Mindfulness Paintings Blog!

The Mindfulness Paintings Blog will explore creative meditation exercises, mindfulness artwork and mindfulness art activities. Please share your thoughts, ideas and experiences as we journey towards being more mindful as we create. This is a safe place for the inner artist to share, notice and grow in mindfulness.

Let not future things disturb you, for you will come to them, if it shall be necessary, having with you the same reason which you now use for present things. – Marcus Aurelias

LATEST BLOG ENTRIES

An assemblage sculpture titled 'Story Box', featuring intricate miniatures and spiritual objects, creatively arranged for exploring fantastical realms.

Exploring Fantastical Realms

In “Exploring Fantastical Realms,” I delve into a unique artistic journey where mindfulness and creativity merge seamlessly. This blog uncovers how childhood memories intertwine with imaginative artistic expression, creating liminal spaces that bridge the known and the unknown. Join me as I navigate this transformative path, celebrating the fusion of past inspirations with present artistic endeavors.

This is an image of a fall centerpiece created with candle wax, LED lights, and fall decor.

Crafting a Seasonal Centerpiece

Nothing speaks more of autumn’s charm than a beautifully handcrafted centerpiece. This year, I decided to merge my passion for sculpting with the festive spirit, creating something truly unique. My project began with melting wax candles, an almost meditative process, transforming them into hollowed-out forms. These weren’t just any ordinary shapes; they were meticulously designed to encapsulate the essence of fall, doubling as holders for LED lights. The warm, flickering glow emanating from these wax sculptures set the stage for something magical.

This is a 3D Genesis sculpture that depicts angelic beings lit by a central, glowing "Earth" orb. Imagining Genesis in 3D is easier if the viewer envisions the captivating dance of LED lights.

Imagining Genesis in 3D

Let There Be Light is a 3D sculpture that includes angelic beings that come alive through the captivating dance of LED lights. Envisioning Genesis in 3D is easier when the viewer sees my angels working together to represent distinct stages of Earth’s creation. All are lit from a central, glowing “Earth” orb.

This sculpture has many experimental elements. I handcrafted the lazy susan. I then experimented with a variety of stains and staining techniques to create a finish for this turntable. I also faced the new challenge of making the orb iridescent using Glass Bead Gel and iridescent powders. Finally, “Assemblage Sculpture: Art Explorations” challenged me to successfully experiment with ways to add light within the orb, so that this piece would glow.

Assemblage Sculpture: Art Explorations

This sculpture has many experimental elements. I handcrafted the lazy susan. I then experimented with a variety of stains and staining techniques to create a finish for this turntable. I also faced the new challenge of making the orb iridescent using Glass Bead Gel and iridescent powders. Finally, “Assemblage Sculpture: Art Explorations” challenged me to successfully experiment with ways to add light within the orb, so that this piece would glow. Explorations in “Assemblage Sculpture: Art Explorations” brought this piece titled “I See Life” to life.

: This is a photo of angel sculptures made with Powertex Textile Medium. The angels are white with a sheen of blues, greens, and golds.

Making Sculptures with Powertex

Being mindful of your materials and art making processes helps art makers create work while “fully present” in the moment. Consider these angel sculptures that are made with Powertex Textile Medium. The angels have been painted white and then covered with a sheen of blues, greens, and golds. This blog gives instructions and demonstrations for making all types of 3D sculptures with Powertex Textile Medium.

This is a fiber art 3D relief made from a list of things that formed my artistic process: macrame, beads, cardboard, pieces of cloth, swatches of burlap, macaroni, yarn, pipe cleaners, crayons, buttons, childlike colors, pom poms, and found objects reinvented from a child’s perspective.

Fiber Art

This fiber art 3D relief is made from a list of things that formed my artistic process: macrame, beads, cardboard, pieces of cloth, swatches of burlap, macaroni, yarn, pipe cleaners, crayons, buttons, childlike colors, pom poms, and found objects reinvented from a child’s perspective. Fiber elements allow me to include fascinatingly colorful, textural details echoing first memories of art making.

This is a sculpture made from macrame, beads, macaroni, yarn, pipe cleaners, crayons, buttons, childlike colors, pom poms, a found object reinvented from a child’s perspective, and fascinatingly colorful keys echoing memories of the artist’s infant teething ring. This sculpture is a mobile that spins. It was created to capture early childhood art experiences.

Childhood Art Experiences

“Childhood” is an experimental piece created to grasp my earliest, primal childhood art experiences; ones that most powerfully formed and shaped my present creative process. This assemblage sculpture started with a list of things that formed my artistic process: things like macrame, beads, macaroni, and yarn. I am mindful of the ways capturing “Childhood” pushed the limits of every aspect of my creative process.

This is a painting of a woman. Her skin is blue and full of clouds. There is a lock in the woman’s head that symbolizes the unlocking of her mind. The lock represents the oppression of others. The woman wears a hand-made wreath of tree leaves, twigs, fruits, and it represents the ways we bind or restrict others.

The Unlocking of My Mind

The woman you see in “The Unlocking of My Mind” is me, and the lock symbolizes the unlocking of my mind: the new ability to see outside the box and comprehend the “truth” of others who live and believe differently from me. The lock also represents the oppression of others. There’s a little more symbolism in this artwork. I am of Greek origin. A hand-made wreath of tree leaves, twigs, fruits, and flowers is customary for Greek women, and I wear that wreath in this painting. “Wreath” means “a thing bound around.” It can represent a restriction or “a place with certain limits.” I ask the question, “In what ways was I raised and taught to see restrictions and limits on others and myself?” “The Unlocking of My Mind” is all about this question.

This is a painting that starts conversations about art. A koi fish swims in the beautiful blue water below a bridge. A man walks over the bridge to a magical place. Why?

Conversations about Art

Unexpected choices on my canvas start conversations about art. “Who is walking across that bridge?” Where is he going?” “Why is he going there?” I am mindful of how these questions make space for conversations about art.