My mixed media art...

Just a few quick pics of some of my art. The first is an acrylic on canvas
( unmounted ) Nurture.
The feeling if being wrapped in a mothers love ( I lost my mum at age two ) so I have an indian spirit filling in for her and her arms are replaced by wings..
To lift us up ? To help us soar ?
What does if make you feel when you envisage yourself in the child's place ?
Next is a great image and quote I was sent by a friend. So hard to make that leap of faith isn't it. ?
When my day was blue and empty yesterday I gave myself timeout. I sat down with a chill out herbal tea mix
of camomile, lavender and three different mints to soothe my sad stressed soul and to try to create and let out some urghh ( lol, technical term for feeling crappy depressed and generally in a funk ).
Well it worked because I decided to use my nice Moroccan table and one of my colorful glasses ( green for new beginnings ). Then sat and started reading/flipping through a great book called "Unfurling, a mixed media workshop by Misty Mawn. " (inspirations and techniques for self expression through art.) what a great title and description.
I've had it in my collection of mixed media books for a while now but today she jumped out at me. To just sit and be inspired if I wasn't up to reading it though and that's exactly what happened. Thanks Misty :) just reading the first few pages then randomly flicking to a page near the back and I was away. Expression for my soul.
I was full of the usual critical judgements of my work and abilities but somehow I got through and finished my girl in just under an hour.
She's quite vibrant and not how I was feeling at all, she was braver and wilder than me, with her exotic tribal feather neck piece replete with rubies I might add. Wild curly reddish hair and butt nekkid under her butterfly chest plate and delicately placed heart.
Be memorable adorns her neck and chest like a tattoo declaring her uninhibited wildness to the world.
Memorable she is there's no doubt about that. ;) she certainly must have read the profound book "Women who run with wolves " byClarissa Pinkola Estes.
It's funny how our subconscious works, I was unable to relate to what I drew and painted at first, then it hit me.. That's the design I'd been thinking of for a new range of necklaces in my jewelry line.
Bold Tribal feather adorned neck pieces, exotic & vibrant with semi-precious stones beaded onto them.
Now to sit and make my necklaces.
Hopefully I'll have some images to post on those soon.

The last image is of an old sketch and poem from a few years back. In an old and not so healthy relationship. Toxic I guess but it had its beauty too.
I'm thinking of revisiting her and the poem by doing an art journal piece where I can add colour and take my time with the handwriting and placement of the poetry.
It's nice to look back on our art .. For me it's like a journal filled with secrets sorrows dreams and loves of long ago.
I used to be so full I needed to just get the images and poems out and not worry about the look. But now I feel better equipped to take those jumbled outpourings and make then sing with a little but more light and expressive colour and creativity.
Well I've been up now since 2:23 am and my morning alarm has just gone of reminding me to get up and go for a run with my puppy Miss Penelope.
Wow 6 am already sheesh I'm going to need a nanna nap today.
So cheers and happy hippy hugs for now until we meet again.
Gypsy Mel x

Back from the brink..

Hi all, sorry to have taken sooo very long between posts. Life just seemed to take over with much stress and business that needed attending that I felt I had no time to post. Well that and my depression being a little to overpowering in the "I feel utterly useless and crap" state.
Hmm not sure how to feel about letting down my mask of ( I'm great life's great and I'm always happy smiling peaceful and full of vigor ).
Vulnerability is a scary place, to think nothing of sharing it with the "interwebby world of forever" complete with our very judgmental society.
I've decided you get to see me warts and all anyway because maybe just maybe I can make a success of myself and in doing so be a beacon of light to others, in the darkness and despair that envelopes you when you live with depression. What if...just what if I could be the fragile but strangely strong, ( juxtaposing conundrum if ever there was one lol ), real me and some of you liked me anyway ? What if my being brutally painfully honest helped others to accept and be themselves ?
To help other hurt souls to express themselves through art and join me on a healing journey.
Well wouldn't that be spectacular ? :)
I'd love to help, to inspire to encourage and to help break the stigma surrounding mental health.
I've been a personal trainer and massage therapist for many years. Concerned mostly with the physical body I've helped others to lose weight, get fit, recover from injury, soothe stressed sore tired aching muscles, relieve pain in seized backs and impinged nerves, achieve goals and to shed kilos of fat ... But what if it was darkness, despair, regret, guilt, pain, trauma, abuse, hurt, loss, torment, self critical thinking and other negative emotions and mental baggage they lost instead ?
A few years ago that's why I started my studies in a remarkable but not often talked about field - Art Therapy.
Practiced by both Jung and Freud and part of psychology practices throughout the eons but still not widely accepted of even heard of socially.
No it's not the study of art and making art or artists happier as is one of many common misconceptions, it is a way of approaching your problems and emotional trauma through the subconscious.
A non threatening non verbal way to communicate your hurts, worries, fears traumas and stresses etc. My most pulling thought was of its myriad uses with abused children and I soon discovered its immense success historically in that field.
One of my senior lecturers uses it to great success in palliative care, mostly with children and their families dealing with terminal illness. The healing that comes about through artistic expression and release is astonishing. You don't need to be an artist or to have any particular skills sets or abilities, just an open and willing heart and mind.
Now I won't delve to much into art therapy and it's practices and uses right now only to say that " art heals "
Anyone can do it .. It doesn't have to be good, great or a masterpiece, it just has to come from your heart. Don't we all need to just let go a little more in this busy stressful hectic crazy world.
Below is a beautiful piece of art I found by Belinda Chlouber from www.tenfingers.com she doesn't discuss art therapy in any way but she does share her inspiration for this painting. It's titled Bones and is based in her mothers poem "An act of memory", here she states her mothers Parathyroid and her father in laws Alzheimer's diseases as compounding her contemplation of memory.
Beautiful work, incredibly moving and tender.
So there it is..art heals even when we aren't deliberately trying to.
We can all express ourselves in creative ways.. Be it dancing, drawing , cooking, singing, silversmithing, writing, painting, beading, building, designing, decorating our homes or any other myriad of ideas
We can all access ways of self expression and it doesn't have to cost a thing .. Turn up the radio and dance in your lounge-room when things get tuff or the bills pile up, make origami from the junk mail in your letterbox, draw, paint or collage on free local newspapers, sure it won't make the problems go away miraculously but it will clear your head so you can better cope with attending to those issues.

The new and improved me is really the raw honest quirky arty hippy gypsy girl with a few broken feathers in my wings.
I can still fly if I try but it may not look as good. ;) and I've let the dust accumulate for far far too long.
Hmmm time to dance ?? :)