WCAGA DRAW 4 DAYS (Day #3): My subconscious goes bigger through support of fellow artists

HALLELUJAH MAKES IT ON A CANVAS SURFACE. Painting in close proximity with Callahan Pope McDonough means thinking in new ways. Her flury of artmaking is contagious and her generosity for sharing knowledge boundless. She has provided me with new surfaces on which to make my art. Here is the first piece I have ever painted on canvas, a substrate I have avoided because of my own proclivities. (art by Hallelujah Truth)

Hallelujah for continuity of creative practice. Hallelujah for journeying with like minded pilgrims supporting one another in their art making!

WCAGA's "Draw 4 Days" is proving to be a miracle in creative practice for me. How delightful it is to be in the company of kind, energetic, and idiosyncratic artists. Women making art in the communal space at Further Polycontemporary Gallery on Bennett Street in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, is nothing short of a brilliant meteor shower with the accompanying "ooooohs" and "ahhhhhs"!

My second day was filled with the joyful ease of a cat napping in close proximity of other cats! As I must depart soon for the third marathon day of drawing, I will post photos here and write some descriptive captions so you might share in my catnapping joy! 

MORNING OF DRAW 4 DAYS, August 19, 2014. Day #2 of Draw 4 Days begins with posting the event more widely to ensure the public knows they are welcome to journey inside the Further Polycontemporary Gallery, where we are conducting our marathon. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

MORNING WORK ON DAY#2.  (photos by Hallelujah Truth)

An important moment for me was when Paul Light Jr. took time to talk with me about the images I had made during Day #1 of "Draw 4 Days." He was drawn to my art, asked questions, and went deep into discussion with me. Since I am an artist who works at home and primarily shares my work here on my blog, "Coffee with Hallelujah," it was very meaningful to have another artist connect with me, asking me wonderful questions about the "where" and "what" of my work. Then, the best part? Paul wanted to show me his work in the studio across from the Further Polycontemporary Gallery. Wow!

PAUL LIGHT JR AND HIS WORK. Paul felt there were similarities between my work and his. It was a new way of seeing my images in relation to another artist. The connection is more through ideas and emotions. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

What a thrill! Artists, visitors, and children kept asking me the "what" of my art. Barbara Rehg, the organizer for "Draw 4 Days," asked me to write down the influences behind my images. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that I have elaborated on this topic for years and developed a "Cosomology of Hallelujah Truth," guide. I decided to make a new one today. Here it is for your viewing pleasure!

GUIDE TO THE COSMOS OF HALLELUJAH.  (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

Another layer added to my day during "Draw 4 Days" was how Callahan showed me to use a varnish on the surface of my watercolor on canvas. She shared her media and time with me.  Being mentored unexpectedly during this drawing marathon has been such a huge surprise. Thank you Callahan, you are supporting profound change in me as an artist!

WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIEND. Callahan graciously assisted me in my creative journey. Lots of love here. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

GOD BLESS THE CHILDREN. One of the most things about "Draw 4 Days"? The visitors in the form of these art drawing children! I had the most delightful exchange with the boy. He has a notebook of his dragon drawings, which he showed me proudly. He asked me about my drawings with Wandjina, whom he referred to as an alien.  I said he was a part of me. He talked about his dragon and knight being a part of him so I asked him what that image would look like combined. He answered with a drawing of a dragon in shining armor! How fun is that! Humans interacting in meaningful ways. Art and social interaction equals change. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

MY WALL OF ART END OF DAY #2. (photo  and art by Hallelujah Truth)

ART MAKING NEIGHBORS DURING "DRAW 4 DAYS."  (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

That's Coffee with Hallelujah! SOUL BLOG with me. Tell me what you are doing to support your creative practice. What is your creative community like? Who are you compatriots when making your art?

MOVING TOWARD ABSTRACTION: Exploring the Soul in a New Way

DANCE FLOW. Here I am expressing the departure from emotion to the connection with the music through dance. I want to say, I am dissolved into the sound waves, the muscle waves,  the being waves.  I AM THE FLOW. (art by Hallelujah Truth)

Dear Pilgrims, what is ABSTRACTION? And just what is the value of this form of communication? Hallelujah Truth (me) values the representational images that comprise the symbols of her universe. While my symbols are "abstractions" of an idea, they are definitely recognizable shapes that viewers can name.

This is a snake.



This is a woman with flowers in her hair.

This is a woman in a burka.



These artworks of mine are not deemed "abstract." Is that correct? I am self-taught artist who makes images to develop the expression my SOUL by honoring the creative process.

So if I am to "move towards abstraction," as is the theme of this upcoming Women's Caucus for the Arts of Georgia, what would that mean for me the SOUL SEEKING HALLELUJAH TRUTH? Do I know how to make an abstraction and  what would it communicate from my SOUL to YOURS?

Let me explore...

In today's blog is the first image I made, moving towards abstraction.

DANCE FLOW INVERTED ON PHOTOSHOP. Just by altering the color, my image that I was associating with the flow of water becomes more like the flow of fire! How exciting! (art by Hallelujah Truth)

Is this abstract art? Or do I still need to separate myself from an identifiable eye, nose, mouth, flower, and leaf? What am I saying to you?

SOUL BLOG with me PILGRIMS! Tell me what you experience when looking at this image? Share with me what you know about ABSTRACT communications in art!

That's Coffee with Hallelujah!

PORTRAIT OF A CREATIVE PILGRIM: Plotting the conclusion of a 3-month goal

PORTRAIT OF A CREATIVE PILGRIM. In my arms (in this image), I embrace components of myself, Wandjina (my animus) and wallaby (my vulnerability). Great Mystery in the form of a woman in a burka hovers over me in the top right corner, always offering a welcoming hand. The snake (fertility, new beginnings, and transformation) embraces the Trinity of Hallelujah, Wandjina, and Wallaby. The flowers celebrate us, the truth! (art by the creative pilgrim, Hallelujah Truth)

In the beginning, there was the declaration of the 3-month Artist Conference Network Goal (ACN)--to create a "new" image every day of the 3 months and to continue working on all of the images until the end of the goal period...and choose a way to present the body of work created during this time frame.

So I began with this image of me, Hallelujah Truth, on mixed media paper 6 inches by 8 inches. For me, the crown I placed on my head in this drawing reminds me of a birthday cake, and in many ways that is what this image represents! A celebration of another "birth" day, another day to create something new!

Pilgrims, each day we have the opportunity to be "born" again to our CREATIVITY, our SOULS. And that is what this particular series of new drawings is all about: BEING PRESENT TO THE NOW!

THE BLACK JAGUAR: FOLLOWING THE FEELING TO DRAW FELINES

THE JAGUAR WITHIN.  (art by Hallelujah Truth)

HASTINGS RESERVE BOBCAT. (photo by Chiboogamoo)

Hallelujah PILGRIMS!  Right now, I am following a FEELING by drawing FELINES in my daily work. 

I welcomed "cats" into my artwork several weeks ago while in California after seeing the most magnificent bobcats moving freely about in their natural environment on the Hastings Reserve.

Then my Chiboogamoo and I returned to our home in Atlanta, Georiga, where we were welcomed by our two felines, Tao and Sapelo. 

#REVERB12 (Day 23): What excuses are holding you back? LOVE OF POWER!

THE POWER OF LOVE! I am a SPIRITUAL ART PILGRIM in search of MYSELF, the NOW, and PEACE. My dear friend, Lisa Graye, lovingly insisted that I visit The Sacred Space, during a visit with her in Santa Barbara, California. This photo was taken there by me.

#REVERB12 (Day 23)PROMPT: Name three excuses -- stories you tell yourself that are holding you back -- that you are going to let go of in 2013.

Hallelujah for an opportunity to revel in EXCUSES! As a spiritual art pilgrim journeying joyfully, I primarily focus on the practice of positive imaginative thinking. Yet there is an important place in our lives for acknowledging and naming the EXCUSES that anchor us to OLD WAYS OF BEING.

In this vast universe, I am searching for ME, the NOW of EXISTENCE, and PEACE. What are my stories or excuses that keep me from achieving this SACRED SPACE? Let's look at three of them...

#REVERB12 (Day 21): What items did you tick off your dream list in 2012? CALIFORNIA FRIENDS AND IMPROMPTU ART EXHIBIT!!

MAJOR DREAM ACCOMPLISHED! Visiting former neighbor and friend Kiona in Carpinteria, California, and her bookstore, Curious Cup, for which I designed the logo! See above! (photo by Chiboogamoo)

#REVERB12 (Day 21) PROMPT: What items did you tick off your dream list in 2012? What other, unexpected, dreams came to fruition? What are the top three items on your dream list for 2013?

Hallelujah for sumptuous DREAM FRUITS in our LIVES! 2012 was an awesome year for ticking items (picking DREAM FRUITS) off of my dream list! However, today, I want to write about just one event in which three wonderful ones culminated!

My Chiboogamoo and I traveled to California to visit our longtime friends the Voegelis at the Hastings Reserve in Carmel Valley, which then enabled me to have these three unexpected experiences: 

• Visit a former Decatur, Georgia, neighbor in Carpinteria and see her bookstore, Curious Cup
• Get reacquainted with a close college friend I hadn't seen in 30 years, and
• Give an impromptu art exhibit in California!

ARRIVAL AT CURIOUS CUP! I have been wanting to visit Kiona at her bookstore, Curious Cup, since she opened it two years ago! Hurray! What a beautiful store! (photo by Chiboogamoo)