INTUITION is a God-given ability that fascinates me.
We all have it, whether we know it or not. We all use it in our own personal way. It is a mysterious yet accurate tool that we hold within us. And there is a deep satisfaction when we find out that our intuition is correct. Often, I find that my intuition is connected to my artwork. That happens quite spontaneously, and I enjoy discovering that connection. At first, I was not consciously planning on painting animals and gems. The link between both happened on its own. So I'd like to explain a bit about how this project came to be. I began with this painting, which I called The Cow Bride. Upon completion, the last blank element was the jewel on her forehead. As I wondered what color to paint it, Aquamarine came to my mind. I knew nothing about gems, nor their meaning. So when I looked up the Aquamarine gemstone and found out that it is a stone traditionally given to brides... I was quite amazed. This is how the creative process emerged. Each painting illustrated a specific theme I wanted to portray. The last element I painted was the jewel. I used color as a way to chose the gemstone. After that, I looked up what that gem represented. Each time, the gem matched the meaning of the painting itself. I cannot tell you how much fun I had with these discoveries! At the time, I was pregnant, which also influenced my inspiration. I managed to do one painting a month, from moment of conception, to the moment I gave birth. These paintings express what was going on around me at the time of my pregnancy; what I was going through, and the emotions linked to the coming birth of my little one. Mother whale and her baby is the 8th painting of the series, and she is the inspiration for the title of this exhibition. I have to rewind a bit to tell you why. The previous summer, I had dreamed of four giant whales swimming near the coast. One of the whales had spoken to me. That was shortly before I became pregnant. Back then, I had searched online and found a beautiful native American story which. (scroll down to read the story) One month before giving birth. I remembered that dream and realized how closely it was linked to my paintings, and to my pregnancy. Each of these paintings is a story of its own. They all hold my love, my gratitude and my prayers for the wonderful animals and nature that exist on this beautiful planet. |
I´d like to share a native American story which I found here: http://mimiclectik.canalblog.com/archives/2008/02/02/7785945.html
THE WHALE´S DREAM
At first the Great Spirit slept in nothingness. His sleep lasted forever.
And then suddenly, no one knows why, in the night, he had a dream.
In him swelled an immense desire ... and he dreamed of light.
This was the first dream, the very first road.
For a long time, the light sought her fulfillment, her ecstasy.
When she finally found, she saw that it was transparency. And transparency reigned.
But, having explored all the color schemes she could imagine, transparency was filled with the desire for something else.
In her turn she had a dream.
She, who was so light, dreamed of being heavy.
Then appeared the pebble. And that was the second dream, the second road.
For a long time the pebble sought his ecstasy, his fulfillment.
When he finally found it, he saw that it was the crystal. And the crystal reigned.
But in turn, after having playfully explored all of its luminous facets, the crystal became full of the desire for something else; something that would surpass him. In his turn he began to dream.
He who was so solemn, so straight, so hard; dreamed of tenderness, flexibility and fragility.
Then appeared the flower. And that was the third dream, the third road.
For a long time, the flower, this sex of perfume, sought her fulfillment, her ecstasy.
When the flower finally found it, she saw that it was the tree.
And the tree reigned over the world.
But you know the trees: they are the ones that dream the most (never enter a forest that is having a nightmare).
So the tree, in turn, had a dream.
He who was so anchored to the earth; dreamt of running freely, madly, wandering through Her.
Then appeared the worm. And that was the fourth dream, the fourth road.
For a long time, the earthworm sought his fulfillment, his ecstasy. In his quest, he took turns the form of the porcupine, the eagle, the puma, the rattlesnake. For a long time he fumbled. And then one fine day, in a huge splash, in the middle of the ocean, a very strange being arose, in which all the beasts of the earth found their fulfillment.
IT WAS THE WHALE.
For a long time this mountain of music reigned over the world. And all should have been left there, because it was very beautiful.
However ... after singing during moons and moons, the whale was filled with a mad desire.
She who lived melted in the world, she dreamed of detaching herself from it.
So suddenly we appeared, us, humans.
For we are the fifth dream, the fifth road, on the way to the fifth fulfillment, the fifth ecstasy.
This I tell you: Be very careful!
Because you need to realize that:
In the slightest color, all of the light is buried.
In every stone on the side of the road, there is a crystal that sleeps.
In the smallest blade of grass, slumbers a baobab.
And in any worm, hides a whale.
As for us, we are not "the most beautiful animal", we are the dream of the animal!
And this dream is still incomplete.
What would happen if we eliminated the last of the whales that are dreaming of us?