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Shamanic painting and print: Touching Trees

2011-03-16T18:20:00.001-07:00

In 2004 the 80 acre piece of forested land across the road from our property on Cortes Island went on the market. Although my friends and neighbors joined me in ceremonies to call a buyer who would respect the elemental big forces that lived there, no one answered but the loggers.

When the wreckage subsided, I climbed over the broken forest to a large cedar still standing by a small stream almost gone underground from the silt-covered drifts of branched across its flow. I asked, “What do you need that I can do?” and saw with my inner eye the jumbled remains of tree stumps stretching into the distance, and also a small jar of red paint. I understood to touch every tree, and spent a year climbing over branches and falling through brambles, touching my finger into a jar of red ochre and then touching every tree stump.

At the very beginning of my impossible task, I found a small chip of wood with a beautiful burled patterning on its reverse, and I kept this with the ochre in the pocket of my old coat. Each time I would complete my struggle for the day, I would wipe my finger clean on the cut side of the wood. One year later at the end of my not quite so impossible task I decided to create a shamanic painting of the clear cut to honor all the tiny shoots of green pushing up to soften the haul roads and cat tracks.

When I paint I begin along the upper edge and paint, finished as I go, to the bottom edge. The painting in progress looks like a completed work with a white film over portions of the image that is slowly being peeled off a few inches a day. After I had completed about 1/3 of the portrait of the clear cut, I became bored with where it might be going.

I remembered the little piece of wood still in my old coat, and when I spent time gazing into its ochre-stained surface—this is who I saw. I do not know who she is and what she is holding, but if you take some moments to meet her gaze, she might tell you.

Custom fine art print on acid free velvet art paper

with archival inks

17” x 11” (43 cm x 27 cm) unmatted….$300.00

sealed on acid free foam core for shipping

shipping included

To purchase email Kristen at journeyoracle@gmail.com

See more shamanic paintings at www.journeyoracle.com

Shamanic art print: I never dream I sing

2011-03-02T19:47:00.000-08:00

This shamanic painting titled I never dream I sing comes from literal experience. Although I consider my singing to be a core element in all my shamanic work--especially calling and feeding my helpers in the Spirit world with song--for a long time I noticed that I never sang in my dreams. I even spent time focussing my dream intention on singing before I went to sleep, but never did I succeed.

This chalk pastel work began as a scribble drawing on newsprint in an art mentoring class here on Cortes Island. I was demonstrating how our muse can inhabit anything of our making, if our intention is clear and our effort is honoring. I was gazing into the resulting pattern of scribbles to find a presence and saw the faint traces of what transformed into this haunting scene: youth and wisdom creating the breath of both worlds in song. Still, however beautiful, the finished piece also felt like a dream message of sadness because no singing came in my dreams.

And then one night after a community meeting in which I facilitated a discussion between a logging company and island residents--using all my humble skills and attention to hold a space for the other-than-human wisdom of nature to also be present and to be included in the dialog--I had this dream.

A man who is sitting on my left asks me who I am--and then before I can answer he says "you are a shaman with a family." I begin to sing one of my medicine songs to the tune of Amazing Grace. While I am doing this I am aware that for the first time I am singing in my dream.

I think our ancestors and spirit guidance do not waste these precious moments, but save them until the dream sequence can be aligned to an important experience in ordinary reality, and so use these dream messages to be wayfinders along our path.

Custom fine art print on acid free velvet art paper
with archival inks

17” x 11” (43 cm x 27 cm) unmatted….$190.00
shrink wrapped on foam core for shipping
shipping included

To purchase email Kristen at journeyoracle@gmail.com

See more shamanic paintings at www.journeyoracle.com

Shamanic Painting of Breaking Doubt

2010-04-08T17:15:00.000-07:00

Breaking Doubt

This chalk pastel work captures a moment in a ritual when I literally had to “break doubt.” I understand that one of the greatest obstacles to our receiving wisdom from the Spirit World is our doubt. The moment we question what we see, or hear, or feel—this opening between the worlds, through which this communication is flowing—erodes and frays.

In the ceremony I knew I could only strike the clay disk in one place in order to break the disk evenly all over, and that this one spot would only be visible to my sight if I believed I could see it. Relax and be confident. One movement, one strike; breaks doubt.

Original Chalk Pastel on Matte Board
22.5” x 16.5” (57 cm x 42 cm) unframed…$900.00
shrink wrapped on foam core for shipping
shipping included

Custom fine art print on acid free velvet art paper
with archival inks

17” x 11” (43 cm x 27 cm) unmatted….$190.00
shrink wrapped on foam core for shipping
shipping included

To purchase email Kristen at journeyoracle@gmail.com

See more shamanic paintings at www.journeyoracle.com

Mystery of Sacred Art

2010-04-06T23:09:00.001-07:00

In my shamanic painting, I feel I am caught on a little hook that reaches out from the Mystery of Sacred art. My large acrylic paintings are ways for me to go back through this physical world into a shamanic landscape. I believe the shaman’s world is this world with the veils removed. I see this sacred landscape better with my eyes open, journeying into shamanic worlds within my painted ones.

My art with chalk pastel is inspired by dream creatures, rituals for spirits of place, and visionary images that come during shamanic journeys. I understand that this work is food for the Holy.

When I make art with watercolor pencil, I learn how to observe nature without editing out details. I draw from the wisdom that every part, and every part between the parts, is whole.