where I spent many summers and magical winter holidays as a child, I felt deeply connected to the land, the people and the culture. When I was eighteen I attended art school on a small island along the wild, west coast of Norway. Even at this young age, I valued the beauty and connection I felt with this country and knew I would return one day.

Now, as an adult returning to my ancestral home, I feel this deep connection at a soul level and I realise how strong these ties are… I feel it in my blood and bones, this feeling of “home” and a sense of place through the people and the landscape.

Lande, The Homestead - Then and Now

During my recent travels to Norway, I had a stop-over in Iceland along the way…

Again the awe-inspiring northern landscape spoke to me, urging me to explore this connection and sense of being ‘home’ that, for me, comes through the very land itself.

So, on returning to Vancouver I decided I wanted to explore this theme further by spending time in the north to immerse myself in the land and with the people that live there. I applied and was accepted to a few residencies, but chose the Old School Artist Residence in Hrisey, Iceland. This residence is located on a small island near the arctic circle and is surrounded by beautiful nature… (you can read about my residency here).

The Midnight Sun over Hrisey, Iceland

And so begins my next project - Land and a Sense of Place - and exploring how this feeling of ‘home’ is experienced through the landscape. How does the land shape the people that live there? How are the people and culture an expression of the landscape? What is the importance of the land and environment to a ‘sense of place’ and the feelings of connection to oneself and one’s place in the world?

Hestar meðfram firðinum (Horses Along The Fjord)

In April this year, I’ll be travelling once again to Iceland. This time I’ll spend a month at the Gullkistan Artist Residency in Laugarvatn, Iceland. This residency is located in another quiet remote village by the Laugarvatn Lake (with a view of a volcano!).

More art adventures to come!! Until then, I’ll be quietly working away on paintings and projects in my studio…

Life's Cycle of Creativity ~ Winter

I love the changing seasons... A cycle of continuous endings and beginnings.

There's always something new to look forward to...

In Life's Cycle of Creativity, winter is a time of drawing inward; to heal, nurture, and process what has already been created.

Tapestry, oil on canvas, 30” x 40'“

It's winter and the days are long and dark and cold... After much activity, it's time to rest into Being... A time of transformation... Letting go of the old to make way for the new. 

So, as 2019 comes to a close, it's a good time to look at where you've been and where you want to go; to acknowledge what you've already created, and to dream your next vision...

Just as nature goes through the seasons of birth, life, death and re-birth, our lives are continually expanding and contracting in what I call the Life Cycle of Creativity. Life is a never-ending cycle of becoming, blossoming, creating and transforming... Everything that is created in this world moves through these seasons... cycling continuously through life, death and re-birth.

Take the quiz and discover where you are in the Life Cycle of Creativity.

“My life has been a tapestry of rich and royal hue, an everlasting vision of the ever changing view.”

— Carole King

The Science of Art

Details from a work in progress…

I've been working on some little paintings (very little for me!), and I've been thinking about nature, observation, science and art. Specifically, the science of art.

Science:
The intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.

Art:
The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.

For me, every painting begins as a thought experiment. I ask myself, "What if?..."

And then my imagination goes to work. As Einstein said,

"Imagination is more important than knowledge."

So, I observe, then imagine, and then I experiment...

I'm having fun creating these little paintings. They're definitely an experiment! But each painting then triggers a new idea, and then I begin all over again...

“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”

— Albert Einstein

Upcoming Event

We're having a group show at Welch Street Studios on December 6th and 7th. It will be all small works (hence the little paintings!). The first day will be an evening opening (with refreshments!) and on Saturday, December 7th, we'll also have our studios open for day two of this event. Stay tuned for more info!

“Fiction is experimentation; when it ceases to be that, it ceases to be fiction. ”

— John Cheever

Views From a Car Window, My Iceland Roadtrip

"Stop every now and then. Just stop and enjoy. Take a deep breath. Relax and take in the abundance of life." - Anonymous

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I'm back in my Vancouver studio and slowly returning to the busy city life (but I'm keeping my small island attitude!). 

Many people have asked me what I liked most about my time in Iceland. There are so many things... The fantastic landscape and scenery, seeing humpback whales playing in the fjord, riding Icelandic horses along the river to the fjord (and laughing the whole time like a little girl chasing butterflies!). Seeing the puffins up close on the cliffs... I loved the simplicity of the small village life on the island, and getting to know the locals (who are so kind and helpful and seem to just want to be of service!).

But what I loved most of all, was how I lived each day.

Here are just a few favourite photos from my Iceland trip…