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. : About me : .
 Name::Sapphire Dakini From::Santa Fe, NM, United States "The secret of life is in art." - Oscar Wilde View My Profile . : Artist Statement : .
My art is an exploration of the importance of change and releasing the past, especially the people and situations
that hinder personal growth, empowerment and transformation. The utilization of mythic figures, archetypes, motifs
and themes allows me to explore letting go of the familiar, safe and secure in order to travel to the dark, often
frightening, places of the soul. In this way, I've learned to trust my inner voice and honor my soul's need for
expression and challenge. . : Recent Posts : .
Words of Wisdom from the Daily Om . : Archives : .
May 2005 . :Blog Rings : .
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. : Social Media : . . : Daily Om : .
. : Portfolio : .
www.flickr.com
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. : Printmaking : .
. : Masks : .
. : Memberships : .
Artists Foundation . : Yahoo Groups : .
Art Dollz . : Blogrolls : .
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Sunday, April 27, 2008What I'm Reading "In this elegant & stunning novel, Alice Hoffman examines the lives of 3 women at different crossroads in their lives, tying their London-centered stories together in devastating retrospect. High powered New York attorney, Maddy Heller, arrives in 1999 London having had an affair with Paul, her sister Allie's fiancé. She must now cope with the impending marriage & with Paul's terminal illness which echoes the girls' mother's cancer during their childhood. Hoffman then shifts to heady 1966 London & to Frieda Lewis, Paul's future mother, who falls for a doomed up-and-coming songwriter knowing he will break her heart. The narrative then shifts further back, to 1952 & to Maddy & Allie's future mother, Lucy Green. A bookish 12-year-old wise beyond her years, Lucy sails with her father & stepmother from New York to London for a wedding. There, she becomes an innocent catalyst to a devastating event involving a love triangle. Hoffman interweaves the 3 stories, gazing unerringly into forces that cause some people to self-destruct & others to find inner strength to last a lifetime."Labels: books 
Saturday, April 26, 2008Playtime I decided to spend the time until my Monoprint / Collograph class starts in June just playing. Not worrying too much about the outcome but just trying to let go & enjoy the process. It's been a long time since I've allowed myself to do that. Here's the result of today's studio session. There's an amazing number of new products on the market to be used with acrylics & I've picked up a couple of great books with enough new techniques to keep me busy experimenting for quite awhile. I've also discovered a number of artists who are doing some really interesting work. Labels: acrylics
Thursday, April 24, 2008Addition to My Art Library "This volume provides a handy visual guide to more than 2,000 hues & shades. It's a complete color reference based around a palette of 25 popular Artists' Acrylic Colours.It saves the artist time by taking the uncertainty out of mixing colors, thus enabling artists to quickly & precisely match any tint they'd like to reproduce with only 2 colors in the mix. Intended for both amateur & professional artists, this guide will prove invaluable in the studio & when painting on location." Labels: art books
 "Over the past 50 years, acrylic paints have evolved into a viable artist-grade medium of the highest level. Tauchid provides a guide for both new & experienced artists who have little or no experience with acrylics. Coverage includes an overview of the medium, materials & equipment, color range & qualities, mediums & grounds, basic & alternative application techniques, & the use of acrylics to create decorative objects. The text is illustrated throughout in color & includes 10 step-by-step demonstration projects of specialized uses of acrylics, including a faux metallic surface, a stained glass panel, acrylic transfer painting, silk screen & monotype printing, 3-D objects."Labels: art books
Wednesday, April 23, 2008What I'm Reading "What if imagination & art are not, as many of us might think, the frosting on life, but the fountainhead of human experience? What if our logic & science derive from art forms, rather than the other way around? Rollo May helps all of us find those creative impulses that, once liberated, offer new possibilities for achievement. A renowned therapist & inspiring guide, Dr. May draws on his experience to show how we can break out of old patterns in our lives. His insightful book offers us a way through our fears into a fully realized self."Labels: books
 "Collagraphs are prints that can be made in a number of ways: from collages; relief sculpture; caste plaster plates; carved, stripped & layered plates; plates painted with glues; or from a combination of all these methods. The flexibility of this process means that it is one of the most fluid approaches to printmaking & allows artists greater creative freedom than many other methods. In this book, the authors describe a wide range of techniques, providing practical hints about choosing materials & printing methods to achieve the best results. They also discuss the historical use of collage in printmaking, looking at the work of artists like Picasso, Braque & Schwitters. The text is illustrated with the work of many different British & international collagraph artists."Labels: art books
 "Monoprinting is a printmaking process in which a drawing or painting, executed on a flat, unworked printing plate or other surface, is transferred using pressure to a sheet of paper. A spontaneous & exciting process, the medium is also effective, convenient & does not necessarily require a press. Only 1 strong impression can be taken, hence the term monoprint."Labels: art books
 "Manufacturers see acrylic paint as the most versatile paint with the most growth potential & are putting marketing & product development dollars behind their products to help educate readers on the benefits of acrylics. There are currently 225+ different types of acrylic paints.* The first book to address the most popular applications of acrylics & the accompanying mediums * With 101 tricks & techniques there is something for everyone -- from artists, to crafters, to weekend enthusiasts, to students of all levels * Features a contemporary design that reflects the applications & current trends surrounding the medium Acrylic Revolution will show readers everything they need to know to be successful in their acrylic painting projects. With over 101 of the most popular, interesting & indispensable tricks for working with acrylic -- each with its own step-by-step demonstration -- there is literally page after page of acrylic instruction & inspiration for readers to discover. A gallery of finished art at the back of the book will show readers how to combine different tricks to use in their artwork offering them real-life applications for acrylic techniques." Labels: art books
Monday, April 21, 2008Feng Shui with Me, BabyYes, I've moved the infamous drafting table again. Did you even have to ask? I've spent the past few days shuffling furniture around in my studio & I think I FINALLY have things arranged to my satisfaction. Projects that are in process are up on easels so I can stop knocking them off counter tops or stepping on them. Supplies are back in the appropriate bins. Books & magazines are sorted & put away on the shelves. Dominique, the mannequin, has been moved over next to the bookshelves where I can't bump into her in the middle of the night. (Trust me. It's a real adrenaline rush when you wake up in the middle of the night & see what appears to be a person standing in the middle of your loft.) Canvases & torsos are stacked in the corner. The "catch-all" table has been cleaned off. The dust bunnies have been wrangled into submission. Yep, it's official... I have no more excuses not to go into the studio & work. So, I'm breaking out the canvas board, acrylics & brushes. It's time to play a little.      Labels: loft
Sunday, April 20, 2008What I'm Reading "Called in secretly to investigate an allegedly haunted house with royal connections, Merrily Watkins, deliverance consultant for the Diocese of Hereford, is exposed to a real & tangible evil. A hidden valley on the border of England & Wales preserves a longtime feud between two old border families as well as an ancient Templar church with a secret that may be linked to a famous ghost story. On her own & under pressure with the nights drawing in, the hesitant Merrily has never been less sure of her ground. Meanwhile, Merrily’s closest friend, songwriter Lol Robinson, is drawn into the history of his biggest musical influence, the tragic Nick Drake, finding himself troubled by Drake’s eerie autumnal song "The Time of No Reply."Labels: books
Saturday, April 19, 2008Art Goals 2008 RevisitedAs I mentioned on January 1st when I posted my original goals for 2008, my astrologer told me last July that 2009 is destined to be the best & most successful year of my life & will be the beginning of a very powerful 10 year cycle. As a result, 2008 is all about preparing for 2009... taking the time to envision the future I want... deciding what stays & what needs to go in order to make room for new people, opportunities & experiences. She talked about the importance of recognizing when I've outgrown a goal or situation & letting it go without guilt. She also told me that my best work is still to come & that I won't really be able to focus on my artwork or be creatively "back in the groove" until June, 2008. So, I continue to keep her words in mind as I revisit my original goals for 2008. I've revised my goals to align with the work that I've been doing so far this year which has primarily been collage. I've dropped out of the Take-It-Further Challenge. It was taking time that needed to be spent working on other projects & at the end of the day was just 1 more thing to feel guilty about not dedicating enough time to. I've collected all of the lessons for the 4 Joggles classes that I registered for but I've deferred starting work on them until later in the year. I've dropped keeping a sketchbook / journal because that's a process that doesn't really work for me. It seems to take some of the freedom out of my work. After a lot of experimenting over the past few years (it feels as though I've dabbled in a little bit of everything at this point), I've realized that no matter what I become involved in, I always come back to collage. So, as I progress through the remainder of 2008 & into 2009, I've decided to limit my projects, classes, etc. to things that can be integrated into my collage work. This should help me maintain focus & become more productive than I have been over the past year & a half. So, here are the revised goals...
Technique
Marketing
Publications
New Work
Labels: goals
Sunday, April 06, 2008What I'm Reading "A terrible accident takes Edgar Freemantle's right arm & scrambles his memory & his mind, leaving him with little but rage as he begins the ordeal of rehabilitation. A marriage that produced 2 lovely daughters suddenly ends, & Edgar begins to wish he hadn't survived the injuries that could have killed him. He wants out. His psychologist, Dr. Kamen, suggests a "geographic cure", a new life distant from the Twin Cities & the building business Edgar grew from scratch.Edgar leaves Minnesota for a rented house on Duma Key, a stunningly beautiful, eerily undeveloped splinter of the Florida coast. The sun setting into the Gulf of Mexico & the tidal rattling of shells on the beach call out to him, & Edgar draws. A visit from Ilse, the daughter he dotes on, starts his movement out of solitude. He meets a kindred spirit in Wireman, a man reluctant to reveal his own wounds, & then Elizabeth Eastlake, a sick old woman whose roots are tangled deep in Duma Key. Now Edgar paints, sometimes feverishly, his exploding talent both a wonder & a weapon. Many of his paintings have a power that cannot be controlled. When Elizabeth's past unfolds & the ghosts of her childhood begin to appear, the damage of which they are capable is truly devastating." Labels: books
Friday, April 04, 2008Words of Wisdom from the Daily OmPermission To Forgive Ourselves Releasing Guilt "Learning to accept the things that we perceive as wrong can be a difficult task for many of us. Often we have been brought up to accept that it is normal to feel guilty about our actions & that by doing so we will make everything seem alright within ourselves. Even though we might feel that we have a reason to make up for the choices we have made, it is much more important for us to learn how to deal with them in a healthy & positive way, such as through forgiveness & understanding. When we can look back at our past & really assess what has happened, we begin to realize that there are many dimensions to our actions. While feeling guilty might assuage our feelings at first, it is really only a short-term solution. It is all too ironic that being hard on ourselves is the easy way out. If we truly are able to gaze upon our lives through the lens of compassion, however, we will be able to see that there is much more to what we do & have done than we realize. Perhaps we were simply trying to protect ourselves or others & did the best we could at the time, or maybe we thought we had no other recourse & chose a solution in the heat of the moment. Once we can understand that dwelling in our negative feelings will only make us feel worse, we will come to recognize that it is really only through forgiving ourselves that we can transform our feelings & truly heal any resentment we have about our past. Giving ourselves permission to feel at peace with our past actions is one of the most positive steps we can take toward living a life free from regrets, disappointments, & guilt. The more we are able to remind ourselves that the true path to a peaceful mind & heart is through acceptance of every part of our lives & actions, the more harmony & inner joy we will experience in all aspects of our lives." The Daily Om Labels: Daily Om
Thursday, April 03, 2008Studio Envy I picked up the special issue on Studios by cloth paper scissors tonight & now I'm suffering from studio envy. Maybe I'm just really nosy but I love seeing other artists' studios & how they work. Not to mention how they deal with storage since storage is an issue when living in a loft. It's always a challenge to store things in a way that I can find them again without a major archaeological dig. I love Judy Coates Perez's studio with those huge windows & can just imagine the vibrant neighborhood that she lives in. Hands down though, my absolute favorite is Sara Lechner's studio which used to be a hay loft. Labels: cloth paper scissors, magazines, studios
Wednesday, April 02, 2008My Gypsy Blood is Calling... I wonder if my desire to periodically pack up everything I own & move is because I very rarely take a vacation & go anywhere different? I've travelled quite a bit for business but that just isn't the same. Maybe it's because I'm truly not where I'm supposed to be yet & I'm still searching for "home". Or maybe, & this is a really unsettling thought, I'm running away from myself. I'm always amazed by people who live their entire lives in the same place. I just can't imagine ever doing that.Right now I'm feeling drawn to Asheville, NC., a place I haven't been since I was a child. So, I've decided to go down in October (love the mountains in autumn when the leaves are changing) & spend a week wandering around the city, checking out the galleries, maybe even doing some hiking & horseback riding (I won't tell you how many years it's been since I've been on a horse.). I've been talking for quite awhile about moving back to the Boulder / Denver area in a few years but as much as I love Boulder, it just doesn't feel like where I'm supposed to settle. I don't know. I guess I'm just going to have to be patient (HAH!) & see how things work out. Both locations have pros & cons. All I know is that I'm feeling extremely unsettled & have been for quite a while.
Tuesday, April 01, 2008Take It Further Challenge - April The Take It Further Challenge for April is "How do you see change?".I try to view change (I don't always succeed) as a chance for transformation... the universe's way of waking me up & pointing me in the right direction. Or pushing me out of my comfort zone so I'll take the next step in defining & ultimately achieving my goals. Don't get me wrong... some of these transformations are painful & difficult. But, as difficult as they may have been, they were necessary for my personal growth. And they've taught me that I'm a much stronger & more resourceful person than I ever could have imagined. I need to think a bit about what form this month's challenge should take. I do know that I won't be using this month's palette. It's far too gloomy & I'm just not an earthtone type of person. Labels: Take It Further
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