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Bunnies, Birthdays & Beginnings Have Begun ~ Portal Painting Magick as a Marker of Spiraling Change

This is an interlude before the next reblog of White Dreams & Visions Revisited so that I can share some updates including a very important full circle closure AND opening for me that has to do with a portal.

But before that, I just want to extend extra love, healing, and grace of flow to everyone and especially those of you who may find yourself going through some very rough patches. I have heard in the last couple of weeks from several people I know that are themselves going through major health challenges to include various forms of stage four cancer and aggressive lymphoma, or their loved ones are going through the same.

Many people are moving through big changes in various areas of their lives, not just health, and even if ultimately they are for the highest good, things may feel uncomfortable or unclear right now. So let’s take some deep breaths together and remember all the things we have already made it through. One step at a time.

There also continues to be a wide gap between contrasting experiences that can be triggering or add strain on things so, again, it’s helpful to try to find that connective bridge of kindness toward self and others, understanding how everyone is going through their own stuff. The breath and pause with curiosity around the moment unfolding can help to curtail creating a domino effect of explosions. Anything you can do to nourish and support yourself, anchor into the conscious present, listen to and act upon inner messaging, or maybe even reach out to others would be of great benefit as things are changing rapidly and will inevitably continue to unearth reveals and invite more of us on board in the coming days and months.

Although I know it’s a given that collective connection is our innate experience, I have intention that any breakthroughs, uplifting, inspiring, successful, and peaceful energies I experience are shared in the collective pool with others. The way we each move through life creates doorways for the collective.

I’ll share some of the changes and updates that have taken place this month in case they speak to energy shifts and similar kinds of things that you’ve been going through as well. This month has felt like the year’s energy is really starting to clarify and anchor new momentum.

As you know, I’ve been transitioning my own life focuses to put closure to a cycle and prepare for a new one. I felt this energy guidance even before I remembered the actuality of it taking place with my birthday kicking in the essence of #1 numerologically this year. So of course it was a huge a-ha click to why everything was happening. And this #1 energy inevitably gives me a lot of oomph behind the drive I feel compelled to act upon.

I’m so happy to report that I have been able to accomplish this goal of completions and have already removed several pages from this website for offerings that are no longer. I will continue to remove pages in the days ahead leading to my birthday, and eventually will begin updating pages with fresh energy and clear slates.

During the past few weeks I also discovered a weird thing with my gmail acount that is too complicated to explain, but basically showed me another door I would be closing and opening with kind of an “identity” themed focus. Somehow we (Dave and I) had set up two gmail accounts for me when first I created one and unknowingly everything had been operating through one that I don’t use including my YouTube channel, all saved contacts, photos, etc. Of course, I just happened to discover this right now and we took measures to move everything over to the right account, which was quite the project – especially YouTube – and then deleted the nonused account. Needless to say, it’s all fixed and that felt like a reflection of new identity and fresh starts too – kind of like the old account was this in between place holder of a me that would only be temporary.

During the last month or so of completions I also found myself not using my office and Wonderland room I shared with Astrid and the crystal family. I’ve had a temporary setup with my important things on the kitchen island and have been working from the couch in the main living area. I wondered why that was, but then this clicked in as well that it must have been my sensing the energy of transition and not wanting to anchor in that in between within my special space. That space is a container for new energies building, and interestingly during this transition I have been welcoming in and moving around a few last crystals and crystal skulls. 

The only thing I have been doing in my Wonderland room is painting, which I just started on 2/11 and completed on the evening of 2/17.

This is one of the important completion projects that has haunted me for a while – to finalize my giant 5 foot x 5 foot portal painting titled Once in a Blue Moon. It makes sense why I haven’t completed it until now, and with everything off my slate I was able to paint the final keys to this doorway of new experience.

I first channeled the painting in 2012 with Nestor (who had already transitioned) and Joy (who was still with me at the time) anchoring it. This is a professional photo of the painting that captures colors differently.

I had no idea then that Cosmo and Astrid would be coming, but I must have intuitively had an idea because the painting was very simple and empty, as if also being a place holder for more.

Over the years of having Cosmo and Astrid, I knew that I wanted to eventually add them to the painting, but also Gaia who is connected to all of them – especially Joy and Nestor – and in fact was Joy’s companion until Cosmo came – as well as Twinkie who was my first bunny when I was twelve years old and whom I feel came back to me as Cosmo. Five rabbits in all and their comrade the Russian tortoise.

It was a project that I kept saying I wanted to do and could have done with the passing of each of them, but it wasn’t until now that I finally felt the energy was ready and of course I created the time for it with clearing out things.

It seems like the perfect marker from old to new with a magickal celebration of everyone together to support what’s to come. And, in fact, also a celebration for my birthday new cycle. I knew it would be done before that and in fact I did it with nine days to spare.

Here it is taken just outside my office door in the sunlight – I had to move away the snow.

I wish I could photograph it as well as the professional one of the original.

It’s SO hard to capture the colors properly – some lighting washes things out and makes everything more blue – other lighting makes things have a yellow undertone. The painting in person has a lot of variation in colors especially where all the detail is, and in person the bunnies are all the proper colors they should be.

But I think the photos will give you an energetic idea of the magick – including their favorite amethyst crystals and special symbolism, bridging details, earth and cosmic landscapes (check out Gaia’s Himalayan terrain), and star codes.

These next photos of Cosmo show you how the lighting shifts the colors – you can see in his fur and the flowers.

I’m excited to see what ignites by its completion and hanging in my Wonderland room where Astrid transitioned.

I already saw one acknowledgment – this sunset took place the evening of the 17th when I completed the painting. This was the second confirmation.

Then on Valentine’s evening 2/14 I finished painting Astrid and took this photo, which showed energy all around her.

I basically painted one of my companions each day since I started on 2/11 and Astrid was to be the last. The background took me two days. Well, the very next morning of the 15th, the first confirmation came after I woke earlier than usual to see the Moon through the forest.

Frith showed up.

I haven’t seen Frith in ages, but there he was.

He ran across our upper deck and then down the stairs to the spiral garden.

This is where I first discovered Frith, before I had the spiral quartz garden, when he was just a baby and would flop himself near the bushes there and act like a domesticated rabbit. That’s when Astrid took him under her wing and they became great friends.

Well, that morning he sat looking at us watching him through the upper picture windows of our living room and I remarked at how much he looked like Astrid in my painting – the same stance.

He’s grown so much!

And he’s still his frisky, sweet self, as he dashed about the spiral garden now covered in snow from our last and biggest storm yet. Then off he disappeared under our deck.

I felt he was Astrid’s acknowledgment and joy of the portal being activated with her coming alive on the painting. They were both happy!

In fact, last night’s dream was graced by Astrid who was full of joy and bursting exuberance. In my dream she got out through the door and was zooming and springing about outside, dashing here and there in the snow. She mirrored Frith. She would leap and twist and turn and move like a flash with great energy bubbling from within. That warmed my heart.

I know this to be an actual portal, as when I first painted it and hung it in my office in Costa Mesa, Southern California, I experienced the magick. I woke in the middle of the night one day and because I could see the painting in my office through both room doorways from my side of the bed, I saw why it woke me up. I saw the painting open and all of these magickal beings came jumping out of it and running across the floor – gnomes, elves, fairies, and other devic creatures.

I wonder what else will happen now that I’ve completed and hung the painting back on the wall of Wonderland over a couch that houses stuffies of all of my sweet rabbit companions with Astrid’s crystal grid in front of it?

Well, I’ll tell you what happened next.

After photographing the painting yesterday morning before going out skiing, I hung it back up in its place on the wall.

Later, after we got home and had lunch, I went downstairs thinking I might get better lighting now to photograph the painting because the morning light made everything blue.

As soon as I walked in my office I was amazed to see the painting down on the floor behind the couch. When I went over to it I realized that the wire broke in half, sending the painting straight down to the floor. Luckily the couch is in front of it, as it would have toppled over onto my table of crystals.

That said, I knew the portal was activated. Just like when I had gridded the crystals on Astrid’s table and she flung my lighted ornament tree onto the ground behind me to tell me it was done and ready to go.

I told Dave that the painting fell and that made three things already happening since painting it.

He said to me, “It’s been hanging on the wall all of these years since we moved in. Nothing’s changed. It’s not like it got heavier.”

I laughed and said, “The whole painting image changed! That’s exactly it. Nothing changed to the canvas itself except the portal is now activated with everyone on it.”

His eyes bugged out and we both laughed. I showed him the wire on the back of the painting and we both said it looked like Astrid chewed right through it. LOL!

“Take that!” Dave said as stand-in for her.

The very strong metal hook on the wall was completely bent from an upright position to a horizontal one. That took me longer to bend back into place than stringing a much stronger, thicker wire across the back, doubling it around the broken one. But it’s all super secure now – unless something else decides to take place.

So, indeed the portal has ignited.

A lot of acknowledgments continue to roll in, including the clock numbers. We all see the repetitive numbers a lot these days, but sometimes the experience is heightened. That’s been the case the last couple of weeks where I’m seeing the numbers like crazy every single day and multiple times a day. This includes seeing my birthday 2:26 on the clock all the time – both during the day and waking up to seeing it during the night.

And speaking of night and sleep, I had another incredible bear dream the night of the Leo Full Moon of the the 12th. This time it had both cubs and momma bear in it.

There were two larger sized cubs that were following me and wanting in the house that I was in, in the dream. Every time I opened the door, they snuck in and wanted to play. I couldn’t keep them out. They always discovered the door I opened and would get in. The cubs were relentless about wanting to be with me.

I thought momma bear must be close and kept looking for her, as I didn’t want to upset her that the cubs were with me. Then I saw mom appear from the woods, but to my surprise she was human – although I knew she was bear in essence. A shapeshifter perhaps.

She carried in her arms a smaller, third cub and I noticed that when she stepped forward in view by the trees that she had a very pregnant belly underneath a long gown. She reminded me of the Empress card in Tarot, which is interesting since I’m a three in numerology by birth number and that is associated with this card. Momma bear had three cubs and one on the way.

She brought the little cub into the house and laid him snug inside an open dresser drawer lined with soft material to sleep.

That’s all I remember, but it was so clear and stayed with me.

I told Dave about my dream and even he said, “Wow you are constantly dreaming of bears.”

Yes indeed!

I’ve also been in a pattern again of dreaming about so many people I know, even if I’m not in contact with them regularly, like a collective streaming of communication and connection happening seamlessly.

And speaking of connection, we got to enjoy a beautiful celebration weekend with my family for my brother’s 55th birthday at the beginning of this month. We also celebrated an early one for me since we wouldn’t be down again until early March.

We ended up spending two nights with them because a snow storm was starting and we didn’t want to get caught on the roads in the event it got as bad as they were predicting.

It didn’t end up being that big, but we were happy we followed our intuition and it gave us more family time to enjoy.

Going down early provided a window to hit one of our favorite fun spots in Reno for lunch, try a new place with vegan baked goods, enjoy a short walk by the river, and do an errand.

I finally got a photo with my favorite momma and baby whale sculpture downtown too!

Snow by us, meant rain down in the valley and that produced this beautiful rainbow when we arrived at my parent’s house.

This was the view from the front door.

Game nights, talks, and yummies are all a part of family fun time. In fact, two of the gifts we brought my brother were new games, which we all played together.

On the morning of my brother’s birthday we woke to this gorgeous, shifting sunrise view through the blinds and windows that looked like a celebration from the heavens!

This was the amazing vegan cake my dad made for my brother that we enjoyed in the beautifully decked out dining room after mom’s delicious meal.

Dave and I even hit the gym at the clubhouse by my parent’s house on both days and I had my usual deep and shifting talks with my brother. This one was a timely, major breakthrough talk perfectly aligned with the changes and my birthday.

On our way home on the 8th, we saw three coyotes following each other in a perfect line, in a field near our house.

And that first night back home, after the powerfully shifting talks with my brother I had another powerful dream.

In the dream I was receiving a blood transfusion in a place that felt different than here. There were actually a couple of other people also receiving a transfusion, but what I realized is that mine was different. They were each receiving human blood and I was receiving rabbit blood. And the interesting way that this was being given to me was by tubes in my mouth that made it so that I needed to swallow the blood.

Interesting given this took place before I started my painting and after talks that involved discussions including my rabbit companions and missions.

Anyway, while that storm of the 6th didn’t end up as big as they thought, the second one did and we were grateful for that.

On the 12th and 13th, just before Valentine’s Day, we got our biggest storm of the season that brought 16 fresh new inches of snow at our house and 28 inches to the ski mountain above us.

We’re very happy about that, as we haven’t had a very big Winter this year so far.

This brought enough for us to have some good snow shoeing this past weekend too, which was perfect to do with our friends who invited us over to do an early birthday celebration for me.

This included the outdoor fun, relaxing, a meal and birthday cake they made for me, game time, and a two-round sound healing session by the guys before we hit the sack for a fun overnighter.

After walks and snowless beach days, we’re back to Winter enchantment, more skiing, and snow is hanging around finally at the house.

February seems to be the new month for Winter Wonderlands to kick in, which adds to birthday fun and magick.

Birthday celebrations have definitely begun and I love that the bunnies are in full and high gear along with me!

I’m looking forward to what’s up ahead, but am feeling super grateful for all that’s here now.

Memorial Day Weekend Flash Sale & More Sacred Art Offerings

I mostly try to keep these posts on Instagram and Facebook, but so many of my friends are not on social media and only get updates via my blog, so I’m sharing this here too because some people see one or the other and have shared feeling sad they miss out on things.

As promised, tomorrow will kick off our Memorial Day Weekend Sale over at The Magick Rabbit, our Etsy shop. We are preparing for new inventory in the coming months so we hope this sale will help make it even easier to bring home things you’ve loved in our shop.

The sale begins tomorrow, Sunday May 26th and will go through the end of Monday May 27th – Memorial Day.

We’ve decided to surprise everyone with our biggest sale yet, which will be 30% off store-wide, creating super crazy steals on all the rabbit magick, inspiration, and whimsy.

We still have some Magick Rabbit talisman crystal necklaces, sweet rabbit mini gardens (including some vintage pieces) – some of my favorites still remaining, original paintings on canvas board, prints, the last of our notebook journals, greeting cards, and one basket.

I always add little free gifts to every package and everything arrives with free gift wrapping too.

So, don’t forget to hop on over beginning tomorrow, if you feel some rabbit love calling to your heart.

The Magick Rabbit

Next, I wanted to update you with a beautiful unfolding that took place. As you might recall, last Wednesday May 15th I shared about my process around the art I’ve created and how I discovered a deeper release I hadn’t acknowledged – Original Art Speaks Volumes & A Confession. This led to offering my five portal paintings, part of the In Lak’ech series, to best offers – feeling they needed to be out there doing the work. 

I’m so moved, humbled and grateful beyond words to say that the five of them will be staying together and have found their new incredible sacred keeper. I was so touched by the out-pour of love for these pieces and the generous offers that came in. I wish I had more of each original to send off, but I don’t and when the perfect and devoted home opened for all of them, I knew this was exactly where they needed to be next.

Their new keeper and I will be in contact about their evolution and if at any point their work with her is complete and/or we get that they are ready to move on, we’ll make that known so they can continue to share their powerful energy. Where they are going is being created as its own intimate home healing arts center so they will be seen and experienced by others, as they work with their new keeper as well.

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I mentioned a discovery in this last Wednesday’s share that took place and if you were on Instagram, you may have caught wind of it.

While I was opening the boxes storing the original five paintings, Fire, Earth, Air, Water and Spirit, I discovered another box with three very special treasures in it that I completely forgot I had.

I thought all of my prints were gone, but in fact I had three remaining, but they are not just prints. These three smaller prints – 9 1/2″ square – of Fire, Air and Earth are housed inside of rare custom metal frames ranging 15″, 15 1/4″ and 15 3/4″ square. The frames amplify their energy and are each hand-made to enhance their painting in a 3D effect by a friend of mine at the time who did incredible metalwork like nothing I’ve ever seen. They weigh close to 10 lbs each and are thick from the side in a layered step-effect. They are each a double work of art that adds depth to their portal presence. 

There’s a part of the frame detailing just below each image that mirrors elements within each painting. They are each also connected to different ancient civilizations, time periods and cosmic origins.

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For Fire, which highlights Sumerian and Babylonian times (Hanging Gardens of Babylon and Ishtar Gate), the frame detailing at bottom mirrors the Ishtar Gate and has a palace-like essence.

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For Earth, which highlights ancient Egypt, the frame detailing mirrors the pyramids and palm trees within the painting.

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And for Air, which highlights ancient Druidic and Celtic times, the frame detailing mirrors the stone circle in the painting, creating a Stone Henge-like effect.

They are an “experience” to meditate with and allow them to do the work on deep levels, helping to shift your DNA and patterns into freeing transmutation.

Because of interest and my new detachment to release these to do the work they are meant to do “out there,” I decided to make these available as well. They are easier to ship and easier to find that special sacred space for – either hung or leaning against a wall or shelf, or altar space.

I posted a video on Instagram after their discovery, but unfortunately am unable to upload it here, so the pictures will have to suffice. The prints are the exact equivalent in quality, detailing, and clarity as the originals I posted, but in photos they come across less defined.

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Like with any of my pieces, I’m in no rush for them to find their wedded homes, as alignment is most important to me. So I’m awaiting everyone having had chance to see and connect with them before making decisions.

I hadn’t shared them here yet, so please feel free to contact me if you’re interested in bringing one or more of these into your sacred space with your best offer. Shipping to be added.

And last – this one also took me by surprise –  I am also making available these seven original sacred animal spirit guide paintings to best offers, too, if they call to your heart. These have been beloved pieces for many and I ended up holding on to the originals, currently housed in our home.

However, there was so much response to them when I was sharing my artistic journey and evolution on social media a little while back, that I felt it was time to release these too, so they can do their work, since I no longer have prints of these either.

I can always create more art. I am more focused currently on the paintings fulfilling the purpose they were intended for, feeling that is most important right now with all that is going on in the world.

There were originally nine paintings in this series titled, Universal ARKitecture.

One original had been sold and the other one that hangs in my office of my rabbits, titled Once in a Blue Moon, does not feel to be opening at this time for others, as it truly is a more personal piece.

But these seven I have worked with recently in terms of the same release I felt was necessary with the In Lak’ech series, and so I’m now making them available as well.

Title and size included under the photos below. Photos don’t do these justice.

Temple of the Sacred Heart

Temple of the Sacred Heart ~ 24″ x 24″

Garden of the Gods

Garden of the Gods ~ 24″ x 36″

The Child In Us

The Child In Us ~ 24″ x 24″

Visions of Atlantis

Visions of Atlantis ~ 30″ x 40″

gem of the emerald forest

Gem of the Emerald Forest ~ 24″ x 30″

The Mystic

The Mystic ~ 24″ x 24″

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Dance of the Twin Flames ~ 20″ x 24″

These are so much easier to ship than the 4 feet by 4 feet originals I’m currently working on getting to their new home, but again shipping will be added.

I’m not going to share what their original value was, as I don’t want to deter people. I’d rather you feel the value of the art and share that from your heart.

If you want to see all of the pieces together in one page, including the In Lak’ech pieces and even my original five magick rabbit paintings that are available in my shop, please check this page out on my blog:

Artwork

Please feel free to reach out to me about any of these if they call to you. It’s more important to me they go where they will be cherished and worked with, so don’t feel any fear around offering what you are able.

You can connect with me here:

Contact Tania

Wishing you a relaxing, refreshing, and rejuvenating holiday weekend.

Thank you dearly for all of the loving support and moving words about my work. It means the world to me.

Whimsical Wednesdays ~ The Artist’s Corner: The Magick Rabbit Shop Launch & Giveaway Announcements

Due to limited time today, as I am immersed in preparations to leave Friday morning for vacation, I thought today’s Whimsical Wednesdays from The Artist’s Corner would be a good time to announce the upcoming official launch of my new Etsy shop and a fun Giveaway that will be taking place in conjunction with it.

As you might recall, I shared a first reveal on 12/12/18 of the new artwork and fun creations Astrid and I have been working on.

We call this collection The Magick Rabbit ~ Storybook Tales of Wonder and Whimsy Come to Life.

While my previous Etsy shop – that has been dormant and sold out since 2013 – was focused on crystals and my Crystal Illuminations paintings, the new shop will feature a combination of storybook rabbit art, prints, items featuring my artwork to first include greeting cards and blank journals, as well as some really fun and magickal mini rabbit Faery garden kits – oh I can’t wait to share those with you soon!

The latter are magickal little themed worlds that you’ll be able to put together yourself!

I do all of the procuring and will feature a photo of the end result I’ve imagined, then once you receive the kit, you’ll be able to enjoy the journey of creating it yourself and adding your own magick touches!

Fun, fun, FUN!

It’s been a process and I’m still working hard at getting everything I have so far together for the launch that will be on Friday, February 1st! This so happens to be my beloved rabbit twin soul’s birthday (Nestor) and the magickal Imbolc of new beginnings, purification, and the light within blossoming.

There will be anywhere from 22-28 mini rabbit Faery garden kits to choose from, alongside the original five paintings I’ve already shared in the link above, and then the items I described with these images on them.

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I’m currently working on a new collection of original, whimsical rabbit artwork that Astrid is assisting with ideas for. I plan to have fun exploring these more while I’m away in Sedona’s inspiring energy. I’m in the sketching mode right now, but will bring my art book and tools with me to play and keep the channels between Astrid and me open to receive her guidance.

These will be different than the first collection and may or may not make it in time for the 2/1 launch, but will be available shortly after, if not.

Some of the other potential items I’m looking into creating down the road may include coloring books, tote bags, and mugs. I can’t promise these, but they are in the Faery-works in terms of exploring and discussing the details.

Everything is a step-by-step process and I only want to do as much as is fun and flowing, as truly this is purely a joyous project for me to bring these to life and share them with you. They are meant to help rekindle the wondrous heart of your inner child and act as portals to harness sweet magick into your everyday life.

I just love expressing and spreading beauty, wonder, and playfulness.

I hope they will act as reminders to nurture and cultivate more of the same for you and help whisper a little more enchantment into your life, overall.

All created and shared from the heart of one Magick Rabbit and one Rabbit Faery. 🙂

That leads to the Giveaway.

Due to the excited response I received via Instagram when I asked if people would be interested in this, I will be starting a Giveaway on Monday, January 21st on the Full Supermoon Lunar Eclipse.

This will be available to anyone who is on Instagram. I know not everyone is on social media, but for those of you who are, you can look for details about this on 1/21.

Unfortunately, I can’t run a Giveaway on all three platforms I’m on because it’s far too much to manage, so I chose Instagram.

You can find me there at this handle: taniamarieartist

The Giveaway will run between 1/21 and 1/31. I will announce the recipient on 2/1 – the day of my shop launch. I’m still deciding on the gift to give away, but I’m feeling it will likely be one of the mini rabbit Faery garden kits.

Again, all details will be on my Instagram page, upcoming.

A fun way to share the magick with everyone and my love for rabbits, as way-showers to the wondrous world within.

Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive of this new creative venture for me and for the loving encouragement about something that brings joy to my heart to share.

Again, this is my last Whimsical Wednesday post until I return the week of the 21st. I’ll see you back here on 1/23 and wish you all a wonderful continuation to your new 2019 creative journey.

Whimsical Wednesdays ~ The Artist’s Corner: My Artistic Journey Creating from the Heart

tahoe tania

Today I thought I’d answer one of the questions I get asked a lot about my artistic journey. When did you start painting and what kind of training did you have? 

It seems to me that we’re programmed to think that in order to be able to do something we must have gone through a certain kind of rigorous training and so we automatically ask these kinds of questions, as we relate seeing gifts in someone to a curriculum of schooling.

While this may be some peoples’ journeys, it isn’t everyone’s.

There are many people whose training has come “built-in” from their soul history.

There are some people who aren’t born with a filter and so they just “go for it” with expressing themselves and the creative energy that moves through them.

There are people who cultivate a passion they feel.

And there are people who are drawn to training more studiously because that feels right to them, they want to advance their techniques and expand with their breadth of work, and maybe even on some level feel it’s a way to establish value for their work, as society places such high worth on things like degrees, training, and names of schools we attend and get accepted into.

There’s no one way, or one right way. We each go on the journey that feels to provide exactly what we need.

For me, it was a strong aversion to training, classes, and schooling of any kind. So much so that I even turned down working at an art school to teach others to draw because it felt boxed-in, and since I didn’t feel right about it for myself, I just couldn’t see advocating that through my work to others. It was more about consistency for me. I had to go through that process though and interviewing, in order to confirm to me what I felt.

So what has my journey been like with art?

I have been drawing all of my life.

It was my favorite pastime.

My fondest memories are of summers sitting at the dining table with my French grandfather drawing after play time outside.

I received a lot of recognition for my drawing in elementary, middle, and high school, but never had any formal training. I naturally took to it without art class teachers’ help. In fact, most of what they said didn’t make much sense to me.

I was very good at reproducing things that I saw like a photocopy. That was my left brain, detail-oriented, perfectionist that could sit for hours working on two square inches of a piece to get every pencil or paint brush stroke exact.

It’s no surprise I was also extremely good at staying “inside” the lines of coloring books – another enjoyment I loved – along with things like creating Spirograph drawings (do you remember these?!).

Detail work is something I carry in me over lifetimes, but I’ve come to find is not my joy.

It’s a soul-ingrained pattern I’ve spent years undoing in this life.

Ironically, my childhood drawings I started doing on my own before this patterning circled back through is what I’ve returned to now. A reclaiming of my “essence,” but channeled through a fresh me.

As a child I was very good at creating simple images of what I saw in my mind’s eye of things I loved in nature all around me.

My favorite and best thing I could draw was, and remains to this day, animals.

I never felt drawn to taking classes outside of the ones we either had to, or had as electives, through high school.

For some reason I felt inclined to keep this part of my life raw in its nature and didn’t want to feel controlled by rights and wrongs. I wanted simply to bring forth my visions without boundaries. Having everything else in life feeling so controlled, this let me have one little sacred piece to myself where anything goes.

Interestingly, while I could draw people if I wanted, I just don’t really want to and it’s more effort.

What flows for me is nature, animals, magickal beings, and enchanting or cosmic visions.

While my work could easily be judged by art critics who have their own idea of what makes art “good,” for me I love the raw expression of what moves through someone’s heart.

That’s not to say I don’t appreciate the beauty of fine works of art. I am in awe of the masterpieces hanging in galleries and marvel at how incredibly they’re executed.

But I do love purity and innocence too, which is what my presence here on Earth is about. And I equally see the beauty within this type of creative expression and see them as fine works of art in their own right because, to me, art is something that not only captures a visual gift come to life, but truly moves you with emotion to experience something deep or even triggers the opening of your own heart with the images acting like keys.

Creative energy is unlimited and therefore there are many ways to bring forth artistic expression.

I say, if it feels joyful to your heart to create, then that’s art.

So, while I’ve cultivated my own form of artistic expression by listening to what moves me and implementing what I’ve integrated and worked on throughout my life, I believe we each have our own journey with this.

But I encourage anyone who feels the desire to draw, paint, or create in some way, to just do it!

There is value in expressing what you feel and if you feel it, I guarantee there is someone out there who needs just what you have to share.

What do you feel your artistic journey has been?

Sometimes we start out one way, but move into a different arena later.

Don’t be afraid to try something.

The value of art is not based on whether it hangs in a gallery or gets critical acclaim.

The value of art is in the expression.

Creativity yearns to be shared.

Whimsical Wednesdays ~ The Artist’s Corner: Custom Commissions Versus Creative Freedom

As artists we are challenged to find a way to get our work out to others while still enjoying the process and not compromising ourselves. While everyone has a different journey with this and relationship to their work, their self-value as an artist, and the timing of their releases, not all artists find it easy to make a living at what they do right off the bat and not all artists may hit it big in having their work discovered or desired by every gallery or person. So, artists are left with wanting to be able to do what they love, not compromise their integrity, remain authentic to the style they enjoy, but also still be able to enjoy that connection that happens when someone purchases and takes home a piece of their work.

In many cases, this is why some artists may opt for offering commissions and take on custom work, as it allows them to still be an artist, while helping to support their ability to keep creating.

Some artists simply prefer doing custom work because they truly love that one-on-one connection and intimate relationship they create with the person they’re creating for and it allows them to challenge themselves with continued new subjects and ways to create.

They love the interactive quality of the work and having something new to work on every day.

For some, it’s more consistent work than trying to sell original pieces.

Then there are artists who purely love creative freedom and not having to create something someone else tells them to, not have to be concerned if it’s exactly what that person wanted, and simply love to work from that impetus of creative energy that moves through them when inspired and not on a timeline or schedule.

And then there are the artists that like a balance of both and find they compliment the process of being able to do what they love and tempers the right balance of compromise and variety, while helping them live and work as the artist they see themselves to be.

Where do I fall into all of this?

Well, having done all three levels, I find myself back in the place of truly feeling the call of full creative freedom at the doorway of my heart.

That’s not to say I haven’t enjoyed the process of commissions in the past, as I’ve met some dear souls through that work, was able to challenge myself in many ways, and did enjoy that intuitively intimate connection and relationship channel during the process of creating – this was both with paintings and sacred tattoo designs.

However, I much preferred total creative freedom and found that when, in some cases, I was being dictated by every little part of the process and was at the mercy of someone else’s feelings around something I may have spent hours working on, it really could be a very stressful process and put a damper on creativity.

I adored the times when I was handed creative license with commissions and found that those pieces came out the best.

Custom work can, in essence, have the potential to be an interruption to an artist’s flow of their own planned work, unless it truly is an artist’s joy and perhaps first love, to create commissioned pieces.

I can even remember when I created my first mural for an investment firm I worked for and several large commissioned paintings I was hired for in the beginning that I had to work at convincing the very left-brained people who hired me with proposals and long explanations of what I envisioned, supplies needed, logistics, and how long and how much it would cost, as well as having to provide a sample sketch even when I knew that the magick happened during the process of creating. I then felt like I had to stick to that plan and wouldn’t have any room for inspirational flow in the unfolding of its creation. It became too much of a business and my need to make someone understand a right brain process with left brained explanations.

The connection can potentially get lost in the translation of this.

Luckily, those paintings went really well, although were stressful and tied me up in things I ended up rather not be involved with, but the mural wasn’t as much embraced even though they agreed to my sketch.

While they liked it, they didn’t love it. I found out that it lasted only several months before they painted it over. Not a surprise, as my heart saw a potential for them that the financial people there just didn’t quite understand. They were stuck in the old ways and this new vision was a bit too uncomfortable.

I was grateful to all of them for my very first opportunities to get my business going, which ironically allowed me to quit that investment firm job in the first place, and was still proud of myself for being able to acquire some really huge projects without any resume behind me.

These experiences may not have been my perfect fit, but at the time were my perfect reflection for what I needed to learn and what I called up for growth.

Then there were the many wonderful fits where harmony and synergy were in flow.

I think this is key if you do choose the custom work.

It really depends on the individual and what feels right. It’s important to align yourself, as well as put out intentions of the type of clients you want to work with, be willing to say “no” when something doesn’t sit right, and not take something on just for the money if at all possible.

The theme of this post actually was inspired by my continuing to get requests for custom sacred tattoo design commissions and people finding me online and even sharing my work with others, which happened twice already today. Even though I’ve removed my website and these offerings, there’s no way to remove the world-wide web of your past work altogether and those phantom pages that float in the ethers, so I take it as opportunity to feel grounded in my choices and able to say, “no” with gratitude.

I think these are key things for any kind of work we do and not just as an artist.

There isn’t one right or wrong way with this, but there are things to weigh and options to look at to see what feels right and where you’re willing to compromise or not. Or in fact, what doesn’t feel to be a compromise, but maybe just a shift in perspective that can open you to more possibilities.

You may even move in and out of these choices over the course of your artistic journey.

My professional artist life began as all commissions, then turned into a mix of custom and originals, and now is solely original-based creations.

This has all moved me into the new creations I’ve been inspired to paint solely from my inner child’s joy, imagination, and love.

I had hoped today I’d be sharing the first of these little paintings with you, but Spirit has something else in mind, as this past week has been very full and so I won’t have the last two of this first group done until next week.

Astrid feels next Wednesday is the day to reveal them, so stay tuned for Whimsical Wednesdays on 12/12 – no surprise there that alignments have it falling on this day.

Until then, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

If you’re an artist of any genre, where do you find the greatest joy?

Is it in creating custom pieces, your own originals, or a mix?

Is there something you could tweak that would make your current path more enjoyable?

How do you hope things to evolve and what steps do you plan to take to make that happen?

In love and creative magick, I wish you the most heartfelt journey with your art.

Whimsical Wednesdays ~ The Artist’s Corner: The Art & Creative Life of Pamela “Pixie” Colman Smith

pamela pixie colman smith

In staying with the theme that kicked off this week of influential and inspirational figures, today’s Artist’s Corner is dedicated to the mystical and incredibly fascinating Pamela “Pixie” Colman Smith. I shared this blog over three and a half years ago, but with new friends and followers, along with some profound insights this past weekend about her, I felt to resurrect this blog again. It seems no coincidence this week’s Whimsical Wednesday’s series aligns with the New Moon in Scorpio today, as we delve into the world of such a complex and deep soul who felt at home exploring the Otherworlds and Underworlds of creativity and magick. Pamela illuminates the seen and unseen from a unique perspective that indicates a blurring of veils and her ability to dip in and out of realities and dimensions that disintegrates the illusion of separation. It also seems synchronous that this share aligns with the day after elections, as her life’s work and passions are a way to honor women’s creative contributions that have gone unnoticed or devalued, and a reminder to step up things to shift into a new paradigm that no longer suppresses and hides the Sacred Feminine’s value.

A rebirthing opportunity is available to the collective and Pamela was one of the influential leaders helping to shift realities. It is quite common for visionaries to go unseen during their life’s work, but the wave of their efforts lives eternally as the seeds to new generations and the greater ease to which a domino effect gains its momentum.

Another woman of my heart who creates “life as art.”

I’ve never known anyone else who sees their art in music, which you’ll learn in the article. I also love how she stressed intuitive talents when teaching art, was passionate about immersing in story-telling and surrounding herself with other creatives, and created a “mad room out of a fairy tale” with her work space.

You can read the full blog here:

Pamela “Pixie” Colman Smith ~ A “Rich” Soul Whose Works & Life Continue to Inspire Millions

Whimsical Wednesdays – The Artist’s Corner: Life As Art

tania and astrid halloween fun.jpg

Hoppy Halloween and magickal Samhain to everyone! I love that this day falls on Whimsical Wednesdays – The Artist’s Corner in my new blog series. It also happens to hold a very sacred energy for me, as my special needs rabbit, Cosmo, magickally navigated his transition on this day – the thinnest veil between worlds – two years ago. This ensured his strong presence daily with me, as he is forever reborn as a star within the deep Cosmos of my heart.

cosmo and tania

In his honor I’m having 140 bulbs of special irises and daffodils, sprinkled with a small number of tulips, despite a deer favorite, planted today for Spring blossom surprises. Auspiciously, our gardener happens to have our service day today (he comes every 3 weeks) and so it aligns so perfectly. I planted the few bulbs I had last year because there weren’t that many, but with much more this time and the ground where I want them a bit tougher to manage, it’s a true gift he’ll be able to help.

Today, I also received word that a very special creation by a fellow artisan is being worked on specifically because of this auspicious timing and energy today, which is bound to make what she’s channeling for me a truly magickal piece.

And although I’m not dressing up for Halloween, the above photo captures The Rabbit Faery me in my new rabbit onesie jammies this morning with my consort, Astrid, by my side, revealing the whimsical life I live daily.

astrid owl pumpkin

You may wonder what all of this has to do with today’s blog theme?

Well, Life as Art truly expresses the way of the artist, mindfully creating every part of life as if it were a magnificent painting, musical composition, exquisite line of prose, moving chapter, or perfectly hand-crafted vision brought to life.

And you don’t have to be an artist to create life as art. You simply have to tap into your creative energy and allow the vortex of its power to spiral and weave into all corners of your experience.

How do we do this?

With intention, with imagination, and with love.

Every little nook and cranny of life can become a masterpiece of your own creation. You can infuse your own creativity into how you craft your day, design your world, envision your goals, and express yourself.

This can be through the way you style your daily wardrobe around how you feel or what you want to say to the world about yourself.

This can be through the way you design your home or work space around what makes you most inspired, nurtured, or invigorated.

This can be through the food you make and how you infuse it with love and intention and add color and texture, as well as seasonal delights to your plate that embody specific energies you would like to infuse more into your life.

This can be through the way you plant your garden and the type of blooms and plants that will bring joy to your day and anyone who sees it.

This can be through the way you journal your to-do lists with little doodles, on special paper or whimsical notebooks, and with intention of each thing being a different color on your canvas so you’ll have a wonderful painting completed by end of the day or whenever your goals are complete.

This can be through the way you are present to every detail that shows up in your life and start to understand it as a thread in the tapestry of life, seeing how beautiful things naturally weave together.

This can be through imagination and meditation the way you allow yourself to dream a few minutes each day and envision the possibilities.

And so on….

All of these and more can be ways to experience life as art and you discover the elements of alchemy at work that can seed new blossoming potentials.

The more you do this, the more you find reflections of what you love drawn into your life.

And the more you find the journey fun and adventurous.

It’s a way to be a co-creator and to understand the power of creativity to change your life.

And from here, the sky’s not the limit, but instead opens you to limitless possibilities.

A short, but hopefully sweet share to add to the goodies some of you may enjoy on this Halloween celebration.

“I was born on the night of Samhain, when the barrier between the worlds is whisper-thin and when magic, old magic, sings its heady and sweet song to anyone who cares to hear it.” ~Carolyn MacCullough 

May you be as One with Nature’s Rhythms, in Sacred Union with Spirit, and embrace the Great Mystery.

 

Organic Essence Awakened

I came across my artist statement that I wrote about three years ago and it really spoke to my connection with the creative energy that channels through me, the meaningfulness of that relationship I have in my life, and it deepened an understanding of what I’ve been receiving again lately in regard to the importance of honoring that creative freedom of expression and continuing to do so through the vision of my heart.

I felt inspired to share it here as a way of further sinking into its meaning for myself and perhaps may speak to the artist within that feels the urge to come forth in some way that is relative to you.

Be it as a painter, musician, florist, hair stylist, writer, chef, gardener, decorator, designer, etc., or simply a human being channeling creative energy as inspired to do so….you may find that this artistic expression may be your own key of life.

~

“What is real is not the external form, but the essence of things…it is impossible for anyone to express anything essentially real by imitating its exterior surface.” ~ Constantin Brancusi

Painting is my sacred key of life – my personal ankh that opens the door to life aligned with Cosmic will. I didn’t set out to produce art, but like the wing of a butterfly is essential to its flight, I discovered that creating art is the breath of life to my soul.

From the onset, the unconscious, life-giving process of manifesting on canvas, the visions that pervaded my day-time dreams, struck me as magickal. And, over the years, that magickal essence persists, yet the unfolding process is now accessed in quantum leaps of conscious experience.

It was a naturally progressive evolution that infiltrated my life with creative passion at every corner, reminding me that who I was, is who I AM.

I paint from the inside out, employing naturally innovative and intuitionally guided techniques, as my unconscious is the undisputed light that guides me through the maze of tunnels to the intended creative destination.

I started to see recurring themes as my inspirational muses – the natural world, Earth’s beautiful creatures, the mystical and ancient worlds, other-dimensional experiences, celebrations of life, integrated, spiritual connectedness, and conscious awareness. These themes were consistently infused with an etheric essence that captured what was beneath the surface and at the heart of experience.

Today, that core essence persists and is always executed with joyous energy that mirrors back the forgotten perspectives of wholeness and loving compassion we can choose each moment.

I am a visual storyteller of sometimes hieroglyphic, braille-like imagery that is accessed via sixth sense perception of the subtle yet penetrating inner dimensions and at other times as an energetic fingerprint encapsulating hidden layers within its seeming simplicity.

Through inner vision, energy swirls and color emulsions reveal themselves to me, as if I am seeing things translucent and not solid – capturing the very essence of life.

As my own evolution progresses, so too does the evolution of my work, including the choices of mediums, the canvas sizes that speak to me, the particular subject matters that desire unleashing, the kaleidoscope of vibrant colors that reveal themselves, and even the painting process – all intuitively guided and honored each step of the way.

How I receive my inspired channelings is through the process of letting go and allowing myself to “experience.”

I have found that each piece creates a specific energy that has shifted my life in direct result of creating them – like Feng Shui imbues for any sacred space.

For me, painting has proven a most amenable vehicle for translating inner vision to outer reality.

My vivid, visionary portals of experience are what I refer to as “Heart Visions” – windows seen through the heart and infused with an integrated synergy of organic sensuality and etheric grace that creates “living art.”

These fearless “Heart Visions” are an eclectic tapestry of vulnerable creativity channeled from my heart’s imaginary foresight into the unseen realms, infusing each creation with visually encoded messages that provide transformative opportunity.

Mother Earth calls me to remember.

The Cosmos reminds me to believe.

The result is a weaving of ancient mysticism and innovative vision that integrates body, mind, heart and soul: a celebration of life’s mysteries, joy and beauty on canvas.

The Gift of Color Vision

As a visionary artist, I have always been passionately obsessed with color and when I paint, I am always exploring and playing with vibrant combinations that you don’t always see, but are the way I “feel” them to be.

I may not have “tetrachomacy” like this article shares about, but my inner vision seems to be similar to how this rare eye condition provides the ability to see hues that aren’t visible to everyone.

This is a very cool article and I love how Concetta Antico is harnessing her rare gift to help colorblind people by sharing ways to retrain the brain to support color perception in her art classes that she teaches.

An Art Project For Human Kind

Another example of how art bridges all boundaries. We are each unique, but connected. This reminds you that you have a specific individual expression you are here to shine and to honor and recognize the same in all others. Thanks Segmation for sharing this!