Posts Tagged ‘art’

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

Hello there. I’d love to tell you the story behind one of my favorite paintings called “Into the Mists”.  It is an oil painting on canvas about 14” x 18”.   I started the painting about a year before I finished it and in that time I let it sit for several months because I couldn’t figure out how to complete it. It began as a simple landscape.  I was driving in Maine right after sunset one evening and it was a particularly misty foggy night.  I drove past a lake where the mist was rising and the colors and the atmosphere was absolutely magical.  I was with my boyfriend who was used to me screaming out “pull over!!” anywhere we would be driving so that I could photograph for future paintings.  This was so awesome that he didn’t do the usual griping over having to wait for me to finish. He knew how special it was.

I began the painting some days later after we returned home.  I just couldn’t finish it.  So I let it sit.  It sat for almost a year until a friend was visiting and commented that I should have a moon in it.  At the time it didn’t.

I placed the moon but it still did not feel complete to me so I continued to let it sit.  One day as I was shuffling through some photos in my studio I came upon a series of shots I had taken of a friend at a nearby mystical location and realized that she would look great in that painting.  Voila!  As soon as I placed her there I knew that was the ideal solution to what was missing.

I hope you like it as much as I do. To see more  of my images visit my website at melissaharris.com.

More About Melissa Harris:
Melissa Harris holds an MFA and BFA in Painting and was awarded a Fulbright grant to study painting in Paris. CREATRIX is her company featuring her artwork and messages on notecards, prints, and other gift items. Her work can also be found on book, magazine and CD covers as well as calendars. Watch for her new affirmation deck called “Goddess on the Go” soon to be released. She teaches art-making workshops at spiritual centers throughout the US and at her home studio. Melissa finds her inspiration in nature, travel, personal relationships, and dreams. Series include butterflies, women and magic, women and nature, women and dreams, cycles of the moon, intimacy, and more. According to Melissa, “Whatever my subject matter is, I like it to have a certain edge whether compositional or emotional. I like to think that a key word for my work could be “depth”, depth of space and depth of emotion.” More info at: www.melissaharris.com

Listen to Melissa’s interview with Kala on The Explore Your Spirit with Kala Show here: http://exploreyourspirit.com/Media/shows3.shtml#CREATIX

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

Greetings. I love telling the stories behind my paintings. Some of them are more interesting than others but since they are all my “children” and they each have some history to them. For those of you just being introduced here I am an artist and a psychic empath. I have embodied each of these for as long as I remember. My parents fed me a steady supply of crayons and paper in order to keep me quiet. And I was hooked, And from as early as I can remember I had clairvoyant dreams as well as knowing what those around me were thinking. I just didn’t understand why other people didn’t see the same things as I did. Or “know” the same things I could instantly feel about people or situations. My painting became my “medicine” in that it was the place I could always go to to feel connected or grounded. Their was a lot of trauma that went on in my household growing up so I went as far away as I could and pulled out my art supplies to escape into my own world. It always worked and was the place that was comfortable and safe.

That’s just a bit of background info for you . Now I’d like to tell you about this painting I call “Magic Carpet”. It is a 9″ x 12″ watercolor that was purchased by a couple in the UK after seeing it on my website. By the way, I love seeing where my “children” end up and I like that this one flew over the ocean.

I’ve always loved the concept of magic carpets as a device that could take one far away into the fantasy of one’s own creation. In this way we are free to create the destination or leave it up to chance. I’m not sure which I like the best! Surprises are always fun.. In this image we see the couple ready to go off on their journey together, experiencing the magic of the unknown in a joint venture. In the first draft of the painting I had painted one of the figures with their arm pointing up to one of the stars. But I didn’t like the way it looked anatomically. It just wasn’t right for the painting. I had to paint it out which is very difficult to do with watercolors. Sometimes it works and sometimes not. Fortunately in this case it did. I included the cat because it was there to hold down the fort while they went off to play. I have 4 cats of my own and that is how I feel about them when I go off on my work trips. The shape of the earth below them is rounded to suggest that they may be leaving the planet. I used soft colors to create a feeling of levity in the mood of the piece.

By the time you read this Valentines Day will have passed but I hope it found you with the love that you want in your life and if not, the vision of the love that you would like to call in.

Until next month, Melissa

You can visit my website at www.melissaharris.com to see more of my art and to purchase prints, cards, candles and many other gift items.

More About Melissa Harris:
Melissa Harris holds an MFA and BFA in Painting and was awarded a Fulbright grant to study painting in Paris. CREATRIX is her company featuring her artwork and messages on notecards, prints, and other gift items. Her work can also be found on book, magazine and CD covers as well as calendars. Watch for her new affirmation deck called “Goddess on the Go” soon to be released. She teaches art-making workshops at spiritual centers throughout the US and at her home studio. Melissa finds her inspiration in nature, travel, personal relationships, and dreams. Series include butterflies, women and magic, women and nature, women and dreams, cycles of the moon, intimacy, and more. According to Melissa, “Whatever my subject matter is, I like it to have a certain edge whether compositional or emotional. I like to think that a key word for my work could be “depth”, depth of space and depth of emotion.” More info at: www.melissaharris.com

Listen to Melissa’s interview with Kala on The Explore Your Spirit with Kala Show here: http://exploreyourspirit.com/Media/shows3.shtml#CREATIX

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

Hello All. My name is Melissa Harris. I am an artist and a psychic empath. I have a company called CREATRIX that features my artwork on cards, prints, calendars, divination decks, and other gift items. I am looking forward to this opportunity to share with you in this new blog some of what happens with me in my creative process. This month I will share with you the story behind one of my paintings, since I am often asked where I get my ideas. And at other times I will share with you the process behind making these paintings; what goes into it both physically and in the way of finding the inspiration behind them, etc.

This month I would like to tell you about “Answering the Call of the Wild”. I think I chose this painting because I am a bit antsy with the call of the wild myself. If I have been home for too long without a trip I feel a need to stretch, as if I want to burst out of my skin. I’ve always been this way. A part of me likes to walk on the edge…..I was not always a well behaved girl in school ☺ I did this watercolor in 2007. I intentionally set out to create a painting for my CREATRIX line of imagery but when I began I didn’t quite know what I was going to do. That’s how it often happens. I have a stash of photos that I take of different folks that model for me in different situations. I even have a file for them, which is unusual since my studio and office (and house especially) usually look as if a cyclone has struck. I am always mulit-tasking, stopping in the middle of something because I get inspired to do something else. I’m working with changing this, but sometimes it’s good.
Wolves had been on my mind because my partner Kent is fond of them and we visit a wolf sanctuary in Maine occasionally. We also have a malamute (dog) for those of you not in the know. They look like wolves. Lately our old dog Tika is living in my office since she chases our 4 cats and I feel like I am surrounded by canine energy. I love dogs; we always had them when I was growing up, but in my adult life I have never wanted the responsibility. It seems ironic that many persons I have been in relationship with (and lived with) own dogs so I am automatically living with them in my office, bed, and the like. I don’t seem to be able to escape ☺.

Back to the story… I found a photo of a wolf that I was drawn to and then turned to my handy file of model photos for how I would integrate wolf and woman energy. The photo I selected is of a young woman I met while doing a craft fair some years ago. She came to the studio to model in person but I always take photos as well. I have an easier time working with some folks than others from life. In this case of this woman I preferred the paintings I did from photos. The one I did from life is called “Meditation” which you can see in the fantasy gallery of my fine arts site. I have had some interesting feedback regarding Answering the Call of the Wild.. My intention was to create a scene where the woman is resting, but feels restless. She hears the call of the wolf, which feeds the side of her that is calling her “wild woman” to come out and play. There is a well known and great book that probably many of you have read called “Women Who Run with the Wolves.” My business partner who is a few years younger than me had not heard of it, so I realize I am dating myself here. In any case, I recommend it. The business partner I mentioned viewed the meaning of the image in an entirely different light really surprising me. I’m pleased with the painting myself, but not so sure that many of you are interpreting it the way I had intended, which is fine. I included it in my divination card deck the Anything is Possible CREATRIX activation card deck.

More About Melissa Harris:
Melissa Harris holds an MFA and BFA in Painting and was awarded a Fulbright grant to study painting in Paris. CREATRIX is her company featuring her artwork and messages on notecards, prints, and other gift items. Her work can also be found on book, magazine and CD covers as well as calendars. Watch for her new affirmation deck called “Goddess on the Go” soon to be released. She teaches art-making workshops at spiritual centers throughout the US and at her home studio. Melissa finds her inspiration in nature, travel, personal relationships, and dreams. Series include butterflies, women and magic, women and nature, women and dreams, cycles of the moon, intimacy, and more. According to Melissa, “Whatever my subject matter is, I like it to have a certain edge whether compositional or emotional. I like to think that a key word for my work could be “depth”, depth of space and depth of emotion.” More info at: www.melissaharris.com

Listen to Melissa’s interview with Kala on The Explore Your Spirit with Kala Show here: http://exploreyourspirit.com/Media/shows3.shtml#CREATIX

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

Many people today are aware of the incredible power of the mind. It is comforting to know that we possess an inherent ability to create whatever we set our mind to. Every one of us has the capacity to tap into this inner resource at will, yet many still do not fully understand how to successfully harness it or where to begin when intending change. The question is how do we effectively co-create with this facet of our consciousness to achieve the results we desire?

The answer lies in the awareness of one’s thoughts and feelings. Consistently thinking the same thought over and over sends a strong message to the subconscious mind. Repetitious thinking eventually brings one to arrive at the conclusion that they are to receive whatever they have convinced themselves of. Belief is created and that belief is handed over to the subconscious mind. Each time a new belief is formed, it becomes the basis from which our subconscious mind executes all future action.

Belief is a powerful state of mind induced through repeated suggestion. Our beliefs energize our thoughts. When belief backs one’s thoughts, a strong magnetic force is created within the mind. This magnetic field attracts more thoughts that are similar in nature and equivalent physical experiences. Many of our existing beliefs are formed unconsciously from the time of our birth. Our consciousness operates unbeknownst to us from these core beliefs. The great news is that we can rewrite our beliefs at any given point in time through intention setting and repeated suggestion.

Creating new beliefs through repetition of affirmative orders can make the Law of Attraction work for anyone. When intending to create change or transformation in any area of life, it is important to find the best feeling and most positively stated words to describe the desired outcome that one is seeking. Deliberately repeating desired thought patterns throughout the day allows one’s new way of thinking to dominate the mind. Time for some more good news, as your new thought patterns begin to dominate your mentality, it becomes habit. This means that your desired way of thinking automatically surfaces into your waking mentality, making it EASY for you to focus on what you truly want in life!

Implementing new beliefs through repeated suggestion does require a certain degree of disciplined effort, but it can be FUN and EASY and the reward is well worth it. Imagine experiencing sustainable thoughts and feelings of sheer happiness and well-being! It is an amazing experience to be filled with positive energy as a reward for time well spent.

Belief is the starting point from which all miracles are created. Without belief, one cannot create or attract the things they desire. Belief needs to be present when intending to create desired results, for it is the fuel that backs every thought. Since one creates successful outcomes according to their level of belief, focusing on raising belief in the power of mind will boost ones ability to create and attract desired results with greater accuracy.

The following are some effective ways to strengthen belief:

• Deliberately suggest to your subconscious mind through repeated affirmative orders, your belief in its ability to attract to you the physical equivalent of the directed thought you impress upon it. Time must be spent each day directly communicating to your inner mind of your belief in its abilities. Engage the imagination for effective communication of your heartfelt thoughts in the form of words, images and aroused emotion.

• An English Proverb states “the eyes are the window to the soul”. Find a mirror, look directly into your eyes and speak out loud to the depths of your soul, where your deep inner mind resides. Speak of your admiration, love, respect, and appreciation of its worth. This is a very powerful technique. It will stir great emotion from the depths of your BEING.

• Intentionally arouse positive supporting emotions when repeating affirmations. All thought is birthed into existed by an emotional state. Strive to hold positive emotions of well-being as much as possible. Emotions are our internal guidance system. We sense through emotional well-being how aligned we are to our higher selves or source energy.

• Focus your desired intent of strengthening belief through the Intentional Scrapbooking Method™ to anchor your thoughts into physical shape and form. Taking the time to focus your intent in this way expresses commitment to your desired goal. This process aligns all four levels of BEING which strongly imprints the subconscious mind and activates the Law of Attraction. Your desires will only manifest as a result!

Strengthening belief in the power of mind will have you creating and attracting all the things you truly desire in life with ease and effortlessness. The journey of self-discovery is a process of becoming. It is on-going. Once a desired goal is fulfilled, one will always uncover more desires that serve to grow and expand the self to new heights. Believe in yourself, the creative potential of your thoughts and the power of your subconscious mind. Belief is the starting point from which all miracles happen. Believe in believing. ©2008 Elizabeth Pagayonan: Creating Intentions

More about Elizabeth Pagayonan…

Passionate scrapbook artist and certified hypnotherapist, Elizabeth Pagayonan is dedicated to awaken people who love to scrapbook to use scrapbooking as a way to consciously create specific results in any area of their lives. Through her business, Creating Intentions, she is helping scrapbook artists to cultivate an awareness of positive thinking combined with powerful intention through her transformational Intentional Scrapbooking Method™, Intentional Scrapbooking Kits™, teleseminars, and retreats. She has just completed her first book, which is pending publication. 

Watch for Elizabeth’s interview on The Explore Your Spirit with Kala Show coming in May 2009.

More info at: www.creatingintentions.com

Be Sociable, Share!

•