She Releases the Weight of the World, a Woman's Evolution and Empowerment, Original Painting

This week I seem to have a theme within my artwork, of Self Preservation. Of course my paintings always correspond with my own life or those around me; this time I find myself focusing on releasing stress and attending to one's personal needs - finding a balance in spirit.

"She Releases the Weight of the World" Original painting by Jeanne Fry

She holds the tapestry of life's worries and responsibilities. As she grows older she realizes how heavy that blanket has become. At one time it may have served as  a security that she could use as a shield to avoid facing her fears. Now she sees that its enormity would and could distract her from living life on her own terms.
She knows that  there are parts of that blanket that are important to her, responsibilities to things that she loves and therefore she  would not allow an unraveling, for those things are all connected. Throwing away the blanket is not an option for her, but HOW she allows that blanket to be prevalent in her life is what she desires to change.   
She sees that she need not carry it at every moment in her day. She decides that she won't allow "it" to make her decisions in her journey, holding her back. She will pick it up and tend to what needs to be tended to each day, and then will set it down and continue letting her authentic spirit evolve.
When she lays it down, she allows any stresses to flow away, giving her time to breathe and come to a grounded and secure place in her own right. She in a sense has drawn a boundary, a boundary that honors and respects her Soul.
The Circle of Life resides above her, a continuum of the Universe, and she has found a way to keep her balance, to have a peace while dancing in the waves of Life and Love.

The Original Painting is available in our Etsy shop here:
She Releases the Weight of the World Artwork on Etsy 

Creating of the Blessing Bowl

This weekend we created the Blessing Bowl. I had very specific intention when I started designing this bowl. After spending the last several weeks (or shall we say months), watching those around us suffering with anxiety and stress over the economy, their jobs, and the usual triggers of worry....I thought of what I could create to be uplifting. Uplifting beyond the work that we usually do that is meant to be empowering.

 

Blessing Bowl created from Gourd by John and Jeanne Fry

So the creating began with a focused cleaning,cutting, sanding, drilling,  and more cleaning  of the Gourd. When it was prepared for it's transformation, careful thought and intention was in place while the design work began. Thoughtful time was spent while hand painting each small design on Gratefulness and Positive thoughts.

Blessing Bowl by John and Jeanne Fry

The initial layers of paint of Burnt Umber and Raw Sienna were done to create an aged look, to symbolize our past - lessons learned, experiences had, stories from our elders, that have helped make us who we are today.

The vibrant colors in the design work contrast the aged look, representing the Present, our Vitality, the Moment.

As I painted through the night, my thoughts were that the bowl would be filled with Affirmations and the things we are Grateful for...a kind of storing place for those times when we feel down or discouraged. I imagined the bowl filled with pieces of happiness, so that when we need that occasional pick me up, we pull one of the meaningful little pieces of paper out to remind us of what we have in life.

My hope is that whoever becomes the keeper of the Blessing Bowl, they fill it full of slips of paper that represent the treasures they hold in their heart.

The above Blessing Bowl is no longer available, but you can view more of our gourd bowls in our Artfire Studio

You can find more of our work on our website at
http://www.consciousartstudios.com/

Owl Totem and it's Symbolic Meaning

Owls have been intriguing humans for years.

This nocturnal bird wears a cloak that symbolizes the Mystery.

 It's amazing eyesight is representative of perception and new visions opening up to you...the ability to be aware of things that others may overlook and to see things in new ways.

Owl wings have a fringe that provides them with silent flight, which is a useful lesson for us, teaching us that sometimes it is best to be silent about our ventures in order to bring the greatest success.

They carry a wisdom of the darkness, of the nocturnal, of the unseen. While some fear this wisdom, truly it affords us a balance of light and dark, a balance of the obvious and the hidden.

Owl totem medicine is extensive and for those who are studying the owl, would benefit from learning about the different types of owls to realize their depth.

http://www.consciousartstudios.com/AnimalTOTEMStones.html



The Popularity of Frida Kahlo and her importance to Me

The popularity of Frida Kahlo, Mexican Artist and Inspiration to many women, has grown leaps and bounds over the years. Her rich history, life as an artist, challenges with her health,zeal for life,  and passionate yet stormy marriage to Diego Rivera, all lent to our fascination with her and her importance in the art world.

Each of us that admires her, more than likely has something in common that they can relate with in her.

For me, what is it that lends to my affection for her?

As an artist with a disability, I admire her for her endurance..her endurance to continue to live a full and rich life in spite of the challenges, to create what was in her heart, and her ability to use her voice in so many ways.

I think of Frida often when I am painting or sculpting, especially in those moments when I am living with great pain and feel empty..and I am soon revived in Spirit.

To me, Frida lights the candle in a darkened room.

Frida Kahlo by Jeanne Fry

This weekend, I completed an art doll of Frida - a reminder to live a passionate life.

Frida Kahlo Art Doll by Jeanne Fry

 

My Frida Kahlo art doll is no longer available, but you can see more of my art dolls in my Artfire Studio

 

or on our website

http://www.consciousartstudios.com/WisdomKeepersArtDolls.html



The Bear Clan

The Bear Clan

The spirit of the Bear is similar to humans in many ways. They are creatures of habit, their diet is similar to our own, and they have the ability to walk on two legs. But what is it exactly that makes us love them?

To me, the Bear represents Power and Strength, and at the same time when you study them you can find a gentleness to them. I think this is what our big attraction is to them...a powerful being, strong and stoic, with the ability to be caring and loving. You see this profoundly when you watch a mother bear with her young, her sense of dedication and responsibility.

We as humans are always striving to strike that balance of strength and tenderness.

The Bear Clan ~ Original Painting by Jeanne Fry

Bear Clan ~ Mother and Young ~ Original Painting by Jeanne Fry



The original of my Bear Clan painting is not available, but prints and greeting cards of it are available in our Fine Art America Studio

An Artist's Date ~ Gourd Pickin' in a Heatwave

Our dates tend to be a little different than most.

The romantic and sentimental things are done on a daily basis, you know... surprises with wild flowers, dinner and a movie, or making a cup of tea for your sweetheart.  And then when a celebrating day comes when those things would be expected, we do something .......completely different.

Now, I'm not saying the sweet things don't exist, just that I guess we drum to our own beat.

We have both been sick the past few days, sick in the middle of a heatwave with low grade fevers, sinus problems, nausea,  and just plain yuckiness. We had been needing to go to the gourd farm since we were completely out of gourds and we use them so often in our artwork. So, John picked this afternoon to make an appointment at the farm.

After a light lunch and a gift of earrings and a necklace that John had stashed away, we got ready to go. Today was relentlessly HOT, in the triple digits with a heat index that made if feel like 108 degrees. This made the trip a little oppressive, with a traveling time of three hours round trip, especially when we found that our air conditioning in the vehicle decided to stop working after the first 15 minutes. But we endured anyway, drinking lots of water and the occasional "Slushy" along the way.

Once we arrived, we were immediately greeted by this little guy, who so delicately perched himself on the side mirror to say hello.

Now the excitement could begin, picking through bins and barrels of wondrous gourds, each having their own potential to be a beautiful piece of Art. It didn't take long to gather many, thank goodness, because the heat was so bad the sweat was just pouring down our faces and mixing with gourd dust.

 

 

An hour later we had our stash...lots of gourds that would soon be Art Dolls, Drums, Bowls, Vases, Masks, and Jewelry. We carried our bounty to the side yard with the help of the farm's beautiful Weimeraner, who wanted to play the whole time...teasing and poking at you as you searched for your gourds.

Our picks

We got lots of gourds, plus a bag full of little bitty tiny ones about the size of my thumb.

Next time I will dress a little more appropriately, since my Maryjane shoes showed they're displeasure from the barn floor.

All is well. We had a good time together..a fun time...a productive time...a HOT time...and above all, time with each other and that's what counts.

Blending Art with Natural Elements in Gourd Jewelry

As Eco-friendly Artists, using natural and recycled elements and reducing waste has always been important to us. One of our most used mediums are Gourds, creating Gourd Bowls, Masks, Sculpture, and Musical Instruments. We were having lots of small pieces left over from our creations and it always seemed a shame to just throw them out. Recently we decided to start taking those small scraps of gourds and transforming them into jewelry.

After sketching out some shapes, the pieces were cut and sanded. We then began adding small paintings to the piece, with the gourd being our Canvas, and sealing them to protect the Art. Beads, baubles and trinkets were then strung on to the pendant, and finished off by hanging them on long high quality Leather Cord. The result...a Natural Adornment displaying a work of Art.

We love that were are now completely using every piece of our Gourds, and that we have a creation that BOTH of us are designing together...John does the cutting, designing, sanding, and beadwork...and I do the painting.

These have been very popular, but we do have a small amount of them that are listed in our Artfire Studio
http://www.artfire.com/users/ConsciousArtStudios