A Return to Spirit

When I returned to painting, after a more than a 20 year hiatus working as an art therapist, I felt a strong inner call to express my sense of the mystery and wonder of the feminine archetype. I did a series of paintings combining the feminine form and earth images.

To me, the feminine physical form is an archetype for the creative, receptive, and nurturing aspects of all individuals, male and female. The earth symbolizes fertility, growth, harvest, rest, and renewal. Placing these images together was a way of honoring the importance of the creative energy in all of us. It seems also to speak to our interconnectedness with the earth and with all that exists in the Cosmos.

When I entered my mentorship with Michael Newberry, he led me to the study and expression of the visual language of form and space. Recently Ive worried that I was no longer expressing my sense of inner spirit. Michael sensed this and talked with me about how I can express the mystical using the visual principles he is helping me understand.

Happily, I am again inspired to combine the two images in my work. Above are two studies for a painting Ive just started incorporating the female figure and earth forms. Ill show the painting in my next posting.