Fertility of the Feminine Heart ~Artist Process~

Fertility of the Feminine Heart ~ 20"x14" acrylic 

I began this painting in late December 2013, and completed it in late January 2014. I don't like to force inspiration for a painting, so I waited a few weeks to let the background reveal itself to me. 

I am fortunate to have a sister who works with flowers (she has secretly always been a flower fairy) and  I am constantly receiving an abundance of flowers to fill my room. My favorite is the Lily, which has a feminine fullness and spiral that resonates with my long time love of the spiral motif. This photo of a Lily bouquet next to a sculpture I made long ago titled,"Feminine Fertility" captures the essence of what my painting, "Fertility of the Feminine Heart" embodies. 

I made the first concept sketches around the time of the winter solstice:

On the day of the Solstice I had a powerful experience on the phone with my mom. I was talking about how I was so tired of all the hype around the holiday season and how was I feeling exhausted from my job in customer service at a grocery store. 

Then a simple statement slipped from my mouth, "I just want to paint!", and I was caught off guard by an uncontrollable surge of tears, laughter, and convulsion. I opened my teary eyes and the sun was shining directly into them, casting glitter and rainbows all throughout my vision. This profound flow of shakti energy was a big wake-up call that I must paint! And so "Fertility of the Feminine Heart"was born.

She began with a flower:

At this point I didn't know how to approach the background and I left her sitting on my easel for several weeks. When I came back to her on January 22nd I did a witness writing to get clear on what she meant to me:

"Heart seed blooming

My intention for this painting was to show feminine flowering, the ripeness of a seed sprouting in the heart, flowering on the crown as divine manifestation. The hands hold the seed over the heart showing how I use my hands to craft and create the visions of my heart. The breasts are a symbol of fertility and the feminine power of creation. The background is empty and I intend to show ferns unfurling as a symbol of the regenerative power of nature that we as humans create alongside with. "

After painting into the wee hours of the night, I wrote an update in my journal:

"She found a home in the forest. Grounded with her back against a big sturdy trunk. Covered in moss and fern, the forest is teaming with life. Soon to come are mushrooms and dying/composting leaves. Her heartseed is glowing."

And so it was:

Final journal entry I wrote on 1/23/14 in a blissed out state after I completed the finishing touches:

I dedicate my life to making art!

I have so much gratitude for this clarity on my spiritual path.

I have never felt so alive as when I paint... I feel as if I am in the forest when I paint it. 

My expression of imagination transports me to the most beautiful place of my dreams 

~*~

Thanks for witnessing my process! much Love~ Shastina

Dance of the Ever Changing Landscape ~Artist Process~

"Dance of The Ever Changing Landscape"

 Acrylic 14"x18"  

Just as the Sun, Moon, and Seasons

 dance through cycles of death and rebirth, 

our spirit rises and falls in a wave of emotions. 

I fly high and sink low,

 knowing it will only last 

until the wheel turns once again.

The inspiration for this painting was sparked by the drastic changes I was aware of in my emotional wave during fall and winter 2013. This is something I have always witnessed in myself, one day full of optimism and exuberance for life, then the next day, or even hour, feeling overcome by grief, despair, and overwhelm. I envisioned my emotional wave as a yin yang, contrasting opposites that create the wholeness that is the full spectrum of my emotional human experience. I saw this mirrored in the opposites found everywhere in nature, and chose to portray this contrast through the images of night and day, sun and moon, spring flowers and winter branches. 

I drew the concept sketches in November and painted the faces in December, then didn't come back to it until I finished it in one day of strong inspiration on February 18th. 

Stages of Creation: