Sensical: The Evolution of a Painting

While on the brink of sleep Sunday evening, I had a sudden burst of inspiration.  (Must have been Gus.  Or the video of his creator, Steve.)  Whatever the reason, once again I was reminded that a little time, silence, awareness, and creative expression can lead to unexpectedly magical results.

Many, many weeks ago I started a painting for Hali Karla's class in Wild.  (WILD is a workshop of several courses hosted by spiritually creative Lisa Dieken.)  Hali's fabulous class led us through a sensual exploration - painting through a mindful connection with taste, touch, scent, sight, and sound.  I had a dleicious time with music, strawberries, and finger painting on a huge poster board.

The final instruction was to let intuition take us where it may with the painting.  For whatever reason, I got stuck.  Big time, nothing-coming-to-me stuck.  The painting was moved to the side of my studio where it languished in sad incompletion.

Until today.

The original painting of the five senses.  Fun, but it definitely wasn't finished...

In that sudden burst of creative inspiration last night, I SAW the completed piece.  It took everything I had not to jump out of bed at 1 a.m. and race downstairs to make it happen. 

Fortunately, I let myself sleep.  And today I went to make my vision a reality.

Perhaps before, I was so caught up in what I was going to paint ON the poster board that I was limiting my own creativity.  

It took a bit of looking-outside-the-poster-board-box and releasing of fear that I might irrevocably ruin it to really make this piece what it wanted to become.  (Thanks again, Gus.)

(Of note, when I went to work on the painting I discovered what I had painted on the back of the poster board a few years ago.  It was something from one of Connie Hozvicka's classes - something from a random prompt that I no longer remember.  I do remember it was a "dump" of sorts...dumping all of the highly-charged words and phrases that came to mind in one place.  It was a TREMENDOUS emotional release.

(I've not shared this publicly before, but wanted to give you an idea of the charge that the reverse side of the painting was holding!)

I'm wondering if that negativity was embedded into the piece...which is why it was necessary to tear it up and release it all!)

I tore the painting into one inch strips then wove them together.  It took a few hours of weaving and pulling and adjusting the strips, but the final result makes me unbelievably happy:

It never ceases to amaze me that when I let go of what I think something should be, what it is emerges.  And when we let something be what it is?  Simple, breath-taking beauty.

So here's to the patience that lets our insight naturally develop,

here's to those peaceful moments when inspiration calls,

here's to our senses and the mystical world they experience,

here's to those precious souls that guide us in exploration,

here's to the mindful presence that allows us to hear our own callings,

and here's to the creativity expressed through each of us simply Being Who We Are.

Namaste.