Showing posts with label Healing Art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Healing Art. Show all posts

Sunday, June 5, 2016

My Return to the Abundant Earth

Sometimes we step away from the things that are a core part of us - our rituals or ways of life - often  not because we have abandoned them but simply because our spirit needs something different in the moment. I feel, in part, that this has been the case for me. 
Over the past year I had stepped back from the intrinsic part of me who's spirituality and healing based from nature, my animal totems, and Earth Mother.


 For the most part I think this was on a subconscious level, for I was experiencing such loss in my heart that my soul urged me to immerse in the Feminine. I placed my heart within the Goddess's hands, needing to heal, to understand, and to be still. 
Many lessons flowed, some sweet and with ease, and some painfully difficult. I was able to come to understandings about myself and how I walk in the world, along with even greater understandings about humanity. 
I believe that healing and self growth are a lifelong process - that we reach levels of  understanding and then continue to ascend. Now I feel that it is time for me to broaden my scope again, integrating my refreshingly, deep nourished Goddess sense with the balanced, grounded Nature Sage. It is time for me to reconnect the Bridge between Earth and Sky. 
Outwardly I suppose that people will notice this within my artwork, which I feel will be turning, in some senses, to a more balanced feminine and masculine slant. 
I return with excitement, for I have especially missed my strong focus on the animal totems, who are all chattering incessantly, like old friends catching up in a flurry. 
My conscious thought on this spiritual and artistic transition came to the canvas a few days ago, creating "Abundant Earth". 
Symbolically the painting was satisfying, incorporating black lava medium, handmade paper, cotton canvas, liquitex acrylics, ink, gesso, textile, and clay beads - each component bringing outwardly meaning to the balance I spoke of. 




Sunday, October 21, 2012

Star Spirit and her Blanket of Dreams

The body's need for rest, for a peaceful and restorative sleep, has become more and more prevalent to me the past several months. I know this not only for myself, but for others around me. Be it from stress, worry, health issues, or habit...the lack of the body's healing sleep creeps in and takes hold creating a negative spiral effect in how we walk through our days. When we lose our natural rhythm with the Earth and Sky elements it changes our mood, perspective, health, and communication skills. And when these are altered, so are our Dreams.
Star Spirit and her Blanket of Dreams by Jeanne Fry
This was the inspiration for one of my new paintings, "Star Spirit and her Blanket of Dreams".
"When the sun goes down and the skies begin to dim, the Star Spirit arrives from her little spot in the Universe to perform her most important job. Her fellow star beings and constellations gather around her to emit their twinkling glow as she gently and lovingly unwraps her blanket....the Blanket of Dreams. As she covers the sky with the blanket and smooths it out with her careful fingertips...it brings a sense of comfort to all beings as they are laying their heads down for the night to rest. The blanket brings sweet dreams of love, healing, and aspirations, nurturing our hopes for tomorrow."
Star Spirit and her Blanket of Dreams Folk Art Painting
This painting has been SOLD

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

The Personal Story behind "My Spirit Dances"

In my dreams there is a magical land

a land where there are no walls

a land where there are no obstacles to overcome

a land that is only filled with promise.
My Spirit Dances, an original painting by Jeanne Fry


The Saboteur does not live here

Whispers of negativity do not exist

No bystanders are present planting seeds of doubt

Even my shadow twin is oblivious to the location.



In my dreams there is a magical land

where Lupus has no name or credibility

Where prosthetics are a foreign term

for here....

I am Whole

I Breathe Easy

I feel the grass under Both Feet

and I radiate the Light of the Universe.


In my dreams there is a magical land
and here My Spirit Dances.



(c) Copyright Jeanne Fry
Painting and Poetry by Jeanne Fry   All Rights Reserved

Prints of this painting are available in my Fine Art America Studio here
My Spirit Dances painting on Fine Art America



Monday, April 9, 2012

Kuan Yin Compassion Healing Art Shrine

Every piece of Art that I create has special meaning for me. I suppose that I just couldn't create something because I felt that it was "marketable" or the current trend. I create from my heart and my gut, subjects that I am engaged with. There is always a personal reason for each of my works and I trust that each creation will find the home that it is meant for...that it's meaning which is special to me also becomes important for someone else on their journey.
Kuan Yin Compassion Healing Art Shrine by Jeanne Fry


One evening this week while I was journaling, I was inspired to create more shrines. It has been a long time since I had created any and it was time once again. Immediately I knew that Kuan Yin needed to be the focus in the first one. Kuan Yin, the goddess of Compassion has always held a tender place in my heart. This healing shrine needed to embody compassion, to be a reminder not only to offer compassion to others, but to the Self. So many times we put ourselves at the bottom of our priority lists.  We play catch-up with our needs, giving ourselves a little tenderness when it is usually long over due, and then it's not usually enough. How can we expect others to treat us with compassion when we don't give it to ourselves?

And so the assemblage began, with complete and focused love. As soft music played and the smell of jasmine in the air, I worked...colors of turquoise and peach, soft rose and periwinkle started to cover the shrine.Various phrases were painted on the insides, charms were hung, paper flowers attached...all within a meditative mood. The wooden statue of Kuan Yin was secured to the shrine with soft pale yellow silk fabric flowing around her.
My hope is for whatever sweet soul comes to collect this healing shrine, they too will be reminded to nurture and protect their spirit, and to show compassion and love to Themselves and Others.


This shrine has been SOLD.


Thursday, March 22, 2012

Answers.. Art... and the Garden

Knowledge is Power.
We tell ourselves so often when we are stumbling for an answer to Why.."if I only knew the root of the problem..things would be better". I could fix it. I could change it. We can tell ourselves that so often, that we begin to believe that once we have the knowledge of "what it is", things will immediately be different. But nobody told us that is not entirely all there is to it.
Yes, things will be different, but once you have the knowledge..it is up to YOU how it will change. The knowledge is the stepping stone.

For four years I had been searching for an answer. Why am I in so much pain? Why don't I feel well? What is wrong with me? Doctor after doctor, test after test, and endless days of discouragement led me to endless searching for the answer, as if the answer would be the solution. All the while not knowing that once I had the answer....it was only a step. And that step is your choice in how you will make it change. In which direction, what path will you take, toward your solution?
These past few months as I had felt even worse, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. My inspiration to create Art became more and more difficult, my pain dictating my every move, and fatigue controlling my days. Then Tuesday morning an unexpected phone call came, and in ONE minute the stepping stone appeared in front of me. "You have Lupus". Stunned I hung up the phone and became quiet. I needed to process this, and realized things weren't immediately better now that I had an answer. The stepping stone was in front of me, but I was not ready to take a step. I gave myself permission to sit with it, think, and BE.
 I needed to eliminate the noise that surrounds us in the world, no TV, no phone calls, no drama....just to get to that simple state of breath. So, I spent that day and all the next outside, the one place that can make you feel better just by it's existence. The one place so easy to find perspective and balance.
I decided to listen to Me.

I felt compelled to to have my hands in the Earth, the simplicity called to me...work in the garden. Flowers needed to be planted. I needed to surround myself with color, reds and blues and purples. I needed to feel the soil in my hands.
The afternoon was spent planting. Loosening the soil and digging the holes was immediately hurting me, the pain was aggressive...but I needed to do it. My husband saw the difficulty and began doing the strenuous parts for me so that I was left with the simple pleasures of placing the flowers and plants in the earth and filling them in. Finished, we spent the rest of the day on the porch..quiet, peaceful and meditative.

The next day we spent our day driving in the mountains and then again back sitting near the garden, until I then found a sense of peace with where I was at...a sense of peace that there was a stepping stone in front of me. I had come to the state of Now. The past did not exist and the future did not exist..only the present. And I took a step forward on to the stepping stone. I made the choice to fully immerse in my healing, to listen to my intuition and my body and act accordingly and move forward. I have no expectations that it will be easy, but will strive for the best quality of life, to be easy with myself and put my needs to the forefront. I will continue with my Art on a relaxed level, because it is like breath to me, it is part of my essence.
 Breathe in. Breathe Out. Follow the Stepping Stones.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

An Artist's Personal Journey

As an Artist, you become known for your style, your theme, your techniques, and the way you put yourself out there to the world.
I've always focused on symbolism, drawing strength from nature, animal totems, and uplifting themes. But what happens when the artist is having problems connecting with their own style? When the fire that burns within, that makes you pick up your brush, is diminishing? I'm not referring to a slump or block, but more of a distraction that is coming between you and the canvas.

Sometimes I think we need to take a pause, a moment, when the Art is for Us. Our own personal journey can step into plain view  and demand our attention, and we can either work with it or resist.

After spending the past 4 years in a battle with my health, fatigue, and daily pain... it has caught up with me. Faced as if we are  in a stand-off, I choose to continue the fight. And with all that is left inside of me, I allow my Art to become my "warrior". With the paintbrush, I will gather my strength and face the enemy of pain by bringing it to light. And so, I am using my art to release, to peel back the layers, to express what my voice does not.

For those of you that know me or my art, you are welcome to follow me on this journey, as my art takes a little side road...to Healing.


Today's painting ~  #1  "Inside this Shell"

"Inside this Shell"  Original on Watercolor Paper 9 x 12  by Jeanne Fry
The original of the "Inside this Shell" painting is not available, but prints are available in my Fine Art America Studio

 


 
 


Tuesday, November 8, 2011

The Symbolism of Wings and Using Art to Heal

The events in my life and the evolving of my spirit as I move through life's lessons, often produce themselves in my artwork. Colors, subject matter, and symbolism are reflected in my creations, and while it does so I remain flexible with it.

Maybe it is the coming of winter, or just the current passage I am transitioning through with my disability, that is causing my focus at present to be on Wings and Flight. The representation of freedom is what is dominate; the freedom from feeling "stuck", the freedom from pain, the freedom from my inner critic nagging at me.



For those of you that are familiar with the archetypes that are representative of our character, I pay particular attention to the archetypes present in my life. One of my archetypes is the "Wounded Healer".  Carl Jung did a great deal of writing about this archetype. The Wounded Healer is the person who has gone through a great suffering and because of that suffering has now become a source of inspiration to others. There is a shadow side and a light side to each archetype. I think that being aware of those sides allows you to find a balance and use it to create a positive influence in your life.

As a child I experienced a profound event that forever changed my life; physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Looking back on the course of my life, my mission was to help inspire others through support, conversation, or art. At the time I didn't realize "why", but it felt natural to me. It shaped who I was. As an adult, I understand.

So, as I move through the course of my life, I have found that when I share my processes, it not only helps me, but helps others as well.

The current phase in my life presents a challenge with mobility, I believe which is causing this great attraction to Wings and Flight.


I began a recent series, without conscious intention actually, on wings integrated into my paintings. The first painting was of an Owl Butterfly found in the rain forests of South America.

Owl Butterfly ~ Original Painting by Jeanne Fry

The markings on the butterfly resemble eyes, nature's way of distracting predators and providing balance.

The second painting  is called "She Flies with the Owls". Meant to be symbolic of learning the wisdom of the owl, it's intuition, sight, and walking in both worlds.

She Flies with the Owls ~ Original Painting by Jeanne Fry

She Flies with the Owls ~ Original Painting by Jeanne Fry
The Original Paintings are no longer available, but they are available art Art Prints in my Fine Art America Shop here




Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...