Angels and Meditative Thoughts

 

"Angel of the Timeless Garden" ©Mary Montague Sikes

Angels have always intrigued me. Over the years, I've been inspired to paint them, but I never knew quite how I wanted to portray these magical, celestial beings. Sometimes abstract elements attracted me, but the results didn't seem quite right. Then, I began making a Christmas card each year, using a newly created, realistic pastel drawing or watercolor/acrylic painting of my special angel.

For several years, I worked in mixed water media, often using Yupo for my ground and applying the beautiful and intense Robert Doak watercolors to it. Sometimes I put the paint on canvas instead. I have loved the results.

"Steadfast" watercolor ©Mary Montague Sikes

 When I read Conversations with Angels by Judith Marshall, it occurred to me that my paintings on Yupo make an important connection with the universe. With these paintings, one can become "locked into the universe". One can focus on meditations to connect with spirit guides and guardian angels. These paintings were the device I'd been seeking in my readings and in my art.

In her book, Marshall describes how to visualize for a meditation to meet your guardian angels. I like the idea of sitting in a quiet place and meditating in this manner. Except I put up one of my paintings on Yupo or I pick a page in my new Artful Angels little hard cover book for the coffee table.

This is the poem that came to me in my meditation vision for the World Healers Conference in 2013:

Charm is not a vision nor a feel.

It is music in the universal sky.

The night turns vivid green

And your journey is not far away.

 

Your travels aid knights of vision.

You heal with color and light.

Your thoughts are set to lure

So inside the beauty lingers.

 

I like to watch the sunlit sky

And by that means the truth does bind.

Follow close and follow hard

Hear the sounds of birds and flowers.

 

Animals touch the universal star

And lead you through the journey home.

Do not wait.

Touch it now!   

©Mary Montague Sikes                   

Much of what I see or hear in meditation is poetic. Try focusing on a painting and see if you have a poetic response to color and light.

My book, Artful Angels is available from Amazon.

 

 

Be Not Afraid - A to Z Blog Challenge

"Visions in My Heart" ©Mary Montague Sikes

In today's A to Z Blog Challenge for "B", the phrase "Be Not Afraid" has come to me as I write about a painting I did with watercolors on Arches 300# paper. The painting is titled "Visions in My Heart". As I study it, I wonder about some darkness that must exist within, darkness that delays the search for Xanadu. I feel the heavy texture of the paper and remember that I do not really like to paint on Arches. The slick and slippery surface of Yupo is far more appealing to me as are the bright Robert Doak watercolors. Perhaps the phrase, "Be Not Afraid", is warning me against the fear I have about working on this surface. Perhaps it is encouraging me to explore more in my journey as an artist.

Study the image. Is that a window in the center that looks through into another part of the universe. What is the dark image nearby? This painting provokes a multitude of questions. What are yours?

Creating an Angel Card - Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to All

"Angel from Xanadu - Mystic Visions" ©Mary Montague Sikes

For quite a long time I have painted an angel for Christmas each year and then made cards using the new image. For 2016, devising the right painting to share was especially hard for me. Negativity covered our land and although it became a prevailing wind over which I had no control I continued to try.

After creating my first angel image that I liked, I discovered my new painting on canvas would not work as a card. The colors didn't resonate for Christmas, and the painting actually looked best when paired on the studio wall with another new painting created during the summer.

"Angels Maybe" ©Mary Montague Sikes

Back I went to the studio to try making a new watercolor painting on Yupo--"Angel Wings-Mystic Visions". While I really love this dramatic painting, I soon realized it would probably not work well for a Christmas card. Once again, it was back to the studio.

"Angel Wings - Mystic Visions" ©Mary Montague Sikes

This time I decided to include a more traditional angel in my painting, "Angel from Xanadu - Mystic Visions". This, too, is watercolor on Yupo. However, the angel is painted with gesso and acrylic paints.

Because I am fascinated with the idea of a magical place in a fantasy universe that I call "Xanadu", this will be part of my new series of paintings. I'll be writing more about the mysterious and colorful planet of Xanadu during 2017. I will also create additional paintings about a place in space where peace and beauty reign.

What do you think? Do you believe in mystic visions?

Merry Christmas!

When Art and Writing Collide, Experimenting with Yupo

"Dream Ship" Acrylic/Yupo Copyright Mary Montague Sikes

Sometimes art and writing collide in my life. Although I have a new book to promote and other writing obligations, the call to paint is always there.

I love the feel of a paint brush on stretched canvas. More recently, I've enjoyed experimenting with the movement of watercolor pigments and ink on the surface of Yupo.

What is Yupo? It's not canvas and it's not paper. It's a sheet of plastic that was not designed as an artist painting surface at all. When I first heard about Yupo, it was in use as a material for printing lots of things, including labels. A few artists got hold of it and started trying out different kinds of paints to see what would happen. I experimented and loved the way the colors glowed on the surface of Yupo.

My first experience with Yupo was in the mid-1990s. I went down to the manufacturing plant in Chesapeake, Virginia, and they were kind enough to give me a few large sheets of several different weights of Yupo. I brought them home to my studio and tried out a variety of inks and Golden paints. I loved what happened with the colors. I discovered the paint and ink kept moving around on their own which was surprising and fun!

Now Yupo is found in art catalogs everywhere. Cheap Joe's Art Stuff has a variety of weights and sizes on display in the Boone, NC showroom. Workshop instructors offer demonstrations of its possibilities. I've bought more and have it all over my home studio.

Art is a distraction and a joy. It's an escape from political ads and real life turmoil and tragedy. It will continue to collide with my writing life, and I'm glad.

--Mary Montague Sikes