"Grounded in the Flow - Letting Go" mini series - Painting with Fire Demo(s) in preparation

“Grounded in the Flow” (12”x18” encaustic/ mixed media on wood panel – 2024 ?)

This piece is an unfinished twin – I call the first one “Letting Go of Despair”, and the second one “Letting Go of the Ego”. Theme comes from past personal struggles - whenever someone would ask me how I feel, I’d compare my experience to that of an astronaut floating in microgravity: I can’t know for sure if there’s ground under my feet, or which direction forward should be. I’ve been healing, thanks to my community, art, sense of purpose, and … spirituality. Without connectedness, I would still be stuck, and I would like my gratitude to be reflected in my art. The bottom white parts have been layered to reveal flow patterns, and I’d like to see some explosive wildflowers growing out of the astronaut’s arms and helmet that are anchored by roots pouring into the flow. Let’s paint together! Future demo can also include the making of my “Attraction” piece, in which I cut and embedded in wax fridge magnets in the shape of a passionate dancing couple, and the display of magnetic fields between their hearts shows the strength of their bond. Lastly, I layered rainbow-colored wax on two panels, just to watch and immerse into the turbulence and fusing of layers and colors. Painting with fire demo(s) should be coming soon!

I’ve been recently inspired by The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle and Falling Upwards by Richard Rohr. Tolle introduces the idea that that consciousness is a state above thinking. The thinking mind is an instrument designed to be used for problem solving, and yet many of us become its slave. He identifies the present moment as true being: past and future are also just sequences of present moments. Thus, being fully immersed in the now is the only way where we can be creative, free of worries and self-centeredness. I’d be happy to share how I channel the joy of the moment in art! Rohr, a highly educated Franciscan priest stresses that the first half of our life is meant to build our ego, whereas the second is to let go of it – in other words, God created evolution itself. I highly recommend both reads!