Honesty and Freedom

Truth

The Meditation Cards Of The Day Are….

Responsibility, Grace, and Balance

When people have the courage to think honestly, they will live honestly. It is when I paint that I am the most honest with myself. I don’t hold back when I have a brush in my hand.

“Art is, after all, only a trace-like a footprint which shows that one has walked bravely and in great happiness.”

Those who allow themselves to live and play, understand the relative value of freedom and truth. Artists who live and walk in the sprit of freedom and honesty are our greatest teachers. We can learn so much from them and their process.  They play with time and dig deep within themselves. They keep the world moving. They leave their trace in paint, stone, graffiti, whatever.  In the commercial world there are thousands of lives wasted doing things not worth doing. The human creative sprit is being sacrificed. More and more things are being produced without intention and are consumed or “used” without desire. These things are dead. There is nothing so important as art in the world. Art has outlived many generations. I approach my art and my practice as if it is the most important thing I do. Everything I create may not sell, but it has an inestimable and lasting value. My advice to all you artist out there! Go to your work because it is the most important thing you do. Make great things-as great as you are. Work always as if you were a master, expect from yourself a masterpiece. Try your best to walk your path with freedom and honesty.

Spray Can Project

So I began a new idea. I will be reusing all my empty spray cans as objects to create little paintings.   The spray cans will be paintings of birds and urban life. This idea was born after finishing the smaller paintings for the Mazu opening. Many people said they were excited about the possibility of owning and affording some of my smaller works. Not everyone has the space in there homes for my large paintings. So I decided I needed to create more smaller and affordable paintings.  This is why I am reusing my cans!  I have not seen anyone use them as objects to paint on. I am so excited to try this idea out. I really think I am onto something here! I will keep you posted on the process.

Mazu little paintings

I have returned from a week vacation in Grass Valley, California. I spent the summer days painting on a porch overlooking the mountains. All these little paintings are for sale and will be up for the grand Mazu opening along with the mural! They are so much stronger in person. I painted the details with a toothpick and each one required my full attention.  Hope you like them!

Mazu Project Day Twelve

The Mazu Mural Project has come to an end. All I need to do is paint a clear protective coat over the 20 x 9 feet mural. I am now working on the editing of the Mazu Mural Project video.  The opening of the Muzu is estimated to be around the beginning of August. I will keep you all posted. I personally want to thank the owners for asking me to be part of their journey! I wish you and your business success and happiness.

The last Mazu Angle Cards of the day are:

Grace, a blank card, and Balance.

Mazu Project Day Eleven

Yesterday evening I drove over the Bay Bridge and into the city. The sun was setting behind the city horizon and the fog was embracing the tall-cemented buildings. The drive was so calming for me I began chanting, “Hope Prayers”.  Hoping for a positive creative experience. I decided on this drive to tackle by biggest challenge first, which was the cherrie blossom flowers. When I arrived there, I took some deep breaths and allowed my eyes to scan over the entire twenty-foot wide mural and I decided it would be best to make a cherrie blossom flower stencil. After that was accomplished, I sprayed pink cherrie stencil flowers throughout the mural. Then I applied some white paint onto the flat cherrie stencils and made them kind of blurry to balance out the previous cherrie blossoms flowers. I made them smaller in scale as well. They are not finished but I do plan on returning to them and applying some branches to connect them to the tree. Halfway while working on the flowers, I decided to take a break from them and begin cleaning up around the clouds, the birds, the pedestal, and the circle. By the way… I love the new bird I added to the right of the Mazu Goddesses. It was this very bird that saved this mural for me. The action of painting this bird allowed me to reclaim the mural and find some positive energy within myself to finish this project. Overall the biggest challenge yesterday night and early this morning were the faces. The photos I have to work from are blurry. I am doing the best I can with the images provided, but both of these women are the grandmothers of the owners. All the Mazu women on this wall are so important. I am trying to connect with the attitudes/sprit portrayed in the photos. I am hoping to capture their features. I think when I return to finish them I will apply some wormer colors and lively brushstrokes. Overall I feel good about where I am in the process. I need just one more full day and I think I will be done! Then I need to work on the six smaller pieces for the walls. Busy, Busy, Busy!

Art Workshops

MFE Art Workshop

MFE Art Workshop

MFE Art Workshop

MFE Art Workshop

MFE Art Workshop

MFE Art Workshop

MFE Art Workshop

MFE Art Workshop

A Blank Method Bottle

Moving Forward Ed Intern Art Training Workshops

Today I helped a group of High School Interns learn fun and creative ways to reuse the Method Soap bottles that were donated to the program. Each vase contains collages of images that represent something personal to them. They will be applying the same idea into the after school programs in the Bay Area. I was very impressed with the outcome of each of the intern’s vases. Each one was colorful and different. They all took risks and expressed themselves threw the power of art.

The Quote of the day was:

“Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will.”

-George Bernard Shaw

Mazu Project Day Ten

First I want to thank all my fans for the positive energy that was sent my way. It worked! I drove into the city today and came face to face with my inner creative demon! I decided not to focus on the negative parts about the mural and embrace the positive. It amazing what can happen when you deicide to shift your attitude!

I channeled another bird today. It is standing tall and proud next to the Mazu Goddesses. The process of painting this bird was healing! I also added some more bamboo and grass. Then I decided on my own terms to take away more of the tree, just enough to where my body and mind could re claim the wall again.  I know this mural will turn out great. It can’t look worse than it did before! I recognize that shaking off the pressure has helped bring back some of the passion I needed to finish this mural. Thursday, I plan on working after dinner and into the late/early morning hours. I will be alone and the city will be asleep. This is exactly the kind of work hours I need to get ahead and possibly be closer to completion. It feels so good to be honest with myself again but most importantly it is so great to feel enthusiastic about the Mazu mural project again.

The three Mazu Angel Cards of the day are, Honesty, Harmony, and Enthusiasm! These cards are so right on, its kind of scary!

Mazu Project Day Nine

I awoke in tune with sunrise this morning reflecting about the mural and its evolution thus far. I have found myself in a head to head fight with both my mind and the product. My mind wants the mural to translate visually what my minds eyes sees and what my heart feels. But for some reason the images I am creating with my hands are not quite right. Something changed when I erased the leaves and parts of the tree. It is almost like; I erased a part of myself. I never before had a problem with erasing layers in my work, but for some reason I am finding it hard to do on the mural. Maybe it’s because it was not my voice or the mural voice, which asked me to paint over its leaves and trunk? Maybe I am just temporarily disconnected to the mural? Or maybe it’s just ok and everything will work out.

I just picked out the three Mazu Angel Cards of the day.  They were placed on a rounded golden lily plate on my desk. I picked each one with the hopes for some guidance from the sprit world and the three words of the day were… Healing, Love and Depth. How appropriate!

In my therapy session yesterday, I spent an hour talking about my process and my slight war with my mind and the mural. Those of you who have been following my blog are aware that the main Mazu Goddess in this mural is a portrait of my friend’s mother who passed away a few years ago. Well I was told by her that I began this mural on the anniversary of her mothers death…I was very touched by this because the last time I painted the “Cranes in flight” was on the anniversary of a close friend of mine death as well. They both died of Cancer. They both were mother figures in our lives. I told my therapist and my partner that this did not feel like a “lucky chance” and that I truly feel like I communicate with the dead through my cranes. They are powerful birds. Anyway…I know in some abstract way this mural is healing both my friend and I.

It all comes down to this…the mural is magical. It holds much depth and meaning and because of this… I want it to be spiritually right. I want it to bring good luck and happiness into the lives of those who come face to face with it. I want it to be more than a mural. I want it to be real and alive! I want it to heal, and most importantly I want it to heal my friend.

Just the act of writing this post has made this creative journey lighter. I guess I am asking all my fans out there to send some positive creative energy my way. I need it!

Mazu Project Day Eight

The Mazu Mural had some major changes today…the flowers and leaves needed to be painted over. I personally did not like the flowers but I was asked to change the leaves to create space for the birds. I pulled a ten-hour workday yesterday. To be honest it was the hardest day out of all the days working on this project. Part of it was because I was not feeling well and the other part is because I am not even close to being done anymore. But that is part of the process and that is how it goes. I am going to take Sunday and Monday off because I need to feel better and return to the project not tired and sick. I added a frog, a dragonfly, and bamboo to the right side of the wall and I love it! When I return I will paint the flowers, leaves, trunks, bamboo, Mazu goddess’s heads and hands. I think I have two days left…three at the most. I hope it turns out good.

Mazu Project Day Seven

The Three Mazu Angel Meditation Cards Of The Day Are:

Faith, Intention, and Patience.

I am entering into the final touch-ups of the Mazu Mural. I will be taking tomorrow off and plan to have it all done by Saturday. I painted clouds today and touched up the leaves and flowers. Saturday I will be adding the bamboo, grass, pond and the two other Mazu Goddesses. I am trying to keep both the faith and intention alive. I need to be patience and trust that it will all turn out great! I am feeling under the weather. I need to take care of myself and try my best not to rush the process. I need to be proud of what I have accomplished thus far. A little side note… I want to shout out a big thanks to Dick Blick on Broadway in Oakland. Especially the nice tall guy with the mustache!