Dia de los Muertos

Silk Screen Sugar Skull by An'Angelia

Tribute to Frida Kahlo (close up) by An'Angelia

An'Angelia as Sugar Skull

For all my friends celebrating Dia de los Muertos
 (Day of the Dead)  

Happy Halloween Weekend!

Hello all you ghosts and gobblins!  I hope you have a great Halloween weekend filled with laughter, fun and more treats than tricks!  Here's some interactive Halloween fun for you to get the party started!




Stay safe and have some fun with "Happy Creating!" - even if it's just on your face!  I'll see you on Monday :o)

The Mandala

"We know the outer world of sensations and actions, but of our inner world of thoughts and feelings we know very little ... What prevents you from knowing is not the lack of opportunity, but the lack of ability to focus in your mind what you want to understand."
~Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj (from tonyuberoi.com)

One of my favorite paths to introspection is the mandala.  Designing within the circle is both calming and meditative.

Mandalas have their origin in India but were mainly used by Tibetan Monks as a spiritual tool towards enlightenment.

There are many wonderful websites devoted to mandalas.  Here is a link to my favorite:

MANDALA OASIS  Cheryl is a wonderful, creative and loving spirit that I've just recently become acquainted with in the Blogspot network.  Her blog is informative and visually exciting and a good place to start if you're interested in learning more about mandalas.

I hope you'll give this meditative art form a try, and I hope you'll find yourself centered in "Happy Creating!"

Nourish

I don't know about you, but I sometimes let the little things in life stress me beyond reason.  Sometimes, I even let the things that bring me the most pleasure become stressful.

I think what's important but not always easy to remember or to do, is to live my life in the now.

I will nourish my mind by going inside and listening to my inner voice, and I will nourish my spirit as I embrace the wonders and beauty of nature.

I will nourish my body ...

And allow my creativity to blossom freely.

   

Have a beautiful, nourishing day, and "Happy Creating!"

Enter the Twilight Zone

"You're traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind.  A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of the imagination.  That's the signpost up ahead - you're next stop, the Twilight Zone!"

~Rod Serling, Opening narration season 2 "Twilight Zone"

It's Halloween time, and what better way to celebrate than to produce some creepy, mysterious journal pages!

Enter your own Twilight Zone by applying your favorite mysterious color combination randomly to your pages.

Hold your journal at arm's length and stare into the random pattern.  Squint your eyes to alter the contrast.  What do you see?  Animals? Faces?  Unknown creatures?

Using paint or a marker, trace the outlines of the things you see in your page.

Continue working on your page by adding highlights and shadows.  If appropriate, add words and other images torn from magazines to further enhance your page.  

"Happy Creating!" and Happy Halloween week!  See you again on Monday.