Tag Archive for: intuitive painting

The Making of “Visionary” – the Painting

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Enjoy this 23-minute video (click above) of the making of “Visionary”, a 24″x24″ intuitive painting based on a vision received during the COVID-19 pandemic. Its creation took a week in April 2020.

In this video, you’ll witness the co-creative process behind its 15 layers of intention, energy, paint, and textured gels. As usual, the process itself informed what the painting was to become.

The original is sold, but prints are available in your choice of size & medium.

The Basic Vision

About one month into the COVID-19 pandemic, I received a vision that reappeared periodically during times of meditation or contemplation.

It consisted of a female face with an Earth globe left eye (linked to the Right intuitive feminine receptive brain) and a right eye (linked to the Left masculine action-oriented analytical brain) covered by a sweeping bang.

I stared at my blank canvas for a week before making a basic compositional decision. Usually, I don’t even bother with that until the background layers get me deeper into the co-creative process.

I know this delay was partly due to nervousness. To get the Earth eye big enough to notice, I’d have to only focus on the face, not the full or partial figure.

Painting faces make me nervous. I still haven’t found my own unique way of expressing faces with paint, despite my focus on sketching figures during my last trimester at the Vienna Academy of Visionary Art back in 2013/14.

So I wanted to get a basic idea down on paper before I started.

Oops…. Being Human

Luckily, there are no mistakes in the intuitive painting process. Every layer becomes part of the overall energy & texture of the final piece.

That’s why I never mind covering up much of those initial soothing, flowing, cheerful, and chaotic layers of colours and shapes.

They not only add depth and interest to the background, they represent the rich full-bodied life experience of the Visionary.

I’ll admit though, I felt rather silly (just for a few minutes) when I realized that I’d based my face’s dimensions on a 20″ x 20″ composition before grasping that my canvas was actually a 24″ x 24″. Oops.

You see, I’d uncharacteristically decided to use a photo to map out the face instead of improvising.

Basing myself on one of the portraits that Christine Radnich took of me in the Chalice Well Gardens in Glastonbury last summer, I zoomed in to the face and adjusted the levels so I could more clearly see where the highlights and shadows were.

Then, I created a grid of 1-inch squares to base myself on for the composition.

It was only after I’d painted the eyes and the nose that I realized that my memory had played tricks on me. I’d bought a 24″x 24″, not a 20″x20″ stretched canvas. My dimensions were all “wrong”!

Once I let go of the woulda, coulda, shouldas, however, I embraced the mystery of what this would inspire.

The eyes were easy to correct – I went back to my original vision, covering up the right action-oriented eye with strands of golden mica – creating a filtering energy of love & compassion inherent to this mineral. So far, so good.

The Spirit of Transformation

As I danced on my mini-trampoline contemplating my improvised bottom half of the face, I decided that the painting needed additional layers.

I asked my Team of Divine Helpers to inspire me as I pondered the evolving COVID-19 situation from a visionary point of view.

A visionary not only sees visions, as I often describe my clairvoyant process. A visionary uses wise foresight and imagination to envision a better brighter future. 

From this point of view, I tuned into the Spirit of Transformation that is enveloping the planet.

Like the caterpillar protected in its chrysalis sack, our worldwide isolation and forced slow-down is pushing us towards radical transformation.

Our way of being is disappearing, bit by bit, opening us up to emerging from our cocoons in a much more expansive way, aligned with our Truth, aligned with Divine Oneness.

It’s an exciting time! We’re not meant to come out of this as caterpillars. We don’t want to go back to the old normal!

It’s time to spread our wings and be the butterflies we were always meant to be.

After my meditative dance session, I was back in the zone, moved moment-by-moment as to what to design and which materials & colours to use.

The butterfly’s highly-textured granular wings fuelled by love & compassion are filled with the passionate fiery energy of transformation.

It was only once these were completed that I was shown the butterfly’s body as a goddess with her arms up in the air, emulating antennae. This gave her a stance of balance, opening, celebration, and appreciation for this new world vision.

Please add your prayers

As has become my custom, I filled the butterfly wings with dots, each one a prayer, an intention or thanks for all those making a difference in these transformational times.

We need them. We need you.

We’re all contributing to our evolving Reality with our allowing, inspired actions, prayers, imagination, focus, and more.

What kind of world are you envisioning?

What new ways of being and doing would you like to see continue or emerge after the crisis is over?

Please comment below so that together we can shape our future in the Spirit of Transformation and with wings of change.

Thank you.

P.S. “Visionary”- (24″ x 24″) – mixed media on gallery-wrapped canvas – SOLD. Prints available in your choice of medium & size.

 

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Do Chickens Fly? Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway

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intuitive painting of a snow owl in flight

“Night Vision” (12″x36″) – Prints available in many sizes & mediums. 

Chickens don’t fly very high, very far, or very long. The longest flight recorded was 13 seconds – 10 feet high and 300 feet in distance. So often, they just don’t bother flying at all.

Believe it or not, I’m a big chicken. I’m scared of so much.

People can’t believe that when they look at my life – living and working intuitively in 3 careers on 3 continents and 5 provinces, several returns to school, and now living as a full-time artist & Lightworker.

So maybe it’s not true. But I keep saying it.

After all, I’m concerned at having to figure out my way from the Gatwick airport to Glastonbury with a heavy suitcase in 2 days – 2 trains, a bus, and a taxi after an overnight flight…. scary, right?!

So is the idea of being in a huge crowd of strangers at a Goddess Conference for 9 days. Will I be drained by so much people time? Will I be able to take full advantage of the morning-til-night schedule? Will I have the right clothing for the weather? Will I like my B & B?  Will I have enough sun screen and if not, will I be able to find hypoallergenic natural stuff?  What is this “Gateway” my Team of Divine Helpers told me about?

Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway

I’m just not a natural risk-taker. I’m not a big fan of change either… but the only thing constant in life is change itself.

The upside to all this is that if I’m guided, nothing stops me. 

I’ve come to trust my intuition. I still feel the fear, but it gets mixed with a level of excitement that’s a sure sign of impending growth. 

Intuition is always a call for growth. Growth means stretching your comfort zones. And stretching can be uncomfortable. Unfamiliar. But oh so worth it!

We’re not meant to stay small. We have to break through that shell that’s our limiting beliefs and fears to spread our wings and fly!

Breath by breath, step by step, keep asking “What would love do now?” Tune into your heart and soar.

One book that really helped me years ago is Susan Jeffers classic ” Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway“. If being a chicken has kept you on the ground or limited the scope of your flight, get yourself a copy. You won’t regret it.

And perhaps stop affirming that you’re a chicken.  Oops, didn’t I just do that?!

Spread Your Owl Wings

Instead, recognize yourself for the wise, powerful, sensitive & agile owl that you are.

You have it in you to appreciate the mystery of the dark nights, seeing with a vision that pierces through the shadows. You too can navigate through the dreamtime to access your Guidance. Through intuition and awareness, you can find your way to new heights and journey new distances.

Emulate the owl. Turn your neck to see a situation from all angles. Your awareness of your fears and of the reality before you will help you gain a more realistic perception of a situation.

Through strategy and awe-inspiring maneuvering, you’ll fly through the challenges to grasp the opportunities.

There’s nothing wrong with chickens. But if you’re ready to claim dominion in this sacred realm that is your life, you may want to start calling yourself an owl instead.

Embrace your magical ability to shift form and reality through the power of your thoughts and actions.

I am.

So here I go. I’m flying to England, embracing the mystery of what my weeks there hold. I’m excited! I’ve done all my research & reservations and now, I just have to trust.

Yes, I feel the fear. I recognize my ego’s desire to keep me in the status quo, to keep me living small, to worry about the “what ifs” and “hows”.

But I also recognize the presence of my True Self. Like the owl, I’m connected to Spirit. I trust that my Guidance can see the big picture and is guiding me each step of the way.

Where are you being a chicken in your life? Are you ready to call in your inner owl instead?

Feel the fear and do it anyway. It’s a much more fulling way to be.

Disclaimer: No identification with actual chickens (living or deceased) is intended or should be inferred. God loves chickens as much as owls. It’s just an expression.

A Close Look at Night Vision II – The Painting

Allow this wise and benevolent owl to open your eyes to a new way of seeing – yourself & the world.  “Night Vision II” has come out of the enchanted forest to guide the way to freer & happier insight.

Note:  The mist in the forest appears white from some angles and iridescent violet and blue from others.

“Night Vision” (12″ x 36″)
Acrylics on gallery-wrapped canvas. No framing required.
SOLD

Prints are available in many sizes & mediums.  Order here.

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A Winner – Every Dot a Prayer

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“Every Dot A Prayer”  Prints available in my print-on-demand page.

Do you remember last November when I told you about a top secret painting I couldn’t reveal until the spring? This is it!

“Every Dot A Prayer” has just won one of the 2019 Arts & Letters Awards in a prestigious annual competition organized by the Newfoundland & Labrador Department of Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation.

It was on display along with other category winners & selected entries at The Rooms in St. John’s until May 12, 2019.

This was the very first painting in my “Re-Connecting” body of work that is answering an inner call to examine my spiritual roots from my early Catholic upbringing to a more universal spirituality.

The purpose of this growing collection is to explore and visually express the source, symbolism and narrative that have shaped my path.

If you recall, I received Guidance to create this collection as I sat with my father in Ottawa’s Notre Dame Basilica for the first time since my mother was moved into long-term care.

As soon as I got back to Newfoundland & Labrador, I immersed myself in the creation of this first piece to meet the mid-November deadline for the provincial Arts & Letters Awards.

70 hours of focused meditative studio work resulted “Every Dot a Prayer”.

Building on what I learned at the Vienna Academy of Visionary Art in 2013/14 and my evolving full-time practice since, it pushed me to the edge of my artistic skills and brought me deeper into the energy healing work that is characteristic of my art.

Energetic Community Connection Through Prayer

One unexpected aspect of its creative process was communion with community.

After sharing on Facebook how I was praying & chanting while painting dots for family members and friends, prayer requests came flooding in.

Every dot became a prayer dedicated to those who reached out to me and to those for whom they asked to have dots/prayers dedicated. It was the first time I’d done that on such a scale. 

This intensity of time, energy, and communion fuelled the evolution of the imagery with every new layer of paint. 

I’m used to having art created through me with the assistance of my Team of Divine Helpers as I channel energy.

I’m also used to working with my clients’ Teams when creating their Soul Energy Portrait Experiences.

But this was the first time I was connected to so many individuals during my creative process. Each one is a part of this painting. Each one helped bring this piece to life.

My usual energy work through the art expanded hundredfold, enhancing the studio experience and final painting.

It’s really hard to describe how moved I felt, knowing I was doing God’s work. I have tears in my eyes recalling how powerful an experience that was.

This prayerful dotting for public prayer requests has now become a part of my practice.

The Symbolism


As with many of my intuitive paintings, I didn’t know what it would represent before I started.

I just immersed myself in the creation of the background layers and stained-glass inspired window frame. It grew from there.

Visions received in meditation and inspiration from contemplating each new layer informed its content.

Now, months later, I see how this 1st Re-Connecting piece was an invitation.

In hindsight, it’s clear how its symbolism was sourced in my Spirit Call to Glastonbury for the Goddess Conference this summer.

I don’t think I was consciously aware of that call yet. I certainly hadn’t heard about the conference.

I’d used waters from the Chalice Well in Glastonbury in its creation – as I have in my paintings for years. But it seems to me that my knowing it was time to finally travel there in person didn’t surface until December.

When my shaman-friend Regina told me that the conference was happening at the time I’d felt guided to travel there, it all made sense.

The Upper

The dancing women celebrating the triskele orb (which could be the sun or the moon) confirmed for me my decision to attend the Sun Lover Goddess Conference. These dancers portray the essence of female gatherings and spiritual rituals with a flavour of the ancient Celtic lands.

The triple spiral Celtic design (triskele) is a symbol of both the active and passive,  a reminder to balance your being and doing. It also represents the harmonious union, motion and transformation achieved through

  • life-death-rebirth,
  • spirit-mind-body,
  • mother-father-child,
  • past-present-future,
  • power-intellect-love,
  • and more.

Every dot in this sphere is a prayer, a seed, a portal to the Divine – nourishing us, the dancers with Divine Love & Light as we journey on our path to our Highest Good.

Above this celestial orb are the angels guiding us on that Path.

And above them is a trefoil Celtic knot called the triquetra. It’s created with 3 vesicae pisces, my favourite sacred geometry found in many of my paintings – including at the joining of the 2 larger circles in the lower half of this one.

Also known as a “trinity knot”, it has been adapted by Christians from ancient Pagan Celtic images as a religious symbol of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Between the dancers are 5 inverted triangles with a dot in the middle. I often paint symbols I receive without knowing their meaning. I knew from previous research that the inverted triangle is a representation of the female, of the womb, of the yoni. What I didn’t know is that the 5 with the dot in the centre is part of the Kali Yantra, a symbol of the Hindu Goddess of time, transformation, breath, and Divine Love.

Together, the symbols in the upper half of “Every Dot a Prayer” honour both my Catholic roots and more universal spirituality influenced by every dance step of my journey in this and previous lifetimes.

The Middle

Within the circles joining in a non-delineated vesica pisces is the tree of life, another common symbol in my art.

The chalice behind it evolved as I painted the profile of the man and woman’s faces behind the tree of life. It’s the shape between the couple if you look at the coppers instead of the blue. It takes a while for some to spot the faces. They’re looking at each other.

This isn’t a new symbol. I remembered it from psychology class after I’d painted it. It’s Rubin’s vase – an “intuitive demonstration of the figure–ground distinction the brain makes during visual perception”. It’s a reminder here that what we see changes. Reality isn’t always as we think it to be.

In my painting, this top circle of the vesica pisces represents the sacredness of relationship through lifetimes – the feminine/masculine within each of us as well as the soul mate relationships that move us forward in our growth as we connect to Truth.

The green moss agate stone at the eye level of the couple and at the core of the tree is a stabilizing stone that is strongly connected with Nature. Its metaphysical healing meanings include:

  • helping you to see the beauty in all you behold
  • new beginnings
  • releasing spiritual or emotional blockages
  • attracting abundance
  • improving self-esteem
  • reducing fear and deep-seated stress

It’s embedded in mica for the added energy of love & compassion.

The Lower

The roots of the Tree of Life reach far below to dip into a shallow bowl of sacred water.

Oh how I wish I’d written down more details about the vision I received during meditation while I was creating this piece and the insights that followed. Months later, I only remember reflections in the water, but no details.

I usually share a lot about the creative process on Facebook as I paint, but since we weren’t allowed to share visuals on social media during the Arts & Letters adjudication period, I don’t have notes to go back to.  Live & learn.

I do remember how significant this shallow bowl was. It wasn’t a chalice but a bowl. Was it a scrying bowl to see deeper within the Self? An offering for our Nature Spirits to drink in the lower realms? It’s wide open to interpretation – as is the whole painting.

For now, the bottom circle represents how our roots take their nourishment from our visions, our dreams. We are sourced from the very flow of ancient sacred waters across the borders of time and space. We emerge from the well of being-ness, beyond what the eyes can see.

Your Layers of Meaning

There’s so much more to this painting, I’m sure.

You’re only seeing the final layers but there are many layers of symbolism and energy beneath this final layer. I was totally absorbed in the process and only took photos once it was over.

I knew once it was done, however, that it was one of the most powerful paintings created through me and I’m honoured this was recognized by the jury for the Arts & Letters Awards.

What other meanings or feelings emerge in you as you contemplate it? Please share in the comments below.

For Sale- Original & Prints

Title: Every Dot a Prayer
Year: © 2018
Size: 48 “ x 24 “ (122 cm x 61 cm)
Artist: Dominique Hurley
Materials: Professional acrylics & channeled energy work on gallery-wrapped canvas with painted edges. No framing required. 
Genre: intuitive painting, visionary art, energism art, spiritual art, inspirational art
SOLD
You can order prints of various sizes  & mediums here.

*As soon as this painting was finished, it told me its price. The number I received is more than I usually ask for paintings this size, but I trust my intuition. 

At The Rooms

The exhibition of all winners & selected entries in the youth and senior (adult) categories from poetry to music to visual arts was at The Rooms in St. John’s until May 20th 2019.

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The Perfect Unfolding – the painting

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Emerging fully as our True Selves – from love & in love – isn’t a straightforward process.

The 5th painting in my Re-Connecting Collection, “The Perfect Unfolding”, celebrates this journey to Self-Love.

Like the lotus, whose seed gives birth in the mud, we too must travel through and reach past the murky waters to blossom & bloom. We too must let go of the dirt of life to discover who we truly are.

The lotus doesn’t cling to the mud of its roots. It sheds it as its long stems reach through the cleansing waters up towards the light.

Even its leaves develop a self-cleansing waxy yet rough texture that causes droplets to bead on their surface to then carry the dirt away as they roll off.

We too are asked to let the blessed waters of Truth cleanse us of the details of our human origins, back into our pure, natural, beautiful and divine essence.

It’s not about growing into something new. It’s about uncovering what was always there, from the very beginning.

So let’s not skulk in the mire to get caught in the jumble of stalks. That would only stunt our growth.

Instead, let’s honour what’s helped shape us into who we are today. And let’s allow what no longer serves us to bead off us through our own God-given self-cleansing properties as we continue to reach for the light.

Just as the lotus bud emerges perfectly clean from the waters and raises itself  above the surface, so too are we given a chance to be reborn in our acceptance of who we truly are… divine spiritual beings in human bodies.

The perfect unfolding of each lotus petal is different for every one of us.

The fragrance and colours of our lives leading to this moment are as unique as we are. They’ve shaped up. They’ve nourished us. They’ve strengthened and challenged us. But the call to self-love beckons us all.

From the seed of perfection, through the mud, to the light, please hear the call for love, forgiveness, acceptance, and celebration of your magnificence.

As you let go of the mud, your nakedness calls for vulnerability and strength, openness and courage. It’s time to stop hiding. It’s time to sparkle & shine as your perfect unfolding.

It’s time to let go of the fear-based voices from your parents, teachers, leaders & peers. Only keep the love. Reconcile apparent value and belief conflicts. Shed any caked up lies that affected your self-esteem.

It’s time to embrace your worthiness. You are more than enough.  You’re amazing!

Choose to see yourself through the eyes of your soul, through the eyes of pure love. Honour your body temple in all its sensuality. Get back to your heart to laugh, live and play.

This is the time to shine your light and to live true to your inner guidance, to your real values, to the flow of life and spirit in harmony.

You are part of the sacred geometry, of the divine plan, of the Flower of Life. 

Re-connect with your divine origin, that sacred seed that contained within it the cycles of creation to your full potential.

Love yourself back on track, back into balance.

Celebrate who you truly are and trust that as you ask for Guidance from your own soul, Team of Divine Helpers, and Source Itself, you will be shown the way back home to your pure and radiant Self.

May the blossoming of your heart guide you to the inspirational insights, sexual healing, and self-love processes you need to emerge more fully as your True Self.

Answering the Call

As I was connecting with my Team of Divine Helpers and painting “The Perfect Unfolding”, I was shown that this isn’t about ignoring the circumstances of our growth – the events, people, places, belief systems, blessings & challenges.

In fact, the many hours spent on this piece brought many of these back to the surface for me.

At times, it was like the movie of your life some say you receive right before your death.  In this case, however, it was the movie of my sexual evolution right before what feels like another rebirth.

I was reminded of so many significant moments from girlhood to womanhood – some that brought back smiles and others forgiveness, gratitude, understanding, and compassion for myself and others.

I wrote many down, thinking they’d be a part of this blog post. Then I deleted them all, realizing that it wasn’t about sharing or keeping the details. These were brought back to the surface so I could see them and let them go – the seemingly good & bad in non-judgment.

After that, I had to take a day to myself to just allow the emotions and process to naturally evolve before I could write this post – no matter what I’d scheduled in my agenda. Synchronistically, this was on International Women’s Day.

And now I continue to blossom…

I know that my being guided to travel to Glastonbury next summer at the same time as the Sun Lover Goddess Conference is a part of that journey for me.

I bought my early bird mystery ticket to this 9-day event back in December, as soon as I was guided.

Then, I was surprised at some of the programming once it was unveiled in February.

This conference may not be something I would have consciously sought out, but I know to trust my Guidance. There are no accidents here. Glastonbury has been on my radar for years, but this is the summer I was called to physically make my way there.

I’m open to the next stage of my Perfect Unfolding.

More on the Symbolism of The Perfect Unfolding

Window Frame

The stained-glass window inspired framed of this painting was created with granular gel, large acrylic beads painted in multicoloured iridescent paint.

This texture symbolizes the details of our lives, the framework in which we chose to be born into so we could blossom. 

There’s no lotus without mud.

I believe that prior to birth, our souls made agreements with other souls to experience our blessings & challenges to somehow contribute to the Highest Good of all. When I recognized the truth of this for myself decades ago, it became much easier to love both myself & others.

The Seed

I used what I believe is an ocean jasper stone to represent the lotus seed. This is the same stone as my main ceremonial healing stone from my Munay-ki rites of passage. The ocean jasper is a powerful yet soothing energy that guides us back to our True Selves with joy. It helps to move us through the ebbs & flows of our challenges with ease & grace.

This stone is embedded in mica, infusing it and our path with the energy of love & compassion. Indeed, a shift in perception can help us see our mud as a call for greater love & compassion.

The Lotus

The lotus is a spiritual symbol for life, purity, enlightenment, promise, grace, strength, and beauty.

You’ll find a lot on the web about the various meanings of the lotus in different cultural and religious traditions.

The Flower of Life

The orb behind the figure is an ancient sacred geometrical symbol called The Flower of Life. Created with 19 intersecting circles and encompassing so many other sacred symbols, it depicts the cycles of creation.

I’d seen an intricate lattice design at the top of my painting in visions, but couldn’t make out the specifics of it until I started working on the design of the figure.

As I write below, she reminded me of Aphrodite. Reading up on her, I learned of her association with the Flower of Life, sparking the knowing that this is what was meant to be in the background, like a glowing moon and sun.

I spent an entire morning dotting this symbol after asking my Facebook Friends for the names of those who needed a dot & a prayer dedicated to them. Although autobiographical, this painting is a about so many more than just me. It’s about you too!

This is such a re-connecting practice – with Source, community & my purpose to explore and express my love of beauty and the beauty of love.

Sure, there are times when I’m painting and listening to podcasts or documentaries, but I love my hours of chanting & praying for family, friends, and strangers. We all make a difference in the ways that come naturally to us. This is one of mine.

It’s a reminder to me, as is this symbol, that all life and consciousness arises from one source.  Learn more about the Flower of Life from this website.

The Goddess

She is me, she is you. She is the goddess within every one of us.

As I was drawing her design, she reminded me of the Greek Aphrodite and the Roman Venus, goddesses of love, sex, beauty, and fertility. I had to do a Google search to remind myself that the famous painting of Venus had her standing in a seashell.

The goddess born of the lotus was the Hindu goddess Lakshmi, goddess of wealth & beauty.

I’m not known for my memory for details. Like everything, all I’ve seen, read, and experienced has become a part of me and my art. And it’s become a part of this figure too.

It was important for me to design her (and therefore myself) as a voluptuous, open, strong, spirited, sensual and divine being. She’s not hiding herself. She’s not covered in shame or judgment. She’s free. She’s true. She’s balanced in the heart of that lotus and grateful for all that she is and all that she faces. She’s unapologetic and pure, radiating from unconditional love.

As one of my Facebook Friends, Anna Carroll, wrote when she saw the initial drawing, she’s “the divine feminine, voluptuous, all knowing, sacred, loving, compassionate, giving and inviting.”  Well said.

Under all that gold, she’s multicoloured. But it was important for me to bring her back to the iridescent bright gold, made with mica dust filled with the energy of  love & compassion.

I’ve long talked about our being like a bar of gold, covered with dust and needing to return to our core essence & value. The lotus analogy in the mud corresponds nicely.

So here, she’s back to her golden essence, this time magnified by a layer of glass beads that plays with the light. Glass is also a symbol of transformation, merging of elements, rebirth, focus, and communication.

For Sale

 

The original “The Perfect Unfolding” is 24″ x 48″ and $3,700 CAD.
Mixed media on gallery-wrapped canvas: acrylics, glass beads, ocean jasper stone. No framing required.
Original – SOLD
Prints available in many sizes/medium here…

Thank you for supporting my art!

 

 

 

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With Arms Wide Open – Mary Christmas!

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Mary Christmas Dear One!

Nope, that’s not a spelling mistake. It’s an invitation to join me in yet another celebration of Mother Mary presented here in the painting “With Arms Wide Open”.

If you’re in need of a hug this Christmas, it’s coming right at you!

Enjoy the embrace!

Note: Keep scrolling past the poem to read about a second grotto visit, get a glimpse into the making of “With Arms Wide Open” and learn about some of its symbolism.

With Arms Wide Open

– A Collaborative Poem –

Thanks to all those who contributed name suggestions on Facebook! This is your poem as much as mine!

(The inner child speaks:)

“With Arms Wide Open” – Original (SOLD – 24″ x 48″) & prints available.

Holy Mary Grasped Anew,
Our Lady of Wisdom,
Guiding angel in the know,
Universal Protector,
Mary Magnificent,
Carry me within your
Open heart –
Oneness,
Assurance,
Wise love,
Mystery joined sacred,
Divine wisdom.
*

(Wisdom Mother answers:) 

Rise up Beloved!
I see you, divine creation
Welcoming the Universe
With open arms.
Fly with me in wisdom wholeness
In this holy shower of love.

Welcome home.
This is your Heaven on Earth
Elevated consciousness
Love & freedom!
Transcendence.

Much love & peace to you.
All is calm.
As above so below.
Ripples of consciousness flow from the divine
like waves of the eternal life-
Blessings on healing wings
Here to help you maneuver within
The realms of the unknown.

Open to the divine within.
Welcome home to yourself.
Arise!
Spread your Radiance
In the Light of Love.
Embrace the divine ascension
Embrace the wisdom of Spirit
For you are doubly blessed.

Glory in the highest.
Heaven lives above the mother
Guides in waiting,
Divine Helpers,
Radiant Clarity
Universal wisdom
Life Force is here within
The offer & acceptance…

The wisdom of love is
An amazing experience.
*
(The inner child replies:) 

Mary the Cosmic Matrix
Divine Lady of Radiant Wisdom and Protection
Owly Mary, mother of…
Revelation
Thank you

***

Lady of Lourdes Grotto in Flatrock, NL

A few weeks after our visit to the Renews Grotto  and the painting of “Our Lady of Light” , a small group of women made the 30-minute drive to Flatrock.

I’d parked there many times, but had been more interested in the beauty and energy of where the waterfall meets the ocean on the East Coast Trail. That’s the strongest land energy vortex I’ve felt in NL.

This time, we spent equal time at the shrine to Mary and the coast.

It was cold, snowy, and windy, so I didn’t record the meditation I channeled for the group.

That meditation was all about embracing the inner child, that divine child within every one of us.

A Bit of History

In 1954, the parish priest in Flatrock was one of millions of pilgrims to traveled to Lourdes in France. The pope of the time had declared 1954 the Marian year. Four years later, this shrine graced the community of Flatrock and has since received visitors from around the world.

Eight days before I heard him speak in Ottawa, Pope John Paul II had been on the island of Newfoundland to bless the fleet and pray at the Lady of Lourdes shrine in Flatrock.

The Making of “With Arms Wide Open”

When I returned home from our own mini pilgrimage, I continued working on the 2nd yellow background I’d started at the same time as “Our Lady of Light”.

This stained-glass-inspired frame was all about dots. Dots upon dots upon dots – like the layering of prayers.

I find dot-making so relaxing, so meditative, so blissful!

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Why the Owl?

I’d forgotten about the owl that had flown in an infinity sign in front of our car when we drove back from the Renews Grotto. It was a barn owl.

It had swooped down in front of the car, around a tree and back in front of the car – showing itself twice during our daylight drive.

A few minutes later, we stopped at a craft fair and owls were everywhere – carved owls, beaded owls, etc.

We knew it was a sign.

Owls are companions to seers & mystics – soul-spirit animals linked to spiritual persons through a special bond.

It seemed befitting to paint one with Mary.

They’re great guides in times of transitions, helping us to see clearly through the shadows and darkness.

They come from wholeness, pure energy – messengers of wisdom carried on wings of change.

As I was waiting to go to a Christmas concert after finishing the archway of this painting, I saw a vision of the owl coming through the portal over Mary’s head.

As I said, I’d forgotten about it. It was back!

It was both accompanying her and a part of Mary’s energy walking through the portal to offer us a hug.

Together they swept into our lives to lift us up and hold us in their embrace. Magical!

Can you feel it?

In my research, I learned about its special feathers: tiny comb-like serrated edges that allow the owl to fly silently through the night.

Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child
Holy infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace…

In this case – we are the infant being reborn into Christ Consciousness – a deep spiritual bliss and union with the Divine.

Why is Mary White with Blonde Hair?

Unlike in my previous painting, Mary in “With Arms Wide Open” is blonde.

I made this choice after my house-sister forwarded me a few  pages from the Book of Urantia that talked about Mary’s ancestry. I owned that huge tome twice in my life but have never read it. In it, it’s written that Mary was blonde with brown eyes.

Curious for more? Click here to access those pages on Mary, Joseph, and the birth of Jesus.

As for why she’s so white, it’s not to represent the caucasian race. I tend to paint many of my figures that way.

This colour that holds all colours (white light is composed of all colours of the spectrum) honours the Spirit-self, the Divine Light within all of us.

“With Arms Wide Open”
24″ x 48″
Acrylics on gallery-wrapped canvas.
SOLD

Prints of your desired size on paper, canvas, wood, acrylic and metal are available by clicking here.

Mary Christmas Hugs & Thanks for Hugging Back!

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Collaborative Poetry – inspiration begets inspiration

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“Ammonight” – 6″ x 6″ – Acrylics & ammonite on cradle board.

You’re invited to reflect on how today’s creative process mirrors your life?

Around the time of the October full moon, I started working on this painting with leftover paints & mediums from 2 other paintings.

A full moon circle ceremony later inspired its subject. Layer by layer, it evolved into what it is today – perfect in its many imperfections.

Since the painting didn’t whisper its name to me, I was then inspired to ask my Facebook Friends for suggestions.

44 people contributed names overnight.

From these, one spoke softly to my heart. Thanks Annie Parrell for  the name “Ammonight”.

And thanks to all who played with me –  your contributions were all incorporated into the poem below.

Nothing is created in pure isolation. We’re all connected and contributing to the creative flow. Inspiration begets inspiration.

Enjoy the results as we head towards the Cold Moon (Dec. 22nd) on the morning after Winter Solstice.

Ammonight

Oh Moon Mother,
Moonlight Pearl,
Your halo is the perfect offering
to the luminous cracks
of my spinning life.
*
Oh tempestuous moon,
Empress of the Night,
You feed my wanderlust,
My transformation,
My expansion.
*
I embark on this life flight,
To dive into the vortex
At the core of your illuminance
And rise above
The swirling currents
Of my moon shadows.
*
Ever-present sacred globe
Your lunar cycles
Illuminate the crackles
Of my sacred journey within.
In fullness I evolve
Unstuck between the cracks
In wholeness always.
*
Oh Evolution Moon,
Gateway to the galaxy,
You are the equinox
to my spiralling spirit
The entrance to Infinity.
*
Yes to the blessed moon shifts,
Sacred spirals spinning,
I finally understand that
The only constant in life
Is change itself.
*
This is my light shift
My Moon Effect
My Moonammonight cake.
*
I am of the illuminating crackle in the night.
I ammonight.

The Painting

So many different Golden professional paints & mediums went into the creation of such a small jewel – fluid colours, GAC 800, Crackle Paste, Clear Tar Gel, UVLS varnish.

I was also moved to incorporate an ammonite fossil. It symbolizes continual change and evolution. It’s a powerful earth healing fossil for health, prosperity, success and life path activation.

It’s all about intuition into action!

“Ammonight” (6″ x 6″ on cradle board) – SOLD
See all original paintings available here or go here to order prints of some of my work.

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Peace Evolution

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The best thing we can do in any situation is find our peace. From that peace is born unconditional love, inspired action, connection, and so much more.

The painting “Peace Evolution” was born from pours of iridescent colours that are sometimes only visible from some angles. Its shine and play on colours makes it a hard one to photograph – take a look at the photos below to see what I mean.

The creative process for this piece called for me to embrace the mystery as patience and time revealed its subtle beauty, inspiring whatever came next.

Two nautilus shells, almost transparent white from some angles and iridescent violet & blue from others, spiral in different directions. These symbolize the evolution of peace from turning inward and then back outwards into the world.

The triskele (triple spiral) is an ancient symbol of the triple goddess, Saint Brigid, earth-sea-sky, the holy trilogy, and body-mind-spirit. It’s all about movement and action. Peace is a verb as well as a state of being.

As for the peace dove, it just felt right during this pre-Christmas season.

All we do for own our peace eventually shines in the world.

Peace be with you! Peace be with us all.

Title: Peace Evolution
Year: © 2018
Size:  10“ x  10“ (25.4 cm x 25.4 cm)
Artist: Dominique Hurley
Materials: Professional acrylics & channeled energy work on cradle-board with painted edges. No framing required. 
Genre: intuitive painting, visionary art, energism art, spiritual art, inspirational art
SOLD

See all my original paintings for sale by clicking here.

 

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“Wisdom of the Matriarch” – the painting

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There’s a new relationship in my life. It’s with a whole species of trees – the weeping willow.

My new painting, “Wisdom of the Matriarch” is both a tribute to my communion with these magnificent beings and to my mother.

The Weeping Willow Connection

It all started during my September visit to Ottawa, when I visited my mother in long-term care for the first time.

This willow tree stopped me in my tracks as I was walking from the bus stop to her nursing home. I was in awe. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen one.  They’re definitely not common on the rocky island of Newfoundland,  where I live.

I’ve always loved trees. I’ve hugged them, photographed them, painted them – even had an exhibition called Treedom to honour them.

But I’ve never felt as strong a connection, a communication, an attraction to a species as I did to weeping willows during my 2 weeks in Ontario.

You see, it wasn’t only this willow that held me in its dancing breath every time I went to visit my mother. It was every single weeping willow during my road trip to southern Ontario with my father to visit the land of his ancestors.

We passed millions of trees driving. No matter if it was close to the road or off in some field, every weeping willow turned my head and joined me in spirit to my mother.

I was even called to deviate from my father’s bucket list by going for a short walk at the deserted Guelph Lake Conservation Area. It turns out its weeping willow trees have been a draw for years. No coincidence, I’m sure.

There’s more to it, but I’m still discovering the layers of our connection.

One link became clear as I shared all this on Facebook. One of my friends reminded me that willow branches are used to make dreamcatchers.

I was still in the process of writing the Dreamcatcher Prayer to go with the painting I’d finished right before my trip – see previous blog post.

So I knew this was an evolving relationship – a connection with one of our planet’s sacred Treedom communities.

The Creation of Wisdom of the Matriarch

When I returned to St. John’s, I knew I was meant to explore this relationship further through an energy-painting featuring a weeping willow.

It was an intuitive process. I painted the background not knowing what would come next.

It evolved layer by layer from the intricate structure of the trunk to the many depths and shades of leaves.

As I kept painting, I knew I was covering up its iridescent frame, but every layer called for another. And I listened. It was a deeply meditative process – much slower than shown in the video above.

It wasn’t about the look. That was getting so methodical and busy. Still, I kept layering weeping branches, eventually adding 3-D leaves.

After all that intricate work, I came into the studio one morning inspired to cover the whole structure with 3 colours of opaque and transparent pours.

I wish I’d taken a video of that freeing, liberating stage. It didn’t even occur to me in the burst of creative energy and satisfying release.

Ahhhhhh……

So much paint went into this piece, like with many of my pieces. Layers were lost but are still energetically present. It was as much about the co-creative process with Spirit as it was about the final look.

Naming of Wisdom of the Matriarch & Its New Home

Once it was done, I received an intuitive message not to price it as I do other 24″ x 36″ paintings. I was told I’d receive an offer for it and to accept it. I was also told not to name the painting – to let the customer do so.

Part of me was hesitant as this was a tribute to my mother and I wanted the name to reflect that. It couldn’t have turned out better.

The day I posted the photo of the final painting, one of my clients sent me a Facebook message saying how she cried looking at it. It reminded her of her friend who had just passed.

She came to see it and later made me an offer to be paid over the span of a year. I gladly accepted.

On her way home, she received its name. “Wisdom of the Matriarch”. It’s no coincidence that the name also honours my mother and our connection through weeping willows. It’s part of the divine plan.

Weeping Willow Symbolism

The weeping willow – Salix babylonica – is from the watery realm of emotion and intuition. It’s also a symbol of creativity, patience, and adjusting to the seasons of life.

According to Avia from my favourite symbolism website :

“The Celtic meaning of willow has a long history of symbolism associated with metaphysical and ritual practices.

Specifically, the willow wood has been (and still is) used in ceremonies intended for enhancement of psychic abilities,honoring the moon as well as increase the essence of love in our lives.”

It also encourages flexibility – to adjust with life rather than fight it.

I got to witness this on the afternoon that the tornado hit Ottawa. As I left my mother’s residence, the winds had picked up dramatically. The willow was dancing wildly as I watched it shake off a few branches that someone was harvesting. But its core was strong, bending and swaying – alive with resilient energy!

I can see how all this relates to my mother – her strength over the years, flexibility, intuition, and acceptance of the rhythms of life.

I love you Maman! I feel you Maman!

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Soul Mate Series: Re-United

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sun and moon soul mate painting

“Re-United” (12″ x 18″) –Original  $1247 Cdn, prints available here.

Re-United: The Painting

I wasn’t even finished “Twin Flames” when I received the vision for “Re-United”, the third and final piece in the Soul Mate Series.

In this coming together of the sacred feminine & masculine, the woman is and emerges from the energy of the moon and man is and emerges from the energy of the sun.

They’re now face to face in an earthly field of white & gold mica, oozing with the energy of love & compassion.

Behind this space in which soul mates have been re-united, you find the centre of a Vesica Pisces – the overlapping of two circles that expand beyond what the eyes can see and what the canvas can hold. These two larger circles represent the soul mates’ everlasting lifetimes beyond this incarnation.

It’s within the core of this sacred geometry that grows the tree of life. Its roots are seeded with sparkly treasures – the agreements and experiences from previous lifetimes and the in-between. Its branches grow the sparkly fruits of this lifetime and the spirally unfolding of mutual growth on the learning journey to unconditional love.

The astral glow in “Re-United” recognizes that although we may stand whole in our own light, this light is mirrored and magnified as we come face to face with our soul mate.

Title: Re-United
Year: © 2018
Size: 18 “ x  24“ (45.72 cm x 61 cm)
Artist: Dominique Hurley
Materials: Professional acrylics, mica (love & compassion) & channeled energy work on gallery-wrapped canvas with painted edges. No framing required. 
Genre: intuitive painting, visionary art, energism art, spiritual art, inspirational art
Price: $1,247 CAD  – Buy it here
Prints also available

Soul Mates

Soul mates aren’t always lovers. They come in many forms – friends, family, etc.  Some are re-united for a moment, a day, a chapter, or until death parts their human incarnations. However long their journey together, it has a purpose rooted in a deep love – an opportunity for growth.

Some soul mates, of course, come together in sacred romantic relationship to fulfill their role as supporters of each others’ soul growth.

This painting celebrates the sacredness of such soul mate relationships – whether romantic or not.

I’ll admit, however, that this series came into being through me after I received visions of my ideal life in which I’ve been re-united in a soul mate relationship. I’ve been blessed with two soul mate relationships in the past. But these were years ago. I may be happy single, but as the expression goes, two “haves” make a whole.

So it was time for my art to reflect this new reality coming into materialization. After all, where attention goes, energy flows. So be it, so I let it be.

The Soul Mate Series

Soul Mate Series painting of moon & sun1.  Betwixt Day & Night
12″ x 18″
Acrylics, mica, amethyst, and glass beads on canvas

Click to purchase
Prints on demand available
Blog Post here

Soul Mate Series with sun and moon in double vesica pisces2. Twin Flames
12″ x 18″
Acrylics, mica, mirror, and glass beads on canvas

$1,247
Click to purchase
Prints also available
Blog post here

Re-United sun & moon soul mate painting3.  Re-United
12″ x 18″
Acrylics & mica on canvas

$1,247
Click to purchase
Prints also available

 

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Soul Mate Series: Twin Flames

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Soul Mate Series with sun and moon in double vesica pisces

“Twin Flames” celebrates the coming together of two ‘haves’ into a greater whole for the Highest Good of both individuals but also the Greater Good of the planet.

There’s lots of confusion about the definition of “twin flames”. It’s not about being incomplete without the other half of your soul. I like the definition on the Twin Flame Connection website:

“A twin flame relationship is a divine union with a divine purpose. … The twin flame relationship is the deepest romantic connection on the planet but this is not the sole purpose of a twin flame relationship, contrary to popular belief. The twin flame connection is about bringing something positive to the world by working together through your divine union.”

Twin Flames: The Painting

Title: Twin Flames
Year: © 2019
Size:  18“ x  24“ (45.72 cm x 61 cm)
Artist: Dominique Hurley
Materials: Professional acrylics, glass beads, mica (love & compassion), mirror & channeled energy work on gallery-wrapped canvas with painted edges. No framing required. 
Genre: intuitive painting, visionary art, energism art, spiritual art, inspirational art
Price: $1,247 CAD – Buy it here
Prints also available

The sun and the moon in this painting have continued their journey and united to form a vertical Vesica Pisces, sacred geometry of two becoming one in Divine Oneness.

This vertical Vesica Pisces represents the connection between Heaven & Earth – our souls with our Higher Selves,  Source, and sacred purpose.

If you look closely, there’s a horizontal Vesica Pisces in the space where the larger one  joins. This second Vesica Pisces representing the sacred human relationship – the connection here on the earth plane.

In the centre of that one, embedded in mica (energy of love & compassion) is a mirror.  For the eye is the mirror of the soul and relationship a mirror for the way we see life and each other. It helps magnify and shine the light within us and back out into the world.

The faces in “Twin Flames” are slightly closer together than those in “Betwixt Day & Night”. Their inner fire has fuelled them forward and towards each other to fulfill that sacred purpose.

And the power of this re-union is sending strong ripple effects of Light into the world.

I started working on this painting just as Steve Nobel of the Soul Matrix posted this video on YouTube. When I’m not listening to one of the meditations I channel, I’m usually listening to one of his.

This video became part of my practice during the creation of my Soul Mate Series and may appeal to you too.

The Soul Mate Series

Soul Mate Series painting of moon & sun1.  Betwixt Day & Night
12″ x 18″
Acrylics, mica, amethyst, and glass beads on canvas

$1,247
Click to purchase
Prints on demand available
Blog Post here

Soul Mate Series with sun and moon in double vesica pisces

Twin Flames
12″ x 18″
Acrylics, mica, mirror, and glass beads on canvas

$1,247
Click to purchase
Prints also available

Re-United sun & moon soul mate painting

3.  Re-United
12″ x 18″
Acrylics & mica on canvas

$1,247
Click to purchase
Prints also available
Blog Post here

 

 

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