“Coeur de Fleur” (9″ x 12″) … before my mistake –
Making a mistake in love, life, and intuitive painting isn’t the end of the world. It’s part of learning, part of growing … if we choose to.
Also, if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my decades in the studio, it’s that letting go of what you think things should be gives space for accepting what is, on the way to what could be. It’s all part of the beauty of non-attachment.
So did I ruin “Coeur de Fleur” after revealing it on Facebook and rejoicing at my friend Kim McPherson’s name suggestion?
Maybe. Maybe not.
I’m still waiting to hear from Posca, the company that produces the paint markers that didn’t react well to the varnish.
The black got reactivated and bled all over the other colours. My whites are gone and my previously vibrant blossoming heart has turned dull.
I’m also waiting to hear from Golden Paints, to see if I can paint again on top of their varnish.
At least I got this picture to show you. But that’s not all I got.
I know this is an important part of the learning & loving process. Mistakes are part of the journey.
I was strangely not disappointed. Surprised for sure, but immediately aware there was nothing I could do just yet.
Getting angry or blaming Posca would only harm me. Plus, that would likely stop me from seeing the truth – my “mistakes” and what I’m meant to learn from them.
I’m so aware that there was deeper meaning happening here.
This “mistake” had me reflecting for hours about the journey of unconditional love.
I have learned so much about myself & life in the studio.
The intuitive painting process offers sacred space to play, explore, express, and open to intuitive guidance.
It’s an exercise in trust, discovery, and meaning making – one layer at a time.
But learning to truly love unconditionally isn’t something you can do in isolation. It’s an opportunity that arises through our interactions with other people.
And let’s face it. There’s less opportunity for that now with COVID-19. I’ve found myself retreating more and more to my happy hermit mode.
So I’m now determined to meet new people and interact more with human beings – even if it’s online. You don’t have to be isolated, even in COVID-19 times.
Learning about, and better yet, learning to love unconditionally is my lifelong mission. You’ve already heard me say that my life purpose is to explore & express my love of beauty and the beauty of love…
As an oversensitive child, I was bewildered by the lack of real love in the world.
I ended up distancing myself from people to protect myself, preferring the company of my Team of Divine Helpers… and dogs.
I’m grateful for my journey so far with family, romantic relationships, classmates, friendships, colleagues, clients, and everyone I meet.
I’m also ready for my heart to continue blossoming into a much more fruitful garden. And like with any garden, it takes a conscious decision to do so. Planting new seeds, taking out the weeds, fertilizing the soil – all part of the inner and outer work.
It’s worth it though!
My time in the studio last week was a reflection of my blossoming heart, with all its seasons, dreams, and manifestations.
This painting started with a desire to play with the dozens of layers of paint involved in the armature of the rectangle. I’d so enjoyed the sacred geometry process on my paintings “New Beginnings” and “Age of Aquarius” (both 15″ x 30″ or 1:2 ratio), that I wanted to try it on this smaller 9″ x 12″ (3:4 ratio) canvas.
I wasn’t only painting, however. I was reflecting on my intensive week of study & practice in unconditional love. A few hard truths had come to the surface to be looked at before they were released.
Once the armature was done, I received a vision of an anatomical heart within a glowing heart symbol.
So I drew a human heart on thick card stock and cut it out to make a stencil.
But then I “accidentally” placed the stencil facing down and proceeded to dab the white undercoat.
Oops. Oh well. That led to a while of reflecting why it was meant for the painting to be a mirror image of the heart I’d intended.
Everything has meaning in the intuitive painting process.
I felt like the painting was asking me what I wanted to see looking at my heart in the mirror.
That’s when I saw an abundant flower garden growing out of it.
This led to hours and hours of playing with my new Posca paint markers, tending to the garden of my heart with joy.
The garden grew so much that you couldn’t quite tell it was a heart anymore.
When I remarked as much to my house-sister, she suggested I paint it red instead of white.
It took a loving moment of connection with another human being to add colour, add life to it. Ah…… good one, wise one!
The next day, I continued to cultivate my heart, adding to the bouquet. It felt quite chaotic, quite busy on that background. Learning to love can get messy, I understood.
And so it grew.
As I was brushing my teeth, I saw something that needed a touch up. 1 1/2 hours later, still with my toothbrush in my mouth, I was done.
I had a lot of other projects waiting for my attention, so I was happy it was finished.
I didn’t have any isolation coat mixture prepared, so I decided to skip that step and go straight to varnish.
A voice in me said, “Are you sure?”
And I did it anyway. Oops.
I’m not sure if the blacks would have bled with the equally wet isolation coat (meant to give art restorers a chance to safely remove the varnish in 100 years without affecting the painting).
All I know is that now I can’t sell this painting. (Note: photo above before this “accident” happened.)
That’s OK.
It obviously still has a lot to teach me. About painting. About life. About learning to love unconditionally.
You just can’t rush the process.
And if you learn from your mistakes, there’s no failure. There’s only choice.
So keep on growing, keep on blossoming, keep on making mistakes, and keep on learning from them – loving yourself and others in the process.
I know I will.
Stay tuned… there may be a part 2 to this painting’s story. And then again, maybe not.
SEE PART 2 blog post here. Original Painting Sold.
Sunset in the Dreamtime – painting your happy place
/in PaintingsWhere is your happy place?
If you asked me, I just might tell you about my sunset kayak on the Mobile canal on the Irish Loop of Newfoundland with my friends Tina White & Kerri Best (featured in the video above).
I rarely paint what I see with my eyes open. I do, however, paint what I feel. And my experience there was multi-dimensional!
The painting “Sunset in the Dreamtime” is the colour, texture, and enhanced crystal energy of a moment in time – a happy place. Can you feel its energy?
The space between the canvases represent that time between waking moments when you re-emerge into Spirit – your daily reset button. It also acts as an altar to keep / energize the stones you sleep with. This past year, an amethyst and rose quartz crystal have been my bedmates.
According to Abraham Hicks, when you fall asleep after a day of feeling good, in alignment with your Higher Self, you’ll glide easily into pleasant dreamtime before re-emerging into non-Physical. Your dreams are your transition there.
So spend time in appreciation, beauty, and love, every day to manifest more of the same in your dreams – your daily gateway to re-connecting with Spirit.
Once there, we all get to hit the reset button. Isn’t that comforting?!
The trick is to then carry that alignment found when our consciousness is focused on the non-physical back into waking life. Abraham Hicks talks of the importance of those first 17 seconds upon waking – the time it takes to set a vibration.
Visual cues such as a painting of your happy place can remind you to end and start your day with appreciation, creating high vibrational momentum for the journey forward.
So yes, enjoy your reset time in that sacred space of sleep. But also focus your attention on what raises your vibration during the day to ensure a smoother transition into sleep and a happier, healthier waking life.
As Abraham Hicks says,
My sunset kayak represented in “Sunset in the Dreamtime” was truly a feel-good blessing in my life. Painting my happy place and seeing it every time I walk by it in my studio helps to keep me in my inner happy place.
The labradorite that mimics the logo on the kayak energizes the piece. Labradorite is a powerful protector against negativity, raises consciousness and enhances intuition. The rose quartz is a stone of deep inner healing, harmony, peace and universal love.
Do you have something on your walls that reminds you to go to your happy place – both inwardly and outwardly?
If not, go ahead and create it or purchase an artist’s rendition that speaks to your heart & soul.
See if any of my paintings resonate with your inner callings. You can see all my available originals here or order prints of your favourites in your choice of size and medium here.
Creatively Connect & Celebrate
/in Paintings“Spirit of St. Patrick” (12″ x 24″) – SOLD
St. Patrick’s Day celebrations were very different for many this year due to COVID-19. Never one for green beer or hangovers, I played in green paint instead.
I’d just received news from my pre-paid 2019 Ireland tour operator that my May 2020 booking would be postponed yet another year. I’ll admit, I was relieved as I really didn’t want to travel this May. We’ve just come out of lockdown in St. John’s, Newfoundland and a 3rd wave has started in some provinces. Overseas travel doesn’t appeal to me right now.
If you’re wondering, I did have travel insurance, but hadn’t realized that if you buy it through the airlines, it only covers the cost of the flight, not tours. Live & learn… My 2-week tour was the only part of my 2020 2-month self-directed artist residency in Ireland that wasn’t refunded.
All that aside, I wanted to spend last Tuesday the 17th connected to the spirit of my Irish ancestors in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. I also wanted to let go of any disappointment or expectations about my plans to one day visit Ireland.
So, after my yearly “Top o’ the morning to ye!” message to my father in Ottawa, I immersed myself in the joy of creation and the heart-healing energy of green.
Creativity is a great way to connect to a place, thing, person, or concept. Be it through song, poetry, story writing, painting, collage, sculpture, etc., you can energetically dive into an exploration of your feelings and ideas to express them in your chosen art form.
For me, the canvas is my place to process. As I painted, one layer at a time without knowing what wanted to emerge, I surrendered into the mystery of the unknown as one inspired action led to another.
After the base layers of greens & golds, I played with textured edges, reminding me of the elaborate decorations in illuminated manuscripts such as the Book of Kells.
It was only after I’d used the same Clear Tar Gel medium to create the spiral hill and tree that memories surfaced of all the Irish historic fiction novels & stories I read back in 2019.
Could this be the Hill of Tara calling me? Was that the ash tree from which Jesus’s walking staff was made and later given to St. Patrick? Is it the tree of life?
And when a large moon asked to come to light, I knew it had to be a Celtic one. So thanks again to the Irish artist Courtney Davis for allowing me to use the line drawing from his book “Knotwork & Spirals” for this traditional triple spiral design. Once I’d spent hours dotting it, I covered it in a thick layer of clear tar gel and then repeated the main triskelion in floating white dots – adding depth and dimension to both the painting and my experience.
Oh how I relished my hours of meditative dot-therapy, chanting and connecting to the Ireland of old and new in the best way I could… for now. This was a different kind of St. Patrick’s trip!
So if COVID-19 is keeping you far from the places, people, and celebrations that call to your heart, may I suggest you use your creativity to connect and celebrate in new ways.
Have fun with it.
Dive in without knowing what it’s meant to become. Allow the process to bring you closer together.
Creativity is healing. Creativity is connecting. Creativity is rejoicing.
One thing for sure, I was much happier the next day to wake up to my evolving new painting “The Spirit of St. Patrick” than to a hangover. I’ve never had one, but I hear they’re not fun…
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“Spirit of St. Patrick” – 12″ x 24″ – SOLD
Sacred Sight – the painting
/in Paintings“Sacred Sight” (20″ x 20″) – $1,497 – Buy it here.
Infused with community prayers & intentions, this intuitive visionary painting called “Sacred Sight” invites us to shift perceptions to see the true colours of the world and those in it, including ourselves.
It was also inspired by the Vesica Pisces eye design that emerged in a previous painting, “True Love“.
The day before I started painting, I was inspired to ask my FB Friends what they’d like me to focus on while creating a painting that had already given me its name, “Sacred Sight”. They answered
For 3 days, I held space for these prayers & intentions as the colours and symbolism emerged.
For these prayers and intentions to manifest in our world, starting with us, we need to open to the paradigm shifts that are possible when we look at things differently.
The eye at the heart of the Vesica Pisces represents true vision, possible when we ask to see through the eyes of our Higher Self in Divine Union.
I knew I had wanted to re-create that eye at the centre of sacred geometry. What surprised me one night as I was about to leave the studio to go to bed was the calling of a butterfly.
I’ll admit, I was hesitant. I had thought the painting might already be finished. But I know better than to doubt that I might ruin a painting by following intuitive guidance.
So the next morning, I created a stencil (see video below) and used special interference paints by Golden to create the birthing of a new way of seeing the world. The wispy butterfly appears transparent white from some angles and iridescent colours from others and in some light.
With this symbol of transformation, I could feel how “Sacred Sight” was becoming an invitation to shift not only our perceptions, but our very inner reality that forms our outer reality.
So again, this painting asks us “How would your vision shift if you were looking through the eyes of Spirit, of Love?” (or whatever other terms feels good to you)
Start with looking at areas in your life where you feel discomfort, dis-ease, pain, etc. Can you shift your perspective to see how challenges are happening for you, not to you? Can you see how you’re being called to grow into a more evolved version of you?
It’s time to let go of our caterpillar life to explore what it means to fly as a butterfly.
Where else are you being asked to look through your heart, not through the limited patterns of your mind?
And be gentle with yourself and others as we all learn to see with new eyes.
Enjoy watching the layers of chaos and life experience become a vibrant radiant harmony of colours & symbolism in “The Making of Sacred Sight” (3-minute video below).
Invitation to Radiant You Online Retreat – Bite-Sized Daily Inspiration
/in EventsHave you been feeling run down? Has taking care of your mind, body and spirit ended up on the bottom of your to-do list?
If you’re ready to reclaim your radiance, then I invite you to join me and other leaders for this Radiant You Online Retreat.
The retreat starts on New Moon Saturday, March 13th until Full Moon Sunday, March 28th. You’ll receive access to 2 mini workshops a day.
Click here to register.
During this free online retreat , join me and a diverse group of powerful women from around the world as we explore how to feel confident, inspired and energized no matter what is going on in our lives and the world.
We’ll be sharing bite-sized mini workshops that will help you feel motivated and empowered in 30 minutes or less. We’ll be nurturing our selves with meditation, creativity, and more!
During this FREE virtual retreat, we’ll be
This is for you if
When you join the Radiant You Online Retreat, you’ll get to
This isn’t just people talking about transformation. It’s hands on experiences with tools you can use everyday. The best part is it’s totally free!
Click here to come with me.
Love & blessings,
Dominique
P.S. I know how it feels to have a lot on your plate. This retreat is an easy way to fill your cup, to recharge.
Your Layers of Visual Symbolism
/in Intuitive ServicesWe receive our intuitive messages through many channels – our inner and outer sight, hearing, sensations, knowing, smell & taste.
It’s just like in school. Some people are auditory learners. Others are visual learners. Others are experiential learners. It’s good to teach with many learning styles in mind. Same with my Divine Storytelling Time Packages.
Your Team of Divine Helpers, your Higher Self, your inner wisdom – whatever you choose to call intuition will find a way to get Guidance to you, one way or another.
When I co-create a Divine Storytelling Time Package for you, I help you tune into your intuition by channeling both auditory & visual symbolic data for you to decipher.
I don’t tell you what your story or Visual Gifts mean. The more you work with your DST Package, the more you’ll develop your intuitive muscles.
No one can understand the meaning like you do – these are symbols and scenes delivered for you by your intuition. I’m just the conduit. It’s up to you to interpret them, depending on the questions you bring when you listen to your story or look at your Visual Gifts.
When I was guided to offer this service, I knew that the 1-hour dream-like story I receive (mostly through vision) was the core of the intuitive reading. It’s like listening to a fantastic radio play, filled with meaning – the meaning you give it.
Another element of the DST Package is a Visual Gift, a digital photographic art piece based on the essence of that Divine Storytelling Time.
It too is filled with layers of visual symbolism that can provide clues, inspiring action to help you co-create your best life.
These are created with several layers of photographs from my extensive international collection. The location, background, or content all act as intuitive data for you to work with.
For example, I was recently inspired to create the Visual Gift above for a European client. I was moved to use the 7 different photographs seen in the slideshow below:
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I also provide more visual & word-based guidance through a Spirit Calling Card spread that opens the story. These oracle cards are based on both my photography & paintings.
Divine Storytelling Time Packages are for those who want to uncover the layers of their Best Life, identifying for themselves the inspired actions they need to take to allow it to emerge.
They’re not for those looking for someone outside of themselves to give them all the answers.
The answers are within. I can help you Access your intuition (Step 2 in my Intuition Into Action Treasure Map), but it’s up to you to understand what your Team of Divine Helpers is communicating to you.
It’ll always be an answer to your questions – those in your mind, but also those in your heart. Those you can consciously identify today and those that will arise for months to come.
Are you curious to know what your story will sound like? What your Visual Gifts will look like? Are you ready to uncover the layers of symbolic data that can help you evolve the meaning of your life?
These Divine Storytelling Time Packages are still at the 1/2 price rate of $247 Canadian. I’m not sure for how long.
They come with a 1-hour story mp3, 2 Visual Gifts, a Spirit Calling Card reading and worksheets.
I channel the whole package at a distance, which takes about 5-6 hours, and deliver it via a download link in your email.
Are you ready for yours? For a couple reading? A family reading? Book here.
Want to listen to a 6-minute story sample to see how to work with that component? Go here.
We’re living in challenging times. If you feel this style of symbolic-rich intuitive reading is for you, please take inspired action. Gift certificates available.
True Love – the painting
/in Paintings“True Love” (15″ x 30″) – $1,377
Can you imagine feeling in every atom of your being that you are truly seen, accepted and unconditionally loved by Source, by God/Goddess?
What would you then see in the mirror as you saw yourself through the eyes of your soul?
How would your relationships change if you could also see others through the eyes of Divinity within you?
How would the whole world change if we could all look beyond the masks, the pain, the fear, the behaviours – and see, accept and unconditionally love others for who they truly are – spirit in individualized human expressions of the Divine? With that kind of love, it would be so much easier to emerge more fully into who we truly are.
True Love…
That’s what I was focused on as I entered the zone for a Valentine’s Day painting marathon.
And this is the painting that came out of it.
I wasn’t surprised to discover that the Vesica Pisces emerged from the layers of intuitive painting – sacred geometry representing the joining of Heaven & Earth.
I was thrilled when a vision of an eye came forth from contemplating the sacred space at the centre of the 2 joined circles.
Sacred Sight …
It made sense that the Divine would have a space within what I knew would become a portrait of romantic / couple love.
It’s as if the layers upon layers of mark-making – the colours, textures, blessings and scars of life experiences – came together as a foundation for something greater than the sum of its parts.
Then came the golden temple roof over the eye – a sacred container for the Twin Flames to shine brightly unto and for each other and for the Highest Good of all.
Passion. Harmony. Union. Safety. Clear Vision. Unconditional Love.
Having known celestial unconditional love, the yin & yang of humankind are joined in this couple to hold each other as they stand in their Truth, in True Love.
From all that came before – in this lifetime and beyond – they now vow to learn to see, accept and unconditionally love each other.
That was my Valentine’s Day vision – and one I still hold within my heart as a possibility for myself and all who walk on this Earth longing to fully reconnect to Source, soul, and soulmate.
So may it be.
To view all my available original paintings, go here.
Held in the Arms of an Angel
/in Paintings“Held” – 11″ x 14″ – Prints available. Original SOLD.
Ceremony. Communion. Connection. What a wonderful day in the studio commemorating the 1-year anniversary of my mother’s transitioning back into spirit form.
With several thousand kilometres between us, I couldn’t join my father, sister, and brother at the gravesite in Ottawa. So for 8 hours before their FaceTime call, I focused on being with my mother in the painting studio.
It may sound odd, but I feel closer to her now than I did in her last years with dementia.
As I lived several provinces away, phone & video calls didn’t always seem to register with her. I could feel her recognition, however, when I visited, even if she couldn’t translate her thoughts into words anymore.
Now, I celebrate her freedom from her pained body and mind.
I’m so grateful she chose to let go right before the pandemic – for her Highest Good and the Good of All.
That made it possible for me to spend a month with my father after the funeral, before travel restrictions. More importantly, he didn’t have to suffer not being able to visit her at the long-term care residence when they locked down.
Maman, you were always a great planner! Thanks for your gift of Divine Timing.
And thanks for this painting we co-created together on the anniversary of your passing from this world back to your Home beside God, where I know you continue to hold us, support us, love us, and connect with us in various ways.
I may no longer be able to hug you as I so loved to do. But I felt held on February 3rd, with my head close to your celestial heart, wrapped in your arms and your wings.
Shine on, blessed mother, in your eternally radiant Spirit Self. Your Light continues to guide me in mine.
“Held” (11″ x 14″) – SOLD
Prints available here in your choice of size & medium.
P.S. Click here for the story of the painting “In Passing” created in the days before my mother’s transition.
Coeur de Fleur – Part 2
/in PaintingsIf you want your life to be bright and vibrant, you can’t just pile up colours on top of the darkness. They’ll just end up muddy. First must come the light.
That’s what this painting “Coeur de Fleur” reminded me after I brought it back to life from its “ruined” state 2 weeks ago (see previous post).
As I learned during my time at the Vienna Academy of Visionary Art, the Old Masters used a layering painting technique in which they added shades of white egg tempera in between layers of coloured oil glazes. This kept their colours luminous and affected how the light refracted through the many subsequent layers.
Basically, the Old Masters knew to add light before colour.
I’ve been using a variation of that technique with professional acrylic paints for the past 7 years.
I wish I’d photographed the full painting after I “ruined” it, but the first picture above gives you an idea. The whites are definitely not white anymore. The varnish had reactivated a new black product I wasn’t used to, which bled all over the painting.
When I contacted my paint & varnish company, Golden Paints, they told me I could add a clear polymer isolation coat over the varnish and then paint again. They couldn’t guarantee that it would last for generations to come, but it would be fine past my lifetime. (So, if you like this painting and would like to buy it, just know it may not become a family heirloom for far future generations….)
Great! My heart garden wasn’t a lost cause. It was still a work in progress.
I reflected on the symbolism of my studio experience as I painted white back into the bouquet of my heart, adding light back to the painting, before adding colour where called for.
If you’re in a dark space and you revert to behaviours or habits that temporarily seem to add colour to your life (drinking, addictive shopping, whatever your drug of choice), you won’t come out with the happiness you seek. Often, those choices just add to the problem, to the darkness. Your life will continue to feel muddy.
First you need to add the Light. Open to love. Connect with your Higher Self and whatever Higher Power you believe in.
From that space, if you choose to watch a couple of movies and eat a bag of chips (yes, my drugs of choice), they end up becoming a treat, a splash of colour in your day.
Having said that, I’m very proud of myself that I succeeded in my goal to only watch 1 movie a week in January. My treat at the end of the month? I watched the whole 5th season of Outlander in a weekend. Fun! Now back to 1 movie a week in February.
What can you weed from your garden to add luminescence to your life? How can you make space for your Light to shine brighter?
That’s my bit of studio philosophy for the week….
May your heart continue to blossom in the Light of Love. May your days be bright and vibrant as you continue to tend to your heart callings, one blessed layer at a time.
Big hug!
“Coeur de Fleur”
(9″ x 12″) -SOLD
Acrylics on gallery-wrapped canvas (no framing required)
Breathe Yourself Back into Alignment for your Golden Buzzer
/in InspirationHave you ever had the feeling the Universe was giving you the Golden Buzzer- that judge’s decision to shower you in golden confetti on one of those Got Talent TV programs? When a performer so moves a judge to press that Golden Buzzer, the contestant goes straight to the live show!
That’s how I felt this week when I went skating for the first time in a long time.
May this story & video inspire you to breathe your way through your fear to realign with your Highest Joy, your Higher Self and your Golden Buzzer back to Life. (Note – the music makes this video – turn on the sound!)
It’s not like I was paralyzed by fear. Actually, my childlike enthusiasm was still present as I finally took my freshly sharpened skates to St. John’s public outdoor skating Loop in Bannerman Park.
I’d seen the tall orange fence and long line-ups driving by. COVID-19 had brought measures to limit the numbers of skaters on the ice. I’m sure part of me rationalized that it just wouldn’t be as enjoyable, so I delayed going.
I used to love skating!
2 years ago, however, I injured my arm skating at night on the Ottawa canal when my blade got caught in a crack and sent me flying. I’m still feeling the effects of that fall despite a couple of years of various therapies.
On the other hand (pun intended), I’ve been grateful for all the other benefits of that intentional body care. But back to my story.
So here I stood, on the edge of the ice, a bit shaky and wondering if I should ask someone to give me a hand up from the snowy walk to the rink.
Before you imagine a wide chasm or huge step, let me clarify that it might be all of an inch or two (2.5-5 cm) in height difference.
Fear is a tricky thing. A very small part of my skating past was interfering with the present, with my greater truth. “What ifs” were starting to enter my mind.
I imagined saying to someone nearby “I’m a beginner – mind helping me up?”.
That would have been a lie, and I’m averse to lying. I’ve been skating on and off since I was a very young child.
Then I remembered.
This negative feeling, fear, was simply my Being’s way of communicating with me that I was out of alignment with my Higher Self.
I was letting my ego rule the show. It wanted to keep me safe, comfortable, small. Just becoming aware of my posture as I hesitated getting on made that quite visible.
So I did ask for help – not to a bystander, although there would have been nothing wrong with that, but to my Higher Self and All That Is.
I took a few deep breaths, connecting me to Spirit, and stood taller. I changed my frown to a smile and re-experienced in my body the joy of skating before I even got on the ice.
The ice was in great shape first thing in the morning. I didn’t need to look for cracks.
I took it slow for the first couple of loops until that confidence had a chance to spread through my body and mind.
And that’s when I got the Golden Buzzer from the Universe. A deluge of huge fluffy snowflakes fell upon my shoulders & the earth, congratulating me for re-aligning with love, joy, and my Higher Self. At least that’s how I chose to interpret it.
I stopped in awe, laughing and reaching for my camera.
This may not have been a world stage. No one there was even aware of my great performance. They didn’t need to.
A moment of fear was followed by a greater remembering, joy, and a breaking of a negative mental loop on The Loop. Bravo Dominique! You get to pass straight to Life!
Where is Fear Asking You to Breathe Yourself Back Into Alignment?
Fear is rampant in these COVID-19 times. Don’t let it stop you from your Live Show!
When you notice inappropriate fear trying to keep you small, trying to keep you from your joy, stand tall and connect to your Higher Self.
Let your breath inspire you (in-Spirit).
Ask whatever Higher Power you believe in for help. And know that as you re-align to your Self, the Universe celebrates with you.
May you experience your Golden Buzzer in whatever form it manifests, for all your feats of love – big or small. So be it!
Learning from Mistakes – Coeur de Fleur
/in Paintings“Coeur de Fleur” (9″ x 12″) … before my mistake –
Making a mistake in love, life, and intuitive painting isn’t the end of the world. It’s part of learning, part of growing … if we choose to.
Also, if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my decades in the studio, it’s that letting go of what you think things should be gives space for accepting what is, on the way to what could be. It’s all part of the beauty of non-attachment.
So did I ruin “Coeur de Fleur” after revealing it on Facebook and rejoicing at my friend Kim McPherson’s name suggestion?
Maybe. Maybe not.
I’m still waiting to hear from Posca, the company that produces the paint markers that didn’t react well to the varnish.
The black got reactivated and bled all over the other colours. My whites are gone and my previously vibrant blossoming heart has turned dull.
I’m also waiting to hear from Golden Paints, to see if I can paint again on top of their varnish.
At least I got this picture to show you. But that’s not all I got.
I know this is an important part of the learning & loving process. Mistakes are part of the journey.
I was strangely not disappointed. Surprised for sure, but immediately aware there was nothing I could do just yet.
Getting angry or blaming Posca would only harm me. Plus, that would likely stop me from seeing the truth – my “mistakes” and what I’m meant to learn from them.
I’m so aware that there was deeper meaning happening here.
This “mistake” had me reflecting for hours about the journey of unconditional love.
Learning to Love
I have learned so much about myself & life in the studio.
The intuitive painting process offers sacred space to play, explore, express, and open to intuitive guidance.
It’s an exercise in trust, discovery, and meaning making – one layer at a time.
But learning to truly love unconditionally isn’t something you can do in isolation. It’s an opportunity that arises through our interactions with other people.
And let’s face it. There’s less opportunity for that now with COVID-19. I’ve found myself retreating more and more to my happy hermit mode.
So I’m now determined to meet new people and interact more with human beings – even if it’s online. You don’t have to be isolated, even in COVID-19 times.
Learning about, and better yet, learning to love unconditionally is my lifelong mission. You’ve already heard me say that my life purpose is to explore & express my love of beauty and the beauty of love…
As an oversensitive child, I was bewildered by the lack of real love in the world.
I ended up distancing myself from people to protect myself, preferring the company of my Team of Divine Helpers… and dogs.
I’m grateful for my journey so far with family, romantic relationships, classmates, friendships, colleagues, clients, and everyone I meet.
I’m also ready for my heart to continue blossoming into a much more fruitful garden. And like with any garden, it takes a conscious decision to do so. Planting new seeds, taking out the weeds, fertilizing the soil – all part of the inner and outer work.
It’s worth it though!
My time in the studio last week was a reflection of my blossoming heart, with all its seasons, dreams, and manifestations.
No Mistakes
I wasn’t only painting, however. I was reflecting on my intensive week of study & practice in unconditional love. A few hard truths had come to the surface to be looked at before they were released.
Once the armature was done, I received a vision of an anatomical heart within a glowing heart symbol.
So I drew a human heart on thick card stock and cut it out to make a stencil.
But then I “accidentally” placed the stencil facing down and proceeded to dab the white undercoat.
Oops. Oh well. That led to a while of reflecting why it was meant for the painting to be a mirror image of the heart I’d intended.
Everything has meaning in the intuitive painting process.
I felt like the painting was asking me what I wanted to see looking at my heart in the mirror.
That’s when I saw an abundant flower garden growing out of it.
This led to hours and hours of playing with my new Posca paint markers, tending to the garden of my heart with joy.
The garden grew so much that you couldn’t quite tell it was a heart anymore.
When I remarked as much to my house-sister, she suggested I paint it red instead of white.
It took a loving moment of connection with another human being to add colour, add life to it. Ah…… good one, wise one!
The next day, I continued to cultivate my heart, adding to the bouquet. It felt quite chaotic, quite busy on that background. Learning to love can get messy, I understood.
And so it grew.
As I was brushing my teeth, I saw something that needed a touch up. 1 1/2 hours later, still with my toothbrush in my mouth, I was done.
I had a lot of other projects waiting for my attention, so I was happy it was finished.
I didn’t have any isolation coat mixture prepared, so I decided to skip that step and go straight to varnish.
A voice in me said, “Are you sure?”
And I did it anyway. Oops.
I’m not sure if the blacks would have bled with the equally wet isolation coat (meant to give art restorers a chance to safely remove the varnish in 100 years without affecting the painting).
All I know is that now I can’t sell this painting. (Note: photo above before this “accident” happened.)
That’s OK.
It obviously still has a lot to teach me. About painting. About life. About learning to love unconditionally.
You just can’t rush the process.
And if you learn from your mistakes, there’s no failure. There’s only choice.
So keep on growing, keep on blossoming, keep on making mistakes, and keep on learning from them – loving yourself and others in the process.
I know I will.
Stay tuned… there may be a part 2 to this painting’s story. And then again, maybe not.
SEE PART 2 blog post here. Original Painting Sold.