Ancient Dreams - Tribal Grandmother Art Doll Sculpture

"Ancient Dreams" was created to be symbolic for those who walked before us, our ancestors, our Grandmothers. She serves as a reminder of what our grandmothers taught us in honoring our traditions. She wants us to remember that as this world changes so rapidly and technology grows so fast, to still take those moments that we need to stay grounded and connected to our roots and Mother Earth. In our dreams we have a vehicle for connecting to our most authentic selves, our strong intuitive sense, and to be able to hear the messages that are sent to us. We are divinely guided and always surrounded by our Guardians, and "Ancient Dreams" is a daily reminder of that. 

We know that when we are overwhelmed, simply taking a few moments outdoors can bring a balanced sense of peace to our soul. We often neglect taking the time for ourselves, placing so much importance on the seemingly never ending list of things to do, but sadly taking care of ourselves is not often on that list. 

This grandmother wants to impress on us that "quality" time is needed for healing, not just time in the nothingness in front of the television, listening to the negative noise. She wants us to take the utmost care of our spirit in order to stay connected - time outdoors, with animals, in prayer, and with our families. When we have done so, those moments in our restorative sleep bring the dreams filled with the most healing and loving qualities. 

SOLD

The Spiritual Journey - Gourd Art Vessel

This week as I was creating a new Gourd Art Vessel, my mind was drifting. I was painting a geometric design on the front of the Gourd, in soft soothing colors of dusty periwinkle and cream. As I painted the shapes I noticed they began facing different directions. Along the side of the Gourd I had adorned the lacing with a strand of oval wood beads. While the wood beads hung in a straight line, the geometric shapes had a more diverse path. 

It made me think of our Spiritual Journeys, and how each one is our own. There is no right way or wrong way....when they are focused on the Higher Good for all. It is a journey of twists and turns, learning and growing, compassion and love. 

And along the way, reminding ourselves to enjoy each and every Moment.

Sweet Dreams from the Ancestors - Gourd Art

Fear.

Fear seems to continue to be commanding life as we know it, and affecting so many tender spirits. After a while it changes who you are, how you think and make decisions, and how you relate to others. There are so many violent and bullying acts, oppression, and intolerance, and Fear always seems to be involved. It's a tough world out there, but it is also a very beautiful one. Sometimes we have to remind ourselves to break it down to ....taking One Day at a Time.

Those days of struggle are what inspired my newest gourd art creations, "Sweet Dreams". 

I wanted to create a reminder, a new focus, a little piece of mind....an artwork that would remind you at the end of the day that everything is going to be okay. That you are loved. That you are cared for. And that tomorrow is a New Day.

She bids "Sweet Dreams", bringing wishes of a healing respite while you sleep and building your strength for the new day.

Ceremonial Gourd Rattles as Spiritual Tools

Ceremonial Gourd Rattles as Spiritual Tools

Every religion and spirituality has a set of Spiritual Tools that facilitate a deeper connection with ones faith and beliefs. Some are specific and unique to the philosophy, and others are common among many. Altars, Flowers, Incense, Music, Songs, Chants, Drums, Candles, Statuary, Rattles.....all are tools that can be kept in the Spiritual Toolbox.

One that is  very important to us, and that we create many of, is the Ceremonial Gourd Rattle. These Ceremony Rattles have many uses and their diversity can lend to many cultures and faiths. The Rattle can be used in Prayer as a calling, an asking, and in gratefulness. It can be used in spiritual and energetic Cleansing, to remove negativity. They are often used to space clear homes in the making of Sacred Space, especially after an argument or illness in the house. The Ceremony Rattle is common to have at Gatherings of the Spirit, to assist in a Collective Consciousness, and even Drum Circles to celebrate and rejoice in our humanity on this Earth in song and dance. Those who explore Shamanic Journeying can use the Rattle as they enter and depart the other world or state of consciousness. And simply, they can assist us in Meditation, as a focus, as the slow rhythmic shake reminds one of the heartbeat. 

Painted Gourd Ceremonial Rattles from Conscious Art Studios

Creation Process of a Ceremonial Gourd Rattle

Our creation process is done on an intuitive level, and when we create we only do so when we ourselves feel balanced and peaceful. We use Gourds when we craft the rattles, and enjoy working with this Earth element and feel that it lends to the character of the piece. It brings a naturalness and integrity to the purpose of its creation. 

The Gourd are carefully chosen, cut, and cleaned. Focused attention is paid to the addition to the noisemakers that are placed inside the gourd. Sometimes the intention is to create a rich, full, and deep sound. Other times it is to create a light and delicate sound. We use a variety in the combination, including  dried beans and seeds, gemstone chips, and metal beads. Once the perfect assortment is found, the gourd is sealed and we attach a wooden handle. Handles are wrapped with leathers and suede and then adorned with extra embellishments such as cord wrapping, feathers, wooden pony beads, tin cones, or additional gemstones. We add leather loops at the very end of the handle to serve as a wrist wrap for when you are shaking them (optional to use), or to attached the rattle to your belt loop or waistband of regalia while at large gatherings or ceremonies. 

We paint our Ceremonial Rattles with leather acrylics, usually with animal totems or other spiritual symbols.  Many times this gives people a more  personal attachment to the piece and allows them to resonate with it more fully. We offer custom paintings on our Rattles.

Blessing Trees Ceremonial Gourd Rattle

 SOLD

Black Bear Totem Ceremonial Gourd Rattle Staff

SOLD

Peacock Goddess Ceremonial Gourd Rattle

SOLD

Sea Turtle Totem Ceremonial Gourd Rattle

SOLD

Moon Goddess Ceremonial Gourd Rattle

Moon Goddess Gourd Ceremony Rattle on Etsy

Dragonfly Totem Women's Winter Ceremonial Gourd Rattle

SOLD

Thanksgiving Weekend Cyber Monday Sale at Conscious Art Studios

For those of you that find it important to Support Local and Handmade, we are offering Free Shipping for Thanksgiving Weekend and Cyber Monday at Conscious Art Studios. Each of our artworks carry a special symbolic meaning. When I complete a painting, I write a special blog post to tell its story. I will print a copy of that writing and include with with the purchase.

This year we have also added a Gift Wrapping Option in the online shop. If you would like your art wrapped for the holidays, scroll through the right sidebar in the online shop for the "Add Gift Wrap" button. The cost for wrapping is $4. If you have multiple purchases that you would like wrapped, it will be $4 per gift - just choose the number of items to wrap by increasing the quantity button.  

We can ship the art directly to the person you are buying it for. Simply add the recipients shipping information in the "Notes" section at checkout.

Gift Wrapping includes Gift Wrap, Ribbon, and Gift Tag with message)

 Happy Holiday Shopping and Thank you for supporting our art throughout the year. 

Giving Animal Totem Art is such a unique and meaningful gift for someone you love. If you don't see a particular totem in the online shop, you can email me and request it. I will do my best to create it in time to ship before Christmas. 

An Artists Day Off with Horse Totem Wisdom and a Gourd Farm

Sometimes you just need a day off, a chance to get away from the grind...the appointments...and let your mind relax in a different space. This is especially important for an artist. Those outdoor excursions are often just what is needed for a breath of fresh air and inspiration.

A trip to Ghost Creek Gourd Farm

This morning as the coffee was brewing and the dog was impatiently pacing, waiting for a bit of something different, we decided to take a trip to the gourd farm. We were already in need of some new gourd stock for our art. We always prefer picking our own gourds at the farm rather than ordering them. This gives us a chance to envision a piece of art in its raw state before we even get it home. 

Packing our coffee and tea cups, the dog, dog treats, bottles of water, bins for the gourds, and don't forget the boots since it's been raining at the farm...we started out. 

Halfway there we needed to stop at a little farm along the way to say good morning to the horses, who quickly come running to see you when they recognize an animal lovers heart. After  a quick conversation with them and a few dog kisses, we were back on the road to the multitude of gourds waiting for us.

Stopping to say hello to the horses

Horse Totem Reminder

The visit with the horses was timely Horse Totem wisdom for us, reminding us to explore our freedoms and expand our horizons while traveling on our journey.

I spent the rest of the drive sipping my tea and watching the tree silhouettes zipping by, thinking about....well, thinking about everything. Art, Life, Pain, Healing, Joy, and Directions. All these things filled my mind until after awhile, finally, all I thought of was "right now". Quietly my mind became passive and open, like a big huge field lying in front of the horse who is waiting for the signal to 

"Be Free". 

Soon I heard the gravel crunching under the tires as we slowly turned down the road to the farm. Off to the side you could see the fields filled with the year's promise of gourds that are just waiting to be transformed by loving hands.

Gourd Drying in the Field

Gourds waiting to be brought into the Pole Barns

Ghost Creek Gourd Farm

We made our way into the pole barns where Dickie and Linda have bins upon bins lined up and full of cleaned and dried gourds of every imaginable type. With our big reusable bags and empty bins we began choosing gourds for our art...precious supplies for making our frame drums, gourd rattles, bowls, vessels, jewelry, and figurative sculptures. We were assisted greatly by their dogs especially their beautiful male weimaraner who kisses and plays with you with each step you take. 

With bags and bins full, and inspirations brimming to a new level, we loaded back into the car for the trip home.

Gourd Shopping Done

What was my greatest gift of all from the trip?  

"Optimism"

Have a gorgeous day everyone ! And remember, sometimes you just need to take a day off to recharge your batteries :)

(If you are wanting to visit a Gourd Farm in the Southeast, our recommendation is Ghost Creek Gourd Farm.) You can visit their website here

http://www.ghostcreekgourds.com/

They also sell their gourds from their website.

And to see some of our own creations from Gourds you can visit our website at

http://www.consciousartstudios.com/

The Tao of Crow

My most recent crow painting is called the Tao of Crow (or the Way of Crow). The painting is simplistic yet complex, with a Black Crow and a White Crow painted within a Yin Yang symbol.
The Yin and Yang in Chinese culture represents a perfect balance between opposites, how those opposites compliment one another in a harmonic peace.

The Tao of Crow ~

Go forward fearlessly and speak your truth. Your authenticity ensures success.

I will watch over you, for together we can accomplish anything.

Adaptability is the key, for when we are open and flexible, we find there is always a way.
Where one finds Fear, they also find Courage.

(The original painting has sold, but I painted this same image on a Gourd Art Bowl, which is available in my Etsy shop here)
Tao of Crow Gourd Art Bowl

"Unveiling of the Animal Totem Gathering" Animal Totem Gourd Mask

 

For the deep love I have for animal totems and their special meanings in our lives, I felt compelled to create a gourd mask that represented a few of my most admired ones. The creation is symbolic for the gathering of their energies and wisdom that they offer, including Heron, Crow, Deer, Hawk, Bear, Otter, Owl, Wolf, Lizard, and Dragonfly.

 

Animal Totem Gourd Mask "Unveiling of the Animal Totem Gathering"

 

"Unveiling the Animal Totem Gathering" was created to bring the energy of the animal totems to present, to learn from their symbolism, and remind one of their skills. The animals represented are Crow, Hawk, Heron, Bear, Otter, Dragonfly, Owl, Wolf, Lizard, and Deer. Their simple animal totem meanings are:
Crow: Manifesting, Magic, Creation
Heron: Graceful Transformation
Deer: Gentless, Grace, Nurturing
Otter: Happiness and Laughter in spite of the circumstances
Bear: Power, Decision Making, Healing
Dragonfly: Air and Water Element, Flight, Ariel Skills, Dance of Light
Hawk: Vision, Power, Seeking
Wolf: Community, Guardianship, Pack Oriented
Owl: Vision, Hunter, Omens, Wisdom
Lizard: Dreamtime, Intuition, Letting go of that which is not needed

 

 

 

Animal Totem Gourd Mask by Conscious Art Studios

"Unveiling of the Animal Totem Gathering" is an animal totem mask for wall display. The mask is created from a gourd which is shaped and cut and mounted on a wood plaque that measures 10 inches x 10 inches. The mask is painted with acrylics in burnt umber, turquoise, and tan colored and then detailed with animal totem silhouettes and tracks of the Crow, Heron tracks, Bear, Otter prints, Hawk, Dragonfly, Wolf prints, Lizard, and Owl. The mask was then sealed with a satin finish. A multitude of man created feathers were used to create the crown of the mask representing a number of bird totems. The plaque was painted in burnt umber with tan colored designs and has a hanger installed on the back for display purposes. The piece in it's entirety measures 14 inches x 14 inches.
This piece is to be shipped double boxed to protect the feather work and will be insured.

 

If you would like to acquire this special piece you can view it's listing here in my Artfire Studio

Unveiling of the Animal Totem Gathering Mask



Gourd Art ~ Using the Gourd as a Palette

More and more we integrate the Gourd into our artwork. Having always been drawn to using natural materials in our creations, this medium becomes not only a perfect palette, but provides so many possibilities.

Granted, the cleaning of the gourd is time consuming, but if you are not wanting to exert the energy for that step, you can always purchase your gourds from a farm that will do it for you. We get many of our gourds from Ghost Creek Gourd Farm

http://ghostcreekgourds.com/

Otherwise, you'll need to use a little elbow grease, a Scoth-brite pad, and a 10% Bleach solution.
If you are choosing to paint your gourds, you have a diversity of paints you can use. Acrylics or  Oil Paints can be used, while many others use leather dyes. Personally, acrylics are our preferred paint because it dries quickly, blends well, and has nice coverage.
Alcohol inks can be used: http://www.gourdsupplies.com/Adirondack-Alcohol-Ink-Dyes.htm
Many leather dyes, angelus paints, and suede dyes, along with a treasure box of other gourd art supplies can be found at TurtleFeathers
http://turtlefeathers.net/text/product-index.html

Do you know what types of gourd you want to use? There's many varieties.

Digital Gourds chart © Dan Dunkin 2003
This chart is used courtesy The Gourd Reserve

Gourds aren't just for birdhouses anymore. The creative possibilities are endless. They are used in sculpture, musical instruments, vessels and bowls, lamps, dolls, ornaments, the list goes on and on.

Some of the things we do with OUR gourds..

Bear Claw Frame Drum by John Fry

Sweetgrass Blessings to the Star People Gourd Art Doll by Jeanne Fry

Running Horse Gourd Art Bowl by Jeanne Fry

Bear Totem Gourd Ornament by Jeanne Fry

Gourd Jewelry by John and Jeanne Fry

Dragonfly Gourd Ceremony Rattle by John and Jeanne Fry

To see more of our artwork you can visit our website
http://www.consciousartstudios.com/

We also sell our work on Artfire
http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/ConsciousArtStudios

Happy Gourding !

Gourd Rattles hold Music, Art, and Spirituality

Rattles have long been used in Ceremony by many Indigenous Peoples, and still are to this day. They are a tool used in spiritual ceremony, but are also used for percussion in Music along with being works of Art.

Our Rattles are created from Gourds. Most have wood handles that are wrapped with leather, but some are one entire Gourd. We fill them with a combination of little noisemakers, dried beans, beads, small gemstone chips...each having their own distinct sound. Many times we try to match the sound to that of the Art that was painted on the Gourd.

This video allows you to listen to your Rattles

We do custom Rattles for our collectors as well.

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



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