Awakening the Heart

The Heart Shrine

I created this Heart Shrine because we all have to recognize and respect the continuous beating of our own personal drum. But it goes deeper. Altars help us visually connect with what we may be working on. For me, I am continually working, refining and smoothing out the rough edges of my battered heart. And to fill this heart with love is the ultimate goal.

The Son of Cronos - He Who Has Many Names

The Lady Elizia Comes Home to the Immanent Grove

Silver

River of Prayers

Walking miles through ceaseless rain
Barren hills of fear and pain
Color fades and light goes out
Rain falls parched and seared with doubt
Memory fades, meanings spin
Pain is all that’s ever been
Never to again feel peace
No kind of hope, no release

In the bats wing of despair
Appears the tail end of a prayer
Silver in the blackness falls
Twists and glitters, silent calls
I saw it there, a slender spark
Leading up, out of the dark
In the silence, thin and hollowed
Silver sang, and I followed

Like a woven plait of stairs
The silver sang with many prayers
Linked to make a glistening light
Leading out of pain and night
Through the hours it carried me
Silver river to the sea
Borne upon it’s healing foam
The river brought me safely home


©Edwina Peterson Cross

Big Bad Werewolf Challenge

I have been working on a Werewolf Project with the kids at school and they are loving the horror and gore.

If you all go to the Project Page you will find the artwork of the Girlie Werewolf Project. Now being a thinker I thought that the next bunch of mini stashes I could send out to artists would include a glove - when I can source some lovely old gloves - and we could have another challenge going.

The challenge would be to depict the noblewoman's hand or the hand of some other victim of the werewolf. Alternatively people can make wolf masks or depict some other element of the story.

Alternatively you could join a colouring competition and post your responses here on the Art Blogger.



To see LaTrobe Secondary College student work you can visit the Student Forum or The Chamber of Horrors here at Soul Food.

Any takers? If so let me know and I will begin sourcing gloves and sending mini stashes to people. As with the Footprint they will come back to provide inspiration for students ranging in age from five to eighteen.

image courtesy of Timberwolf

Footprint Challenge

Artists from Cloth Paper Studios, who participated in the footprint challenge were sent a small stash of paper, fabric and oddments together with a shoe insole. The challenge was to leave a footprint here in the halls of Soul Food, to make something using the ecclectic oddments. The morale of the story is that when you challenge an artist to make something out of nothing you can expect to be surprised.

These prints are being used to inspire and challenge students in secondary and primary schools here in Melbourne. Their response has been quite extraordinary and their work will be shown here in the gallery soon.

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To particpate in the challenge contact heatherblakey@iprimus.com.au

Creative Genius

This exquisite photograph by Trendle Ellwood humbles me and reminds me to look to nature for inspiration.

Nature remains the creative genius. Be it the work of an ice storm or a solitary spider there is beauty to be found all around us.

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photo courtesy of Trendle Ellwood

CIRCLES

Here is Lorrena, she is singing me a blessing along with a circle of the Fey who are going to dance up a few. Like the Philosophers stone, like the seasons of the earth, the seasons of a woman’s life, they dance in a circle. North, East, South, West - Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter - Child, Maiden, Mother, Crone. The Greenman holds the hollybush in a wreath, the full circled moon looks on.

Circles come full circle come
Back to where they started from
The nature of the circle brings
A sure return of everything

And I will return here when I may.
Blessed Be,
Winnie

Circles of Blessing

Scrying - One

Oracle

Modern Haiga Function

Haiku Lake

HAIGA - HAIKU

HAIGA

Inspiration

FINDING WORDS FOR A SPECIAL ART ROOM AMBIANCE

Ambiance - a feeling, tone, atmosphere, aura, environment. What kind of ambiance do we want? What do we want the Soul Food Café Art Room to ‘feel’ like? Let us throw out some words. I will begin. I will begin with the word “Sanctuary.” A harbor shelter, protection, haven, refuge, retreat, somewhere away from the world that is set aside and dedicated to the purpose of art. A place that is protected, that is safe. I think there is much to be said for the word “safe” as a place of creation. Most of us do not feel able to create unless we are in an environment that feels safe; somewhere that we know that what we do will be appreciated, received with care and consciousness and not harsh critique. Traditionally Soul Food Café has been a place of pan de cielo, the bread of heaven, as described by Dr. C.P. Estes, author of Women Who Run With the Wolves:

"Being with real people who warm us, who endorse and exalt our creativity, is essential to the flow of creative life. Otherwise we freeze. Nurture is a chorus of voices both from within and without that notices the state of a woman's being, takes care to encourage it, and if necessary, gives comfort as well. I'm not certain how many friends one needs, but definitely one or two who think your gift, whatever it may be, is pan de cielo, the bread of heaven. Every woman is entitled to an Allelujia Chorus" (Clarissa Pinkola Estes)

I believe that the Art Room should be an extension of this feeling of safety and sanctuary that has always been a integral part of Soul Food.

Who will bring the next word?

~ Winnie

Art Studio

Sanctuary

Give yourself the gift of Sanctuary

Art Room Ambiance

You have taken the words right out of my mouth Sharon. Like you I am hoping that, just as the Lemurian Abbey has gained a life of its own and become self generating, the Art Room will come gain a special identity. I want it to become a busy, bustling place where there is a healthy exchange and cross pollination. This will happen when people sign up and actively participate.

When I think of the Soul Food Art Room I am reminded of Terri Windling and the artist's haven she created at Endicott Studios. I also think high quality art markets where people have tables displaying their wares and chat to one another when they are not attending to customers.

It would be wonderful if regulars made it a practice to lay some of their art work out on the communal tables for us to have a look at. Over at the Abbey something is happening every day and it is exhilarating to check in each day to discover work of such beauty.