ArtSpirit7 - Part 53

May 22, 2012May 24, 2012

12 Ways to Embrace the Galactic Alignment of 2012

Rose during Solar Eclipse — Rose at the Eclipse, photo by Mary Gow

Are you feeling a creative surge of energy from the solar eclipse on May 20th?

“[D]uring periods of great change, personal creativity is radically enhanced.” – Barbara Hand Clow

I am feeling that surge of energy that San Francisco astrologer, Linea Van Horn, calls the Galactic Embrace. According to Van Horn, 2012 marks the peak of a span of time we have been approaching for the last 30 years, 6,000 years, and 26,000 years.

Safely watching the solar eclipse of 2012 — Safely watching the Solar Eclipse of 2012

In Van Horn’s “Galactic Embrace” presentation to the San Francisco Astrological Society, she used two hula hoops to explain what is going on in our galaxy. Imagine one hula hoop spinning east-west, the other spinning north-south. One of the hula hoop includes our solar system. The other spinning hoop and represents the Milky Way. The “precession”) of equinoxes in our solar system brings about a super-unique (my term) proximity to the Milky Way.

We are at the special spot where these two hula hoops touch. Van Horn explains that it takes 26,000 years for the zodiac to circle once around the constellations.

John Major Jenkins’ diagrams about the galactic alignment help explain the “precession of equinoxes,” if you want to check those out.

“We are now in a temporary portal of time and space that invites us to participate in no less than the evolution of mankind and the earth itself,” says Jenkins, author and independent researcher who focuses on Mayan culture and civilization and its connection to the cosmos.

Not only was there an annual solar eclipse on May 20th, but there will be a lunar eclipse on June 4th followed by what is called an “occultation” (a fancy name for eclipse but rarer) of the planet Venus traveling between the earth and Sun on June 5th and 6th. This is a completion of an 8 year cycle that only occurs every 121 years!

Ecliptical, drawn using Harmonious app — "Ecliptical," drawn with Harmonious app, by Mary Gow

2012 represents the culmination of a zing of energy that has been building and building. Van Horn offers some tips for embracing this special time:

1. Congratulate yourself for being alive at this remarkable time.
2. Do what matters to you.
3. Be grateful!
4. Simplify.
5. Help others.
6. Plant good seeds.
7. Be flexible, ready to change at a moment’s notice.
8. Let the past go, don’t hang on.
9. Hold steady in your light.
10. Limit your exposure to “news.”
11. Resist fear.
12. Cultivate good will and positive thinking.

Van Horn has been an astrologer for over 35 years and will be presenting at the annual conference of the United Astrology Congress in New Orleans this coming weekend and at the the 44th Annual Conference of the Astrological Association of Great Britain September 7 to 9 at Wyboston Lakes.

Looks like there is no better time than the present time to be creatively expressing. If you’ve been waiting for when the planets are aligned, the time has arrived!

You might also enjoy:
–4 Quotes to Jumpstart Your Dreams
–Two More Nuggets of Inspiration from Ira Glass

May 14, 2012May 15, 2012

A True Art Spirit in a New Documentary

When I found Gerhard Richter‘s work I felt validated. Here’s a successful artist who works in photography and painting has elements of reality and non-reality. He isn’t working in one narrow genre. I like that.

Richter’s “Forty Years of Painting” show appeared in 2002 at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. I didn’t know about him till someone who loved his work pointed it out to me a few years ago and I saw Richter’s work in SFMOMA’s 2010 Fisher Collection.

I love Richter’s visual vocabulary. Photography, painting, realism, abstraction. Vibrant colors. Streaking green lines the color of Granny Smith Apples next to raspberry red made by Richter’s huge squeegees moving chunks of paint on canvases you can jump into, stretching seven or ten feet wide.

If you can catch the documentary about him, don’t miss it!

You might also enjoy:
–Messages from a Spirit Photographer
–Speaking for Millions of Petals in the Dust
–2 Artists Successfully Selling Art Online

May 10, 2012August 6, 2012

The Longest Running Annual Art Exhibit in San Francisco

I have a secret about a scrumptious view of San Francisco. It’s at an exquisitely light-filled space and its staff has for 54 years had the generosity to host an annual art show! The Potrero Hill 54th Annual Artists Exhibition runs through June 1st.

The current show features the work of sixty artists ranging from sculpture and ceramics to painting and photography.

If you’re looking for an off-the-beaten-path place to see San Francisco, check out this awesome space, especially the six seats on the other side of the magazine showcase on the second floor.

The library was designed and renovated by the San Francisco Department of Public Works. It reopened in 2010. Here’s a slideshow the SFDPW produced that show’s off the space.

This is the same neighborhood where painter Wayne Thiebaud moved to in 1973. For more about Thiebaud and the Potrero neighborhood see Philip’s Garden Blog’s observations of the streets of Potrero Hill and Thiebaud’s depictions of them.

My piece in the show is a digitally manipulated scanogram titled “Seeds of Joy.” I produced it by placing objects on my scanner, and then pushed it further using Photoshop.

The scanner offers a stable surface for placing objects and the photo mechanism is securely mounted. What a treat for composing elements.

You might also enjoy:
–Inside the Modern
–The Portable Artist
–A Library of 3 Minute Explanatory Videos

April 29, 2012May 10, 2012

4 Examples of the Artistry of Upcycling

A bike innertube made into a fashionable belt, painted cut-outs from credit cards made into dangling earrings, a necklace from hardware, a dress from Doritos bags. That’s just some of the many examples of inventive thinking at the “Make-Do, a Recycle and Upcycle Art and Fashion Show” at the K Gallery at Rhythmix Cultural Works in Alameda, Calif.

Before I attended the “Make Do” Show at the K Gallery, I wasn’t aware of the term “upcycled art.” Upcycling art embraces the beauty of things we use every day and would normally toss in the trash. I found a site that explains it in greater detail if you want to read more.

“Make Do” features Jennifer Serr, Leonie Holzman, Cheryl Hayward, Bette Barr, Brianna Learnihan, Julie Baron, Linda Lu Castronovo, Susan Leung, Tina Martin, Mary Loughran, Amy Zimmer, Upcycle Clothes, Debbie Callen, Nic Griffin, Chris Rummel, Phil Hargrave, Mary Elizabeth, Stephanie Rodriguez, Michelle Morgan, Joy Johnson, and Shevon Dieterich (and others whose names are not available).

Here’s some creations that caught my eye:

Trash Fashion by Nic Griffin — Trash Fashion by Nicola Griffin

Walking into the gallery I couldn’t miss the mannequins donned with San Francisco-based Nicola Griffin’s trash fashions.

Cheryl Hayward of Olivia Hayward Designs is an Oakland-based artist who, ironically, had taken classes lead by Michele Cassou and Stewart Cubley. You can read more about Cassou in a previous post. Hayward said she wanted to make art that was affordable and applying her artistry to jewelry-making meant more people could buy her art. I could see what she meant since that evening she made some sales.

Innertube belt designed by Leonie Holzman

Leonie Holzman has several pieces in the show including a halter top and a versatile medium-sized pouch. The photo shows a belt she designed using a bike innertube.

"Riveted Hardware" by Tara Evans — Riveted hardware by Tara Evans

This necklace by Tara Evans caught my eye. It’s made from riveted hardware, pyrite, and vintage ball chain.

The show’s up through May 4th in case you’re in the area. The next show at K Gallery involves pinball machines.

You might also enjoy:
–Where to Find Emerging Artists and Collectors
–7 Elements to Include in Digital Storytelling
–Five Minutes of Gratitude