The Self

I have been struggling with a lot this past month.

Life can be rough and rewarding at the same time.

The rough patch seems to be (finally) over.

And however difficult it has been for me, it made me search deep inside of me, and emerge stronger. And inspired.

I was drawn to the archetypes of how we perceive ourselves and the world around us, and engulfed in the imagery and symbols which depict these projections, in order to breathe life into a new collection of paintings.

Here is the first one:

The Self, acrylics on canvas, 16 x 12 in.

This latest work was inspired by the Jungian Archetype, and signifies the coherent whole, unified consciousness and unconscious of a person. The Self, according to Jung, is realised as the product of individuation, which in Jungian view is the process of integrating one's personality. For Jung, the self is symbolised by the circle (especially when divided in four quadrants), the square, or the mandala.

What distinguishes Jungian psychology is the idea that there are two centers of the personality. The ego is the center of consciousness, whereas the Self is the center of the total personality, which includes consciousness, the unconscious, and the ego. The Self is both the whole and the center. While the ego is a self-contained little circle off the center contained within the whole, the Self can be understood as the greater circle.^[1]

xoxo

Music To Dream Of Tiny Worlds By...

I cannot put into words my gratitude for your support. It meant much more to me than you will ever know. Thank you with all of my heart, which you have touched deeply.

Out of the most difficult times came my rebirth. My psyche reemerged stronger, clearer, exhilarated. Ideas that lurked in the back of my mind ventured forth and consumed me whole, demanding to be given life, to be made eternal on canvas.

I succumbed to their demands.

work in progress

I've had this feeling before. I've had it with this collection, and with this one.

And every time I get this urge to paint, painting becomes part of a cleansing process for me.

There has to be quiet around me. I have to be able to listen to what is going on in my head the whole time, and not to listen to it simultaneously. I find the best way to do that is listening to music you have listened to so many times, you can almost block it out as if it were really the sound of children playing in the streets, or owls hooting at night. But you have to love these songs immensely still, no matter how many times you have heard them before, they have to inspire you still, grip you within them and let your mind go at the same time.

A few of such songs that work their magic on me every single time:

Tool ~ Reflection

Tori Amos ~ Black Dove

Led Zeppelin ~ No Quarter

Blue Oyster Cult ~ Astronomy

The Cure ~ The Lovecats

David Bowie ~ Wild Is The Wind

The Doors ~ The End

I am going back to paint, paint, paint! (and to go on listening)

xoxo

Hibernation

I am here, I promise.

It is just that I have been feeling, for a couple of days, like all I wanted to do was lie down and sleep for days on end. Not out of tiredness, but out of sheer impatience for this month to pass. You see, February has been a particularly rough patch for me, in so many different ways that it seems almost like the universe is having a laugh...But you know what? It is also the shorter month of the year, so yays for that!

Ten days to go.

I shall go back to my fox hole for now.

xoxo

♥ Shop Update!!! ♥

They will start making their way over to the little shop around 2.00 pm EST!

~UPDATE~

The paintings have now all been gone (♥thank you so much!♥), so you can now find their respective prints over there!!!

xoxo

Sealed With Love

I hope you all had a lovely V-day, filled with love, declarations of endearment and little lovely surprises...

I have one more cutie to share with you before tomorrow's update at 2.00 pm EST

Sealed With Love, acrylics on canvas, 5 x 7 in.

Have a lovely week everyone!

xoxo

Little Cupcake Lover

Hello!

Little Cupcake Lover, hand painted doll, 15.7 in.

She is to be in the shop pretty soon!

I wish you all a very {loving} weekend!

xoxo

Sweet Velveteen

another little girl on the sugary theme I am currently in love with...

Sweet Velveteen, acrylics on canvas, 5 x 7 in.

I think I miss the carefree times of being a child more than usual lately ( although I still am one inside)...I miss the days spent at my grandparents' farm, when I used to help my grandmother bake cookies and take books with me to read to the goats...(they always struck me at such wise creatures). If I could paint that time of my life in colours, these are the colours I would use, and the fact that that time of my life is so close to my heart makes me want to create as many 'tributes' to it as I can...

It is the next best thing for me, since it is not possible to go back to this:

xoxo

Little Apple Picker

Here's a new sweetie that will be part of the next shop update on the February 15th...

I hope you are all having a beautiful weekend so far...

I am off to paint, paint, paint!

xoxo

Dollipop

Hello there, cutie!

Dollipop, acrylics on canvas, 5 x 7 in.

I just love working on this new series...All those luscious, vibrant colours seem like eye-candy to me...yum!

xoxo

Things To Sweeten My Day...

Happiness truly lies in the simplest of pleasures...

here, let me show you:

We had these yesterday, and they were so good I definitely have to learn to whip up some in the very near future...the top one has a chocolate-orange frosting and a slice of Terry's chocolate, and the bottom one is a Red Velvet with cream cheese frosting...although it is absolutely impossible to describe to you just how mouthwatering delicious they are.

I find myself looking at candy and sweets more and more lately...I am strangely inspired by all the smells, the colours and the textures.

See?

The Apple Of My Eyes, acrylics on canvas, 5 x 7 in.

Oooh! I almost forgot! This month's giveaway is hosted by the lovely Vanessa!

Here's a peek at what is up for grabs:

For details on how to participate, click here!

Have a lovely February, everyone!

xoxo