Mystical Artist

My Grandmother's Passing

2010-05-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

A week ago, my grandmother 'Nani' passed away. She was closer than a grandmother to me and is the one who I can thank for my art gene and fascination with natural medicine - basically, the person I have become today. I connected to her in a way that for me was primal and extremely attached. Though a part of me is relieved that she is no longer suffering physically, I felt such heartbreak to know that she is no longer in the body that I knew. Knowing that she was going to pass before it happened, I thought I might be somewhat prepared - but I found myself moved by intense grief that I have never felt before.

I have had prophetic dreams in the past so I was eager to get a visit, but I haven't had one yet. My husband says she'll come when I least expect it. What I did feel at first was this incredible void inside me missing someone who showed me such unconditional love in my life. What I realized and became aware of, was that even though her form is no longer here - I actually feel that unconditional love from her stronger than I did when she was in her form but physically far away from me.

All of her words of wisdom came into my mind and suddenly I remembered things that I thought were lost somewhere in my subconscious mind since childhood. I am so lucky to have had such an amazing woman like her as my grandmother. Her legacy was her family - all the way down to her great grandchildren. I am proud to be a part of her family and feel more lucky than ever before.

I am attaching a painting that I call 'Dialog'. I started it out as an abstract painting without form. But then I saw how part of face can fit into the shapes of the painting. Then I stepped back and what I saw was a person - and the image of their form as well as an image of their essence. I called it Dialog because it's the form connecting with the essence. I want to continue to have a dialog with my grandmother forever. I love you Nani!

Back to the canvas

2009-09-28T10:08:00.000-07:00

Across the Bridge

I have taken some time off from painting and working - a few months or so during the summer. After my first year doing outdoor shows, I got so burnt! The second year will be easier since the guessing is taken out of the equation and we will know what we're doing. We = my husband and I. He has been kind and supportive in helping me with the shows - poor guy, it's not easy.

The Landscape
After some time off, I had a crazy urge to paint. When I painted I just let the process lead me and I didn't feel like painting anything specific. So I let the paint, paint itself...

I began splattering a ton of colors that called to me and sprayed them with water swishing them, moving the canvas and allowing them to flow where they want to flow. I thought it was so cool that without doing much, so much comes out! I was also reading the Tao Te Ching this summer - little bits of it. What I got from it is that life doesn't so much need our help but comes out perfect when we let things be. I thought of that as I allowed the paints to move and become something almost all on their own. Ofcourse I would dab and choose the colors being a co-creator but most of it was how they moved when the canvas would tilt. I love crystals and some looked like crystals and natural formations that you see in nature.

One of them in particular looked like angels to me - I called that one city of angels because so many of the images that developed came out to look like angels.

City of Angels

She Inspires Me

2009-05-22T05:59:00.000-07:00

This is the balcony where my three and a half year old and I sit together while my younger one is napping. I sit across from her while she sketches and I read a book or write in my journal - not for long stretches of course because there are a lot of breaks to get water, pee, get more snacks, more toys...But one thing seems to be consistent with my little artist - the pencil or crayons are constantly in her hands while she sketches in her sketch book or any paper that she finds. I on the other hand have been avoiding a sketchbook and taking a 'break' from drawing and painting revisiting my books and writing. What I found amazing as I study this miraculous little being is how she draws for the pure love of it and there is no labeling, deciding, planning on her part - she is completely pure in her act of creating.

And then I remember when I was little and how much I enjoyed simply moving my hand on paper without any thoughts of selling the work or even completing it. There were no rules just total enjoyment of doing what naturally comes. With her sketchbook glued to her wherever she goes, my little one inspired me and reminded me what it was like to be a true artist without the label of any profession or planning and organizing of any business. Just the pure joy of creating... She is my little guru.

"The power of imagination makes us infinite"

John Muir

My Juice Fast and NY trip

2009-04-21T13:38:00.001-07:00

I recently decided to do a juice fast to clean my system. I felt like my body wasn't clear and as much yoga as I did (which usually gives me that clear feeling) I felt like my inside needed to be cleaned out. It's hard to describe in words.

Anyhow, I have been researching it for a few months now looking into juicers that are silent (I have two sound sensitive girls at home!) and found one that I highly recommend to anyone. It's called the Breville Juice Fountain Plus - INCREDIBLE and really easy to use and clean. It's a silent as a juicer could be but not as loud as many that I have heard. It had the best reviews and can take a whole apple with no peeling since it is so strong and it separates the pulp and any hard components of the fruit or vegetable juiced. I'm sounding like an infomercial here but I always love to recommend things that have enhanced my life.

Anyhow, I did the juice fast for 6 days! I didn't expect to do it for that long but after the first few days it got easier so I thought why not. I dropped 5 pounds and have kept it off (three weeks later now) and even lost one or two more just by eating healthy. I'm not even that strict with myself though but I think I just cleared some toxins and got my body to declog and work better which I believe may have helped my metabolism.Another perk was energy and clear thinking which was one of the main goals for me. Energy and clear thinking can be desperately needed for any mom raising little ones. I began journaling and have been feeling a lot more alive and refreshed since.

I went to NY after and my husband surprised me by taking me to see 'Wicked'. One word - AMAZING! I'm usually known for getting edgy even at the best of shows after sitting for more than two hours but I didn't blink the whole time and could've gone the three hours with no intermission. It was a complete piece of art from the voices to the costumes to the brilliant story - I was almost in tears when the audience gave a standing ovation (myself included ofcourse).

So that is my personal news. I have been selling the winter show paintings that haven't sold to clear out space. I usually paint certain paintings for the art festivals that I do in the winter here in Florida and whatever doesn't sell later goes on ebay for cheaper to clear the way for new ones. Cleaning out - that's what it's been about for me~ Love the feeling of cleanliness and clarity...My paintings will be listed on ebay so keep an eye out for discounted prices. My ebay store link can be found on my website: http://www.mystical-artist.com/

"Bite off more than you can chew, then chew it."
-Ella Williams

Awake

2009-02-01T06:42:00.000-08:00

This painting is my recent large piece that I will be showing in my upcoming shows in Miami Beach, Las Olas and Key Biscayne art festivals. I spoke with a few artists and collectors in the Boca Raton art festival and was inspired to try out a realistic face with earthy colors. I had the image of this type of cut-off of just one side of the face. I usually have the eyes closed in my women but have had the image of an eye open and a kaleidescope image in the eyes. I have always been intrigued by eyes in general and have seen eyes with those shapes before.
This painting came about as a result of events that got me out of my comfort zone so to speak. Even with painting this, I explored a new perspective and stretched my painting abilities to a new place that I usually don't venture. I also realized that I had more resistance than I thought and by becoming aware of it I was able to let it go. The awareness that came out of the experience is what got me to realize that I was in a slumber in my understanding of certain aspects of my life. I am still learning every day and by simply admitting to myself what 'is' I am able to wake up to more of my potential. I know that many of us can easily be sleep walking and not realize it in ourselves (it's much easier to see it in others). I want to live my life fully alive, fully awake and will do whatever it takes to achieve that - with a nice dose of patience of course...

"The unexamine life is not worth living"

-Socrates

A New Day - Blessings for the New Year

2008-12-31T20:00:00.000-08:00

The painting I am posting is called 'A New Day'. I thought it would be appropriate on this New Year's Evening. My husband is working tonite, and my two beautiful girls are sleeping. New Year's is not what it used to be for parents of little ones - but that's ok with me, I like to use it as a time of reflection and excitement for a new time.

My wishes for the world are that we awaken to more compassion for one another and begin working together as a unite rather than separately. I think as humans we haven't scratched the surface of our potential. I also speak about myself as I am on this road of discovery every day and learning moment by moment as I venture through my life's journey. I wish for the world true peace. The kind of peace that is contagious and uplifting. I am going to meditate on that tonite - may we all reach our ultimate and highest potentials and learn to communicate from a place of love and kindness.

"The little dissatisfaction which every artist feels at the completion of a work forms the germ of a new work"

-Berthold Auerbach

My Vipassana Meditation Practice

2008-12-16T17:54:00.000-08:00

I thought that I would start blogging more of my personal life that is so intertwined with the art that comes through me. I have always just written about the art and found it hard and choppy to do and I realize that there's a reason why. I find that the easiest thing to do is just write from the heart and speak my absolute truth. I want to write my story and mix my art in there - so that it's a full picture, a more holistic perspective.

I titled this entry regarding my Vipassana meditation practice since that has been a topic of interest and a personal inspiration in my life. I have been meditating since shortly after my first daughter's birth - she was born in August of 2005. After she was born it took me a lot of energy to adjust since I am not the best person to be sleep deprived! I was exhausted and full of uncertainty. But what I did know was that I wanted to be a calm mother. So I began to meditate and continued a more active regimen of yoga as I started to practice Bikram yoga religiously.

Meditating was great, but I found that a lot of times I would be sitting still and thinking and daydreaming rather than focusing on one object as many types of meditation encourage. I recently (a few months ago) learned of a type of meditation called 'Vipassana'. This is the type of meditation that Buddha practiced which had ultimately awoken him to realizing his true essence. I for one am a big fan of the truth! I think that there are so many perspectives to our understanding of life yet there is a truth that is hard for us to see if we internalize and personalize our stories and beliefs - so in order to see this we need to step back from ourselves and our identifications and allow ourselves to be truly objective.

So I began Vipassana and it opened a whole new can of worms...Wow! All of a sudden I had become aware of my insanity by simply observing it. It was unbelievable to me to witness what was happening to my body simply in response to thoughts and feelings. I was starting to recognize that feelings and physical sensations were almost immediately in sync - they actually were in sync, they danced together. I began to recognize my reactions and found that my identification with certain thoughts convinced me that those thoughts weren't there and that they were reality. weird? crazy! I am starting to understand more of what Eckhart Tolle says in his books.

So at first it was really hard for me to do, but I liken it to having a lot of junk to sort through in your house. It sucks to go through but you feel so much clearer and your home functions much easier as a result. What I found was compassion for myself and then compassion for others. A realization that we all struggle to find peace in our worlds, we all have turbulence and when I see people being miserable to the world, I know that they are reflecting their ten times worse misery in their own worlds.

I want to note that what got me turned on to this meditation was hearing Jenny Phillips on Oprah's soul series. She was a vipassana meditation teacher who began teaching in prisons and found incredible effects on the inmates who practiced this type of meditation. I then revisited a book that I bought years ago in Amsterdam called 'Mindfulness in Plain English' by Henepola Gunaratana. I remember the book being hard to read at the time that I bought it (before my first daughter was conceived) and now totally getting something from it. So if anyone is looking to learn to meditate I highly recommend this book.

So with that, I would like to share this beautiful qoute:

"We convince by our presence"

-Walt Whitman

The Way

2008-12-16T17:30:00.001-08:00

This painting 'The Way' told me a story after finishing it. The story is of a woman who was shattered and unwhole in her life. As she got older and walked into her sadness, doubt, uncertainty, fear and many more unpleasant states - she found her true self and realized that she had been buying into the collective pain that women have gone through and are still going through in the world.

Through this she became whole, leaving the pieces and fragments from her past behind as you can see in the center image of the woman being solid moving away from the pieces around her. As she did this, she caught the attention of women everywhere who are young and haven't yet found the way that this woman found. But somehow her wholeness made clear to them of their identification with being unfragmented and torn inside - literally seen in their 'holes' within regardless of their youth and beauty.

So this painting showed me how all you need is one person to change the world - just one person to evoke the curiousity in others. The top of the painting shows a spiral and that spiral to me was a view from above of the procession coming in from all walks of life to realize their greatness and come home to themselves. The truth is, that truth just always rings true.

Realization: I know that no matter what I do in my life, if it comes from the heart it will always lead me to the best possible path.

"The best way out is always through"

-Robert Frost

2008-12-02T14:34:00.000-08:00

Check out the December 2008 Yoga Magazine Issue:

There is an article in there about my affirmation series.

Biennale Internazionale Dell'Arte Contemporanea, 2009

2008-09-15T20:20:00.000-07:00

I have been invited to attend the Biennale Internazionale Dell'Arte Contemporanea, 2009!! I LOVE Florence - which is where it is being held. This is a prestigious international juried exhibition that is sponsored by many well known companies. The exhibition is going to be located at The Fortezza da Basso, A Renaissance fortress which was built in 1534. I am ecstatic and have just recently put together my own vision board of traveling and doing really well as an artist - so I guess this vision board idea really works!

Upcoming book 'The Vision Board: The Secret to an extraordinary life' will feature my art!

2008-09-15T19:45:00.000-07:00

THE VISION BOARD: THE SECRET TO AN EXTRAORDINARY LIFE , written by Joyce Schwarz and published by Collins Design, Harper Collins will include one of my works! I was approached by Joyce when I decided to start a collection of affirmation giclees which uses an image of my painting with words on top. The one she used was the 'Divine Purpose' affirmation giclees which has an image of my painting 'Awakening'.

My Art is going to be in a major motion picture!!

2008-09-15T19:22:00.000-07:00

The movie is called 'The Unborn' and it is going to be released in 2009. The painting is called 'The Prayer' and is going to be in the bedroom of a character named 'Romi' played by the actress Meagan Good. Below are images of the painting as well as the set that it was used on:

The Prayer:

THE UNBORN - Releasing in 2009

The Enchanted Visit

2007-12-27T16:41:00.000-08:00

My new painting 'The Enchanted Visit' came to me just like that. I wasn't expecting to finish it in under 2 hours but it swept me away and left just as fast. My husband and I decided we were going to use the night to do things that we needed to do with some music in the background. So I looked at the background of colors on my canvas (this is how I always start my paintings) and suddenly told him that I am unavailable to talk for 15 minutes so please no distraction. I saw the images flow in the background and my hand just took over. This was so much fun to paint and it was faster than many paintings that I have sweat over in the past and was not impressed with when they were done. I love it when that happens!

Circle of Life

2007-09-03T07:17:00.000-07:00

Since my last post I painted more mandalas. These are larger than the last and were a lot of fun to paint. I played around with the background giving them a more rustic look and then layered whatever came to me on top. I called them 'Circle of Life" - they seemed to portray cycles and different temperments that create a balance together so the title felt appropriate.

Mandalas

2007-08-20T19:22:00.000-07:00

I first got into mandalas a few years ago and I honestly can't tell you how or where I saw them but I remember wanting to paint one really badly. I painted one and then forgot about them for years until last year when I read about them in a feng shui book. That got me to go out and buy a book about mandalas and their healing abilities.

Funny enough, when looking back before I even knew about the information I have read, it was as if I knew that they do something to the psyche.The information I read was that mandalas go way back throughout history.

Carl Jung got into mandalas by chance when he kept a journal and found himself drawing circular objects - and while doing so found peace expanding within his being. I read that the first objects that children draw are circles and drawings that resemble mandalas - this is a ritual to express their being and individuality. According to many psychologists and professionals who studies this subject, the act of drawing circles encourages one's venture into his/her own consciousness, setting boundaries of their universe - becoming the 'I'.

So when I got into drawing my next mandala - years after my first - it felt horrific! I felt like I added layers upon layers of color hiding the last. I felt so many emotions rise and it was like cleansing shame and realizing my fear of having it come out bad. The next one was a breeze - and then I realized I needed to unblock much of the garbage. The mandala is a symbolism of the 'I' that you experience in life. The colors, shapes, size and numbers (you can count circles, squares, lines that are repetative to get the subliminal numerology) all have something to do with what's going on inside. So I decided to paint a few and they got a good response on my online store interestingly enough - I got healing and good business! How about that!

More importantly, it was a way for me to reconnect after having my daughter. It was such a life changing experience and I found mandalas to be very grounding and purifying to paint.Now, I recently began painting them again and funny enough, my husband was laughing because many of the shapes look like flowers and sperm - is it time for another one? perhaps :)

Dance of Color

2007-07-19T10:21:00.000-07:00

This is an old painting that I sold a year ago. I wanted to talk about this one because it was so difficult for me to paint at first. I was ready to throw out the canvas and didn't know what to do at one point. I can't get myself to actually throw out a canvas so I stepped away for some time. When I came back I just kept adding and adding bits and pieces. When I was done, my husband said it wasn't his favorite (he's my personal art critic whom I place all finished peices in front of when I'm done). I have to say I thought it might be too busy. When I placed it on ebay I had a crazy amount of hits - it was like a hit a minute. In 7 days, over 900 ppl looked at it. I sold it - there was a bidding war and I never had such a hype on any other painting since. I have made giclees of it since it's on such a high demand and I get asked about it all the time. The story of 'Dance of Color' goes to show that you never do know. I was going to hold back on listing it at first and then said why not. Needless to say it began growing on me as well with time :)

My new 'Gem'

2007-07-17T19:50:00.000-07:00

It's called 'The Gem' and it's my latest creation. I paint often and sometimes find that things take a while before they manifest - but I LOVE it when I have a smooth, easy and really enjoyable painting. This one was like that for me and I recently put it on auction. Thanks for reading!

Michelle