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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 : .
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Artists Foundation . : Yahoo Groups : .
Art Dollz . : Blogrolls : .
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Sunday, August 31, 2008I'm Doing a Happy Dance! Finally! August is over! The sky is beginning to have that autumn "look" to it & soon the leaves will start to change. This is the time of year when I miss living in Colorado the most. Nothing beats those Rocky Mountain autumns.It's been a busy & surprisingly productive weekend. Construction is still underway on the warehouse directly across the street from my loft & since they've been working 7 days a week starting at 7:00 am, there's no sleeping late. The renovation is scheduled to be completed by November. Here's hoping they're on schedule. Virginia Speigel announced Collage Mania 2009, her fundraiser for the American Cancer Society so I spent the weekend creating a number of collages to donate. I'm still trying to decide if 1 of them is finished so no photos yet, but soon. There were some really amazing collages offered during Collage Mania 2008. The bookshelves have been re-organized to make room for the piles of books that were sitting around on the floor & every available surface & I finally got rid of some craft books that I knew I would never use again. Since I've been in research mode the past 2 months, the piles were completely out of control. I've been searching my collection of Dover Pictorial Archive books looking for imagery to incorporate into some of the prints I'll be working on for the remainder of the year. The Dover publications are really great sources for copyright-free imagery & Harter's Picture Archive for Collage & Illustration is 1 of my favorites. The images included in it remind me of the imagery in Max Ernst's collages. My books on Erte, Art Nouveau & Art Deco imagery went back on the shelf. Although I love the imagery, it doesn't fit with the direction that my artwork seems to be taking now. During the summer I finished a series of new carborundum plates for the Fall semester so those, as well as the rest of my supplies have been organized & packed for the printmaking class starting on September 4th. I'm really looking forward to the semester starting. As much as I enjoy working in my studio at home, there's definitely something to be said for working in a studio with other artists who can provide instant feedback. I may try to finish a couple of watercolor plates before class starts. My goal for the semester is to work larger & to end the semester with a cohesive body of work that can be included in my portfolio. And, of course, I've re-arranged the furniture in my studio again. I just can't seem to get settled. It's probably a desire for change that's manifesting in my moving the furniture on a regular basis. I'll get everything in the "right" place eventually. Labels: life 
Friday, August 29, 2008What I'm Reading "In medieval Cambridge, England, 4 children have been murdered. The crimes are immediately blamed on the town's Jewish community, taken as evidence that Jews sacrifice Christian children in blasphemous ceremonies. To save them from the rioting mob, the king places the Cambridge Jews under his protection & hides them in a castle fortress. King Henry I is no friend of the Jews -- or anyone, really --but he is invested in their fate. Without the taxes received from Jewish merchants, his treasuries would go bankrupt. Hoping scientific investigation will exonerate the Jews, Henry calls on his cousin, the King of Sicily, whose subjects include the best medical experts in Europe & asks for his finest "master of the art of death," an early version of the medical examiner. The Italian doctor chosen for the task is a young prodigy from the University of Salerno. But her name is Adelia -- the king has been sent a mistress of the art of death. Adelia & her companions -- Simon, a Jew, & Mansur, a Moor -- travel to England to unravel the mystery of the Cambridge murders, which turn out to be the work of a serial killer, most likely someone who has been on Crusade with the king. In a backward & superstitious country like England, Adelia must conceal her true identity as a doctor in order to avoid accusations of witchcraft. Along the way, she is assisted by Sir Rowley Picot, 1 of the king's tax collectors, a man with a personal stake in the investigation. Rowley may be a needed friend, or the fiend for whom they are searching. As Adelia's investigation takes her into Cambridge's shadowy river paths & behind the closed doors of its churches & nunneries, the hunt intensifies & the killer prepares to strike again."Labels: books
Wednesday, August 27, 2008Words of Wisdom from the Daily OmPart Of The Process Feeling Stuck "When we feel stuck in our lives it's important to take stock of what is going on & find out if there is something we are doing or not doing that is keeping us stuck. Sometimes the situation is out of our control, & we need to look within to find the patience required to wait with equanimity until things move forward again. Many times, though, we can find the source of our stagnation in our own hearts & minds. Sometimes we are clinging to old ideas about reality & we need to make adjustments that will bring us back in tune with life, so we can flow again. Sometimes we find that fear of change is what's keeping us stuck, & we can resolve to find ways of facing that fear. If introspection does not provide the answers we need, it can sometimes be helpful to ask those around you if they notice anything obvious that you might not be able to see. Remember to ask someone whom you can trust to be kind & sensitive as well as honest. Try to let go of your resistance because whenever there is something we can't see ourselves, it's because we don't want to see it. Try to listen with an open mind, & remember that you are always the final judge of what you need. Anything offered to us from an outside source will need to be processed within before its wisdom can take hold. In all this, be kind to yourself & remember that we all get stuck sometimes. Think of it as a part of your process, a necessary step on your journey, rather than as a problem that shouldn't be happening. This can help to keep your frustration at bay & give you the space you need to take a deep breath & really figure out what's going on." - Daily Om Labels: Daily Om
Tuesday, August 26, 2008Those Wacky Surrealists "This is the legendary collage masterpiece of Max Ernst, 1 of the leading figures of the surrealist movement & among the most original artists of the 20th century. From old catalogue & pulp novel illustrations, Ernst produced this series of 182 bizarre & darkly humorous collage scenes of classic dreams & erotic fantasies which seem mysteriously to lure the unconscious into view... Stern, proper-looking women sprout giant sets of wings, serpents appear in the drawing-room & bed chamber, a baron has the head of a lion, a parlor floor turns to water on which some people can apparently walk while others drown...Un Semaine de Bonte (A Week of Kindness) is divided into 7 parts, 1 for each day of the week, with each section illustrating 1 of Ernst's "7 deadly elements." "Oedipus," & "the Count of the Dragon" are among the startling episodes of Ernst's week. The Dada & Surrealist epigraphs which introduce each section appear in this edition in both French & English. Un Semaine de Bonte appeared in 1934 in a series of 5 pamphlets of fewer than 1000 copies each. This is a major source for anyone interested in the surrealists & their work, in collage, visual illusion, dream visions, & the interpretation of dreams." Labels: art books
Sunday, August 24, 2008Come On, SeptemberThank the Goddess that August is almost over. Never my favorite month, this August has been particularly trying. Nothing life threatening... just 1 pesky annoyance after another. The small press that I ordered from Dick Blick arrived in a crate that needed special tools to open so it's taken me almost a month to get the crate open & the press set-up. In the process, I pulled something in my back so I'm moving a little slow right now. It sucks getting old & decrepit. I really need to get back to yoga on a daily basis. My faithful Dell Inspiron 6000 that I've had for almost 3 years died on Friday. It had been acting really strange for about a week so I had already backed up all of my data files to an external drive & to my work laptop. As a result, nothing was lost so things really could have been much worse. But, it's like losing an old friend. I've ordered a new best friend from Dell (twice the performance at half the price of the Inspiron 6000 3 years ago) which should be arriving mid-September. The timing was really bad since I had just paid for school & the press but I'm lost without a computer & I don't want to have to bring my work laptop home every day. Then, the DVD player that sits on my worktable in the studio died on Saturday. This was really annoying since I just bought it in January. Fortunately, it's still under warranty but it's still a hassle. So, last night was spent moving the TV to where I could see it from my work table. You can imagine what my back feels like now. I was almost afraid to turn the TV on since it hasn't been on since June, 2007 (for The Sopranos series finale, of course) but it seems to be working fine. Knock wood! Hopefully the electronics Angel of Death has moved on. So, needless to say, August has been a dead loss in the studio from a creative standpoint. I've re-written my artist statement, cleaned out the closet & cabinets, re-arranged the studio (yes, again) & done a lot research on themes for my work starting in September, but that's about it. Really looking forward to September 1st! Labels: life
Saturday, August 23, 2008Addition to My Art Library "Vincent Katz & Vivien Bittencourt's book, produced in concert with their video of the same title, traces Kiki Smith's preparations for her 8-room installation at the Fondazione Querini Stampalia in Venice, which coincided with the 2005 Venice Biennale. It places readers in the midst of the puzzling but effective modus operandi of a highly sophisticated visual artist: Smith works at home, surrounded by books, a pet bird, & tiny kitchenette, & moves easily between drawing, collaging, photographing, printing, painting plaster casts & creating furniture fashioned from liquor boxes. Following her to Venice, Katz & Bittencourt observe the complex installation of this work, which proves to be an integral part of its conceptual whole. The book features fascinating & revealing transcripts of the artist's spoken words -- spontaneous reflections on her life as an artist among a family of artists."Labels: art books
Monday, August 18, 2008Small Steps to Big ChangeSmall Steps To Big Change Making Big Change Easier "When we decide that it’s time for big changes in our lives, it is wise to ease into them by starting small. Small changes allow us to grow into a new habit & make it a permanent part of our lives, whereas sudden changes may cause a sense of failure that makes it difficult to go on, & we are more likely to revert to our old ways. Even if we have gone that route & find ourselves contemplating the choice to start over again, we can decide to take it slowly this time, & move forward. Sometimes the goals we set for ourselves are merely indicators of the need for change & are useful in getting us moving in the right direction. But it is possible that once we try out what seemed so ideal, we may find that it doesn’t actually suit us, or make us feel the way we had hoped. By embarking on the path slowly, we have the chance to look around & consider other options as we learn & grow. We have time to examine the underlying values of the desire for change & find ways to manifest those feelings, whether it looks exactly like our initial goal or not. Taking small steps forward gives us time to adjust & find secure footing on our new path. Life doesn’t always give us the opportunity to anticipate or prepare for a big change, & we may find ourselves overwhelmed by what is in front of us. By choosing 1 thing to work on at a time, we focus our attention on something manageable, & eventually we will look up to see that we have accomplished quite a bit. Forcing change is, in essence, a sign that we do not trust the universe’s wisdom. Instead, we can listen to our inner guidance & make changes at a pace that is right for us, ensuring that we do so in alignment with the rhythm of the universe." - Daily Om Labels: Daily Om
Tuesday, August 12, 2008New Artist StatementI've been spending the "down" time before class starts in September working on some projects that I've been putting off for far too long. One of which is re-writing my artist statement & updating my artist resume. Here's the 1st draft... Artist Statement Since mid-2007, my art has been an exploration of the importance of change and releasing the past, especially the people and situations that hinder personal growth. 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. This is the path I have chosen to personal growth, empowerment, transformation, and ultimately, enlightenment. As a printmaker and collage / mixed media artist, I use layers of digital images, ink, paint, handmade paper, ephemera, beads, textiles, fibers, and glass to create pieces in which some of the images remain visible while others become fragmented, distorted, veiled or buried. The resulting piece is complex and multi-layered in the same way that life is complex and multi-layered. True understanding comes with being able to envision what is below the surface. The imagery, taken from mythology, fairytales, and the Tarot, requires a level of introspection… an inward journey and the willingness to face both the positive and negative aspects of life, human experience, personality and the world. As a result, the process of creation becomes an excavation of self. During this inward journey, questions arise regarding spirituality, aging, feminism, visibility, and aesthetics. What should remain visible and what should be hidden from view? How do society and our culture control our perceptions? How does this perception affect our view of reality and illusion? I consider a piece to be successful if the viewer is compelled to question, explore, and discover their own truth. Labels: artist statement
Sunday, August 10, 2008Links, Links & More Links I came across a couple of interesting sites that I thought I would share. The 1st site is Panthea's Create a Goddess where you can create your own Goddess Avatar. Here's mine. If only I looked that calm & enlightened.The 2nd site is NASA's Landsat Program where you can see Earth as Art, images of the Earth captured by the Landsat-7 satellite & ASTER. The images are really amazing & I'm trying to decide how I can utilize them in my printmaking & collage. Some of the images, especially the mountain ranges, would be really incredible as embroideries or textile pieces. Finally, my tax dollars are being used for something interesting. Now, pour yourself a cup of coffee & check out these blogs by some amazing artists: Art & Perception Art in Stitches Assemblog of Michael deMeng Blue Coyote Laughing Contemplating the Moon Embracing Encaustic Joanne Mattera Art Blog Journey Juju Layers of Meaning Musings of a Textile Itinerant Ornamental Ragged Cloth Cafe Red Velvet TED Threads of the Spiderwoman Women, Art, Life: Weaving It All Together Art21 EncausticFIBERopolis Enchanted Doll Labels: life
Saturday, August 09, 2008Autumn Is In the AirIt's been an unusually cool August so far in Boston with daytime temperatures in the 60s & 70s. Trust me, I'm not complaining because I'm not a huge fan of the summer heat but it has made me start thinking about Fall, my favorite season. It's also made me homesick for the Rocky Mountains but I'm trying not to dwell on that. So, this morning was spent in "nesting" mode... a new mattress for the daybed since I was practically sitting on the springs, sending the comforters out to be cleaned, fresh potpourri, etc. I also tried to defy the laws of physics & fit more stuff in my closet to no avail. During my cleaning jag I found a couple of portfolios behind some storage crates. One contained work that I did 15 years ago in art school. Okay, that was a little scary. A much better find was a portfolio of handpainted Japanese & lace papers that I can use in my printmaking. Woo hoo! Labels: life
Friday, August 08, 2008What Dream Are You Putting Into Motion Today?The Laboratory Of Life Take Action "There is a popular misconception that we might be able to just wish our dreams into being. Maybe on some other level of consciousness this is the case, but here on earth what we need to do is take action in our lives. Vision is an important companion to our efforts, but it can’t accomplish anything all by itself. When we focus on what we want & ask for what we want, we are initiating a conversation with the universe. Our desires, passionately defined & expressed, bring about valuable & relevant opportunities, which we then respond to by either taking or leaving them. Many of us are afraid to step out into the world & make things happen, & so we hang back, dreaming & waiting & watching. There are times in life when this is the right thing to do, but this phase of inaction must eventually give way to its opposite if we are to build our dreams into a reality. This can be really scary, & we may fail & struggle, but that’s okay because that’s what we’re supposed to do. Waiting for everything to be perfect before we act, or waiting for what we want to be handed to us, leaves us waiting forever. No one expects us to be perfect, so the best thing we can do for ourselves is to get out there & take action on our dreams. One of the hardest parts about having a vision is that when we test it in the laboratory of life, it often comes out looking completely different than what we had in mind or, worse, it doesn’t come out at all. If you read the life stories of people who have brought their dreams into reality, you will hear many stories about this experience. But you will also hear about hard work, taking action, perseverance, & finally, the successful birthing of a dream." - Daily Om Labels: Daily Om
Thursday, August 07, 2008What I'm Reading "Dr. Jean Shinoda Bolen's magnificent spiritual autobiography is the story of a call to adventure, the mystery of the feminine, & the extraordinary pilgrimage that marked her mid-life passage. Bolen frames the search for meaning at mid-life as a quest for the mysterious lost Grail of the Arthurian legend. For Bolen, the Grail represents the elusive object of a lifelong search for what is missing from our lives as well as from our culture. Bolen's pursuit takes her on an incredible journey to Europe that leads her to discover the importance of her own history, the changes & challenges at mid-life, & the meaning of the goddess in the lives of women.During a particularly difficult time in her life, Jean Bolen quite unexpectedly received a package in the mail from England. Inside was a beautiful gold pendant in the shape of an ancient archetypal image along with an invitation to make a pilgrimage to Chartres, Glastonbury, Iona & other sacred sites in Europe. It was sent by a total stranger, a woman who had come across 1 of the first copies of Goddesses in Everywoman, Bolen's ground-breaking work on women & archetypal myth. The synchronicity of the invitation was astonishing to Bolen, & she knew instinctively that she had been invited to embark on a quest that would change her life. So began the extraordinary pilgrimage that heralded Bolen's mid-life passage. Inspired by The Mists of Avalon, this tale of her European adventure is interwoven with penetrating psychological & spiritual insights as well as lore from Europe's sacred sites. While on her pilgrimage, Bolen reflects on the mystical experience that brought her into medicine, her awakening to the archetypal feminine through the experience of childbirth, the personal transformations that occurred after her divorce, the sources & significance of mid-life depression, & the importance of female friendship. This multilayered account journeys through & beyond the personal to reflect the mythological significance of the mid-life search for meaning & renewal." Labels: books
Sunday, August 03, 2008It Hasn't Been a Good Weekend for CreativityI just haven't been able to settle down & work. Other things on my mind, I guess. Every watercolor monotype plate that I've done has ended up being washed clean so I've decided to call it a day, wash out my brushes & put my watercolors away. Tomorrow is another day. Labels: life
Friday, August 01, 2008What I'm Reading I was wondering through Borders Books today & this book caught my eye. Although I'm not quite there yet, 50 is definitely looming on the horizon. I love the concept of the "juicy crone"."At some point after 50, every woman crosses a threshold into the 3rd phase of her life. As she enters this uncharted territory -- 1 that is generally uncelebrated in popular culture -- she can choose to mourn what has gone before, or she can embrace the juicy-crone years. Jean Shinoda Bolen's Goddesses in Older Women names the new energies & potentials that come into the psyche at this momentous time, marked physiologically by menopause. As she did in Goddesses in Everywoman, Bolen introduces a set of goddess archetypes -- as inner sources of wisdom, humor, outrage, decisive actions, & compassion. Goddesses in Older Women is a handbook on how to be a juicy crone, & a reason to celebrate turning 50." Labels: books
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