I’ve never been particularly drawn to Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of fire and the volcano. I’ve never studied the mythology and I’ve only recently looked her up, after it came to me to paint a version of her. I’ve been working on a series of paintings depicting archetypal women as a form of shamanic soul retrieval. It came to me during meditation that I wanted someone who would sit in the coals of the fire and burn up the dross. As gold is heated to burn away impurities so its essential character can be revealed, just so the intent of my soul retrieval project was to do the same with me. I saw someone sitting in the coals of a fire, with fire all around her, laughing. The image of molten lava came to me and a volcano appeared behind her. The name Pele came to me, so I began adding her to the series and researching to learn about her. I’ve learned that Pele’s fires and lava are what builds and rebuilds the island she sits on. Through volcanic activity, it is always being renewed. Just so, this creat-ive force comes into our lives to cleanse, transform and rebuild. Continue reading
Author Archives: Andrea
Should Police Wear Body Cameras? Should We All?
Big Brother Is Watching. WHO CARES???
In the news, Reuters reports Police officers in Ferguson, Missouri, have begun wearing body cameras after the shooting death of an unarmed black teen by a white officer and differing accounts of the incident. If you were a police officer, how would you feel about that? Would you feel constricted in not being able to do your job without fear of recrimination or judgment? Or would you be pleased that an accurate record would be made for the record? It would vary according to the individual. An officer who feels confined by their job description would feel differently than an officer who does not. Anyone who feels the need to operate outside the law is a criminal, whether they are wearing a uniform, or sweats and a hoodie. Wear a camera for working with the public? Would you? What if we all acted as though we’ve got a camera on 24/7? What if we all acted as though everything we do is seen by everyone? When there are no secrets, there are no lies. Do we really have to rely on technology in order to act with honesty and integrity, and within the law?
Why I Don’t Watch Horror Movies
I don’t watch paranormal or horror chiller movies. I basically don’t watch anything I don’t want to experience. I know what a good creator I am when I have a thought in my mind. I’d rather none of those thoughts be of me being chased by some maniac with unkind intent.
Why I Paint in the Silence
Watching painting tutorials this week, I notice they often have music in the background. It’s interesting to note the different types of music. some classical, some rock, some heavy metal. One said, “Painting without music is like trying to work in total darkness. Music is the light that switches me on in my work.” I can see how that that can be so, but I much prefer to work in the soft, subtle nuanced world which is silence.
Silence for me is not empty, it is full of Presence. By Presence I don’t mean a rambling chain-of-consciousness babblespeak of hurried thoughts about daily doings. I mean simply thoughts of observing what is in front of me, and letting myself be carried away by the beauty of that. I spend so much time each day thinking thoughts that I have to think for work, that I look forward to having thought time to think my own thoughts, to contemplate my own life. After I’ve done enough of that, I like simply steeping in the silence and observing what Inner Guidance reveals to me.
As I paint in the silence, thoughts and images come to me to help me create each piece. One reason I paint is to allow the different facets of me to reveal themselves to me. They do this by impressing upon my mind the imagery of elements and totem animals. In the researching, Googling and contemplation of the meaning of the words and images that come to mind, I discover the metaphor relative to me and learn a lot about myself.
For instance, I’m doing a painting of Pele, the Hawaiian Fire and Volcano Goddess and she’s sitting in a lava flow. Never having felt compelled to paint lava before, I didn’t know much about it. Researching lava taught me a lot about facets of my own personality. Where lava flows, there is complete destruction, yet it forms the foundation for new life, indeed it forms the very ground the islands exist on. The message is that renewal is constant.
Listen to music while painting? My choice is time alone in my own beautiful world with my own thoughts, with my own beloved Self.
Andrea’s Art Gallery here
Painting is a daily meditation for me
Painting as a method of altering consciousness
Doing a series of paintings as a form of shamanic soul retrieval
Don’t weigh yourself down with unnecessaries
It makes me laugh to see someone with a big honking keychain locked to a belt loop when they only have one real key. The extra keys they carry around for the look. The older I get, the less excess weight I want to carry around to maintain some image of who I think I should portray other than who I really Am right now. The more pretense I let fall away, the more I float to the surface in sweet relief.
I love it when it costs so little to upgrade someone’s life experience
A galpal who’s had low income and no car for years reached age 62 and I told her last month to sign up online for social security. When I saw her today, she hadn’t done it yet, saying she wanted to wait until she had her own computer, she didn’t want to enter all that info into a public computer. With no transportation, she didn’t know when she could get around to shopping for one. I called my computer guru and asked if he had a basic computer she could go online with and he has a decent desktop computer for her for $60. I’ll pay him and pick it up next week and she can pay me back. I love it when it costs so little to upgrade someone’s life experience. Especially someone who is always doing for others.
The kitty and the bunny are the same creature
The kitty and the bunny are the same creature, you know.
Take a kitty, tug his ears and his tail goes in — poof, he’s a bunny.
Take a bunny, pull his tail and his ears go in, poof, he’s a kitty. Same animal.
This is how I know I can do what I love and the dollars will find me
Isn’t this always how it is? I was just going along my merry way, having fun painting, and friends who saw me share my art on Facebook began requesting prints. This is how fun becomes work and work becomes fun. I didn’t set out to create art to sell, I do it for personal enjoyment and evolution. While it does take my time away from income producing projects, it is fun and makes me feel purposeful and content. I know I’ll make up the dollars somewhere else. And I am. When the Universe saw me having fun, it sent friends asking to buy prints from me. I’m going to order some 5 x 7 cards as well, and on the back I’ll explain the symbolism for each image. I’ve done this recent series of paintings for the purpose of soul retrieval, showing the spirit version of the various fragmented parts of myself. Each image depicts a part of me, a facet of my personality or character. I meditate upon the image to discover what gifts each part of my soul is handing back to me. It’s such evidence to me when the Universe responds as it does, supporting what I am doing without me even having to ask. Continue reading
Benny sucks
I think Benny the Cat was weaned too soon. His new trick is to climb around under the lap blanket in the recliner with me, then dig around nosing and patty pawing up and down my leg, making smurfy sounds. He ends up suckling the blanket.
When someone comes to mind, there’s always a deeper reason
I’ve connected with a galpal twice this week and each time the name of a new friend came to my mind. I asked them each do they know the other. They do not. I took that as a sign I was supposed to connect them. It turns out they live on the same street a block apart!