New Petal Girl and More

A new "Petal Girl" has emerged.  She is Daffodil Girl and she likes to collect flowers to press so she can make beautiful pictures.  Her skirt is the nose of a daffodil and her top is from a geranium.  She is happy because it is a sunny and bright day.

I worked with the high school group at the Darhma Center I attend and had them create their own mandala designs for healing.  Again, I was so impressed their self expression and self awareness.  I really enjoy working with others and facilitating both their growth and healing.

I have also been creating some cards using a new technique I learned from the World Wide Pressed Flower Guild Website.  I have learned that I am happiest when I learn new techniques for creating my art.

Petal Girls

I signed up for an on-line class with the Worldwide Pressed Flower Guild.  The class is entitled "Petal Girls" and is taught by a woman from India named Anagha Shinde.  It is a very fun class and we are learning how to make girls out of flower petals.  I just love doing the class in a group and seeing what the other members of the group come up with.  Everyone shares their ideas so freely.  It is quite inspiring to me that this group of artists are so supportive of eachother.  I just completed my first girl I call Petunia.  She reminds me of myself when I married my husband Buzz 14 years ago.  Since we got married my nickname has been "Petunia".  Now that I am finished with her it is hard to move on to the next one.  It's like when I have finished a novel that was engrossing.....I would want to savor it.  However I am moving on to my second girl.

Yesterday I did a mandala drawing class with the middle school kids at our Buddhist Sangha.  I ask them to come up with a symbol that wouldl help them on their spiritual path.  I was amazed at what they came up with and will post their pictures when I get them scanned. 

Creativity is such a scarey but exciting journey!

Pressed Flower Bookmarks, Healing Mandalas

This is the season for pressing and I have been gathering many spring flowers.  The middle bookmark here is composed of flowers I found in the works at my friends house in Jacksonville, Oregon.  The other two bookmarks I made out of flowers I already had.  I am preparing for a home sale that Jannie Ledard, Glass Artist, and I are planning in May or June.  We had a home sale at my house last year and it went well.  Our work is complementary and it is fun working together.  She makes beautiful fused glass jewelry in addition to other things.  I will post more as we get the plans finalized.

On April 2, Saturday, I taught a workshop at the UCC Church in Medford, Oregon on "Art:  A Spiritual Practice".  I provided mandala designs from different faith traditions and had people select one to color and interpret.  An 8 year-old girl attended this adult workshop with her mother.  Much to my surprise she created her own design entitled "Calmness".  She drew it after a medition I did on "Inner Stillness".  I posted it in my mandala store as a free download.

I am still working through the book, "Mandala:  Luminous Symbols for Healing" with Susan and Diane.  I completed my black and white healing symbol with color.  Our next assignment is to create a healing symbol for someone else.  See my colored picture above.  I am entitling it "Growing Roots."

Spring Half Off Sale

I am going through a transition in my  art business.  Recently I joined the Worldwide Pressed Flower Art  Guild.  One of the benefits of belonging to the guild is that I have  access to on-line classes and project ideas.  This has inspired me to start  cleaning out my studio to make way for some new work.  I am offering some  of my giclee prints, laser prints, framed laser prints and one original at  a 50% discount. 

You can go to my website, www.tamlondonhummingbirdarts, and  click on the Print Gallery to see most of the work.  I have directions to  where the other pictures are located on my website.  If you live in  the Ashland/Medford area I can deliver your order and if you live out-of town I  can check on what shipping price would be in addition to the purchase  price.  Be sure and call or e-mail me if you have any questions or  place an order 541-608-9238, hummingbird710@msn.com.
 

Sale Items

Framed Giclee Prints - Conservation  Glass 

"Love in Mid-Life" - 36 x  36

This picture was included in the "Women and Man-dala Show"at the  Jackson County Library in Medford in April of 2009 and the "Art in Bloom  Show" at the Rogue Gallery in also in 2009.  (Located in Print Gallery on  my website.)

Original  Price - $700.00

Sale Price - $350.00

"Mandala for Meditation" - 12 x 12

This picture was included in the "Woman and Man-dala Show" at  the Jackson County Library in 2009. (Located in the print gallery on my  website.)

Original  Price - $300.00

Sale Price - $150.00
 

Original Pressed Flower Art - Conservation Glass

"Inanna's Descent" - 12 x 12

This picture was included in "The Gifts of the Dark Night Show" at the  Talent Art Gallery in 2009.  (Located in the print gallery on my  website.)

Original Price - $200.00

Sale  Price - $100.00 SOLD!

Giclee Prints on Foamcore Covered  with Cellophane

"Fairyland" - 12 x  15

This whimsical print is in the print gallery on my  website.

Original  Price - $66.00

Sale Price - $33.00

"Authentic Joy" - 12 x 12

This picture was included in "The Gifts of the Dark  Night Show" at the Talent Art Gallery in 2009.  It is located in the print gallery on my website.

Original Price - $50.00 

Sale Price - $25.00

Matted Laser Prints in Cellophane  Jackets

"Grandma's Garden" - 11 x 14

Burgundy Matt

This picture is located on my website homepage in the left hand column.

Original Price - $30.00

Sale Price - $15.00

"Columbine Dance" - 12 x 12

One blue and one burgundy matt

This picture is located on the homepage of my website under the heading "Flower Pressing."

Original Price - $30.00

Sale Price - $15.00  - BOTH OF THESE ARE NOW SOLD!

"When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be."  Lao Tzu

Drawings of Black and White Healing Images

I am adding Diane's picture of a Healing Symbol in black and white in the top picture.  I added some shading to my drawing from before on the bottom.  Again these healing symbols came from a visualization that is on the CD that comes with the Mandala, Luminous Symbols for Healing book.

Last Monday evening, we worked with Chapter 4 which covers,"Rainbow Colors for Healing".  We did the first three exercises where we learned color blending.  Color blending is a new concept for me since I have been doing mainly Pressed Flower Art in which the colors come with the flower or leaf.  I did the exercises in color blending again when I got home to class just to practice.  Here is one of my samples.  These exercises are preparing us to bring healing colors into our black and white drawings.
Quote from the book:
"The inherent Buddha-nature is said to be like a diamond, indestructible, pure and emty, but luminous in reflecting the manifestation of energies as rainbow light."   Terry Clifford

Black and White Tree/ My Healing Symbol

Mandala Drawing Group

My friends Diane, Susan and I are working through Judith Cornell's book, "Mandala, Luminous  Symbols for Healing".  In this book through using white colored pencil on black paper she helps us learn to create a scale of light.  Last night we created a healing symbol for ourselves in a meditation she did on the CD that comes with the book.  She feels we can spontaeously discover within ourselves symbols for constructin a healing mandala.  I had some fears and anxiety going into this exercise but was delighted with what I came up with.  I created in black and white a tree symbol which I will post when I finish the black and white drawing.  I wanted a symbol for receptivity as I tend to be more of a giver than a receiver and know for my own healing I need to receive graciously as well as give.  After the black and white drawing is done we will add color to the white again creating scales of light with the color.  Participating in this group has been an exciting journey.  This book can be purchased through amazon.com as well as in alot of book stores.  I highly recommend it if you want to use mandalas for your own healing.  It is a very well thought out program and the CD with the meditations and instruction make it easy to do on your own or in a group.

In my pressed flower art I learned how to green the leaves in a way that looks natural with copic markers.
It is only since I joined the World Wide Pressed Flower Guild that I learned this.  I had been using acrylic paint which is too thick.  The markers have more of an opaque look to them and the leaves look more true to form.

Well, I must sign off now to meditate and then do some creating!