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!

TO CHANGE, YOU NEED TO MOVE: Working Out My Soul Through Dance

MOVING IN THE WAVE 1. (art by Hallelujah Truth)

Hallelujah for inspiration in the form of others! Thank you to the Dancing Flowers for Peace and the wonderful women who got me MOVING in 2012 during their Saturday warm-ups! Hallelujah for Dance Church, an open group in my Decatur community that welcomes individuals to MOVE in their own unique way! And, YES, I am SO inspired by Wave Atlanta, and the multi-generational group of people who gather at the Existentialist Church on Tuesday evenings to dance to Gabrielle Roth's Five Rhythms!

We are now in February, the second month of 2013, and I have dedicated myself to MOVING both physically and spiritually. I welcome CHANGE in the form of new insights leading to new ways of BEING. As a Spiritual Art Pilgrim, I have discovered that I can JOURNEY right here, right now. No need to climb aboard a boat or wait for trees to grow spring leaves.

MOVING IN THE WAVE 2. (art by Hallelujah Truth)

To be AUTHENTIC is to be PRESENT to who I am now, each day. No thought of yesterday. No thought of tomorrow. What does my body need? Do I need to release the muscles in my neck and set my head free to roam around the curves of my shoulders, back, and chest? Will my feet follow as my head explores the universe of these bones and muscles? YES!

MOVING IN THE WAVE 3. (art by Hallelujah Truth)

MOVING to the Five Rhythms (flowing, staccato, chaos, lyrical, and stillness) is a way to work out your soul as you work out your body!  As a pilgrim, the spiritual travel I am doing right now is through MOVING my feet in accordance with my head, shoulders, spine, and hips. 

MOVING IN THE WAVE 4. (art by Hallelujah Truth)

This spiritual practice requires the deep and profound practice of listening to oneself at many levels of BEING...muscles, bones, emotions, and mind....

MOVING IN THE WAVE 5. (art by Hallelujah Truth)

What will you do today fellow pilgrims to MOVE within yourself and create the change you are seeking? Will you lean into yourself and listen to what your body is asking for? I will leave you with lines from a poem by Jewel Mathieson:

I turn to the Goddess, pray for forgiveness
She says "there is no forgiveness because there are no sins"
She places God on the tips of my fingers
on the tips of my toes
and tells me that everyone has to learn how to pray 
in their own way
in their own way with everything, everywhere

--from The Search for the Feminine in My Bones

For me that prayer is dancing, and that dance is electrifying me to my finger tips and toe tips! 

SOUL RETRIEVAL: DANCING YOUR SPIRIT INTO REBIRTH

HOW TO GO ABOUT RETRIEVING YOUR SOUL. DANCE! Gabrielle Roth says "If you want to give birth to your true self, you are going to have to dig deep down into that body of yours and let your soul howl." (words from Sweat Your Prayers, 1997; art by Hallelujah Truth, today 2013)

Hallelujah for the SOUL! For the SPIRIT that infuses our lives with purpose and fun! Hallelujah for pilgrims like Gabrielle Roth (1941-2012), dancer and creator of FIVE RHYTHMS! Hallelujah for being given permission to let your SOUL HOWL! To discover what your BODY and SOUL need to do to sweat out your prayers!

Gabrielle Roth writes in her book, Sweat Your Prayers, "Soul retrieval is hard work....It takes discipline to be a free spirit." During the course of her book, she defines the joyful disciplined route to connecting BODY and SOUL through dance--your own unique dance!

During her life time of experiences as a dancer and teacher, Gabrielle Roth developed a cycle of movement that engages the spirit: flow, staccato, chaos, lyricism, and stillness. Whether you dance this cycle in 15 minutes or an hour, you can find that pathway to giving birth to your TRUE SELF!

I, Hallelujah Truth, know it to be true what Gabrielle Roth says that the body is "a begging bowl for spirit" ...and that "the spirit is the catalyst that keeps all things moving, the body without it falls into a deep state of inertia." 

HOWL-A-LU-JAH!

Therefore, I have pledged to address the "begging bowl" of my body in 2013 and to MOVE my bones, muscles, blood and flesh through dance (see my blog on Dance Church). And with awe and pleasure, I have discovered that Atlanta has Five Rhythms dance classes! You can find out about their locations and times by visiting these sites: The Wave Atlanta and its Facebook page.

You might be asking about why Gabrielle Roth's Five Rhythms are called a "wave"? When Gabrielle Roth writes about dancing it is pure inspiration and connection to the universe:

ENERGY MOVES IN WAVES.

WAVES MOVE IN PATTERNS.

PATTERNS MOVE IN RHYTHMS.

A HUMAN BEING IS ALL OF THOSE:

ENERGY

WAVES

PATTERNS

RHYTHMS.

WE ARE THE DANCE.

To experience the SPIRIT by dancing the Five Rhythms you only need your BODY and music--even music is not essential. However, if you decide to attend a Wave Atlanta class, you will love sharing the dance of SPIRIT with other SPIRITS.

I am thrilled to be MOVING in this improvisational fluid way that excites me when I wake in the morning! Hallelujah for the BODY and the SPIRIT! How about you fellow pilgrim? Will you MOVE your BODY today in a prayerful dance? SOUL BLOG with me at Coffee with Hallelujah!

Take a look at some Five Rhythms dancing in the youtube video below:

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!

FOLLOWING FELINE ENERGY: Being enlivened by daily improvisational acts of creativity!

FEMALE FELINE ENERGY. Since I visited the exhibit, "For I Am the Black Jaguar," at the Carlos Museum, I have been meditating on feline energy (see my first blog about this, The Black Jaguar: Following my feeling to draw felines).  (art by Hallelujah Truth)

Hallelujah for meditative daily drawing! Coffee with Hallelujah is ALL about BEING present to the moment and following the impulse. In my mornings, I have coffee with my SPIRIT and become enlivened by improvisational acts of creativity.

Once a drawing is completed, I take it to the next step of technological improvisation--photoshop! I have learned that once my images are scanned, I can PLAY with them and experience my VISION in different ways.

I have photoshop options:

Contrasting light and dark
Inverting colors 
Changing hues
Altering vibrancy
Transforming into other art media
ETC...

IMPROVISATIONAL PHOTOSHOP OPTIONS.  Here I used a "fill" function on photoshop to add color to the original black-and-white image that had already been made a bold black-and-white because of the contrast function! (art by Hallelujah Truth)

PLAYING with my artwork on photoshop teaches me NEW WAYS of SEEING my images and impact future choices when creating new work. Hallelujah for FUN with art and technology!

INVERT FELINE IMAGE.  How exciting it is to see the transformation of a black background into white! And what was previously white is now black! (art by Hallelujah Truth)

I suspect that there are many other wonderful surprises for me to discover on photoshop, that will in turn, teach me additional new ways to draw and color my work!

I will continue to create improvisational acts of art making every day during my coffee with Hallelujah (my spirit)! How about you SOUL PILGRIM? What improvisational act will you commit today?

DANCE CHURCH: ANOTHER IMPROVISATIONAL ACT OF THE SPIRIT

DANCE CHURCH: MOVING WITH WANDJINA. (art by Hallelujah Truth)

Hallelujah for DANCE CHURCH! In my small community of Decatur, Georgia, DANCE CHURCH takes place on the second Sunday of every month. Local citizens gather together, bringing music, objects for an temporary altar, and the SPIRIT to MOVE!

Since I have dedicated myself to MOVEMENT for 2013, I journeyed out to DANCE CHURCH on this second Sunday in January and was enlivened!

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.