Art, Creativity, nature, Workshops
The Divine Feminine at Dragonfly Acres
My focus for the next few months is the Divine Feminine, how the Goddess works through each of us.The focus began with planning for my upcoming “Reclaiming the Goddess- a Watercolor Pilgrimage to South West France” workshop in Oct. But truly, the Divine Feminine has been a major focus in my body of artwork, either literally or not, since my early twenties when I was part of a priestess study group. Actually even when I was a little girl I used to draw women all the time, especially on horses.
The different stages of women’s lives, maiden, mother and crone have also made their way into my imagery. There is a chapter in my book “Painting Outside the Lines that addresses why I have done so many paintings of women. If you knew about astrology and looked at my chart you would know that part of what I came here to experience in this life is to work with women. It makes sense that that would include the art realm, both within the content of my own paintings as well as in my workshops, most of which are attended by women. In the early-mid eighties I came across a woman leading a study group on the Divine Feminine and I jumped in with enthusiasm. In years to follow I painted many live models and decided to let each of them simply exist as what they reflected rather than designating specific Goddess archetypes to them. When I did try and dedicate specifically, I felt that they felt contrived- in the style I was painting in.
As I studied specific Goddesses, I considered how their energies manifested in my own life. I would resonate with a particular one for some months, or even years. There was a period in which I felt aligned with Persephone and Lilith and created some paintings of the underworld, or at least with underworld like energetics. Below are a few that are loosely based on the above archetypes, very loosely. The middle one was painted with Aphrodite in mind.
In my art, I move back and forth in my interests. I can’t say why I feel the call to revisit the Goddess in my work. In my life she is always present, always guiding me. Stay tuned for what I come up with while I open my psyche to her inspirations again.
Blessings, Melissa