Tag Archive for: painting

Introducing the 12 Universal Laws – Enter the Mandala

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Transform your life from the inside out!

Become the conscious creator you were meant to be.mandala-mix

Enter the mandalas to journey deep into the 12 Universal Laws that govern our lives.  

The more you understand them, the happier you’ll be.

Come on in!

*Note: The full collection of originals is now available for purchase. Learn more here.

A Universal Spirituality

Enter the Mandala is an invitation to open up to the Divine Energy that is in everything and everyone everywhere.  It’s also an invitation to go deeper into both your Self and All That Is.

The Universal Laws go beyond religion – they govern all our lives.

Mandalas

The word “mandala” means “sacred circle” in Sanskrit. These have long been used as spiritual tools in many cultures and religions.

Mandalas help focus attention, provide guidance, and establish sacred space for meditation.  They’re a portal into the Universal Energy Flow.

This spiritual and artistic project began when I received intuitive guidance to create a series of 12 mandala paintings based on the Universal Laws.

Some of the Laws were already familiar to me by name or essence. But this was the first time I’d studied them directly with my team of Divine Helpers (Source, Guides, Angels, Higher Self, etc.).

The symbolism in these mandalas was pulled from an intuitive reading that began the process of inquiry into each Universal Law.

The Twelve Universal Laws

Many are familiar with the Law of Attraction, made popular by the movie The Secret and the channellings of Abraham Hicks.  I’ve shared stories on stage of how this law has worked in my life.  It’s truly amazing.

But it’s not the only Law. There are 12.

Click on an image to enter the mandala and its lessons – delivered in words, images, and energy.

Law of Divine Oneness

1. The Law of Divine Oneness

Law of Vibration Mandala

2. The Law of Vibration

The Law of Action mandala

3. The Law of Action

Law of Correspondence mandala

4. The Law of Correspondence

The Law of Cause and Effect mandala

5. The Law of Cause and Effect

The Law of Compensation Mandala

6. The Law of Compensation

The Law of Attraction mandala

7. The Law of Attraction

The Law of Perpetual Transmutation of Energy mandala

8. Perpetual Transmutation…

9. The Law of Relativity

9. The Law of Relativity

Law-of-Polarity-Dominique-Hurley

10. The Law of Polarity

11. The Law of Rhythm

11. The Law of Rhythm

12. The Law of Gender

12. The Law of Gender

Enter-the-Mandala-All-In-One-Dominique-HurleyOnce I was completed the 12 mandalas, I was guided to review and summarize all 12 into one final mandala.  Click here for a full view of the painting and the written summary on all 12 laws.

Want a Mandala Print? Click to Go to my Online Shop

The Inquiry Process?

The creative process into the 12 Universal Laws as you see here lasted 10 months. It included:

  • asking: intuitive guidance
  • creating: 30″x 30″ mandala paintings
  • investigating: researching the symbolism, reading & listening
  • discussing: on my blog and during live community events
  • reflecting: the learning & remembering never ends

This project is part of my own transformational journey. But it’s so much more than that.

The mandalas have become teaching tools. They’re a chance for you to:

  • connect with the energy behind the art, your Higher Self, the Laws, and each other
  • engage with the intuitive process
  • learn about the creative process
  • engage in discussion
  • participate in life-enhancing exhibitions and events

May these mandalas empower you on your journey, in whichever form you choose to bring them into your life.

The creation of the Enter the Mandala Project artwork was supported in part by the City of St. John’s.
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Purchase the Collection of Original Paintings.
Mandala prints available in many sizes and mediums. Click to learn more
Universal Law Guided Meditations Bundle. Click to learn more

 

Go to Mandala #1: Law of Divine Oneness
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Painting: “I’ve Got Your Back”

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Ive got your back-Dominique HurleyHere’s a clear example of creating out of necessity.

This painting was born from a state of desperately needing to reconnect to Source, to Support, to Purpose, to Love during a period when I’m spending 10-16 hours a day learning and building my new website.  I get overwhelmed and scared much too easily when it comes to technology.

So I took Easter Sunday off the computer to dive back into the creative realms that nourish me on so many levels.

Can you feel the energy that was channeled through this blessed image?

It spent the whole next day beside me at the computer and my eyes sought it often as panic and frustration mounted.

It reminded me to breathe and connect on a moment by moment basis. Very empowering!

I’m glad to say I’m in a much better space now because of it (although still only making baby steps towards my goals). Still, it’s progress.  Thank you dear God and Guiding Spirits, Angels of Light and Love.  I know you’re here – all I need to do is remember to ask for help.

We only need but ask…

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“I’ve Got Your Back” – 15″ x 30″ – acrylics on gallery-wrapped canvas (no framing required) 

Original – Sold.  See  Prints in my online shop.

May this painting bring you whatever message you need to hear today.

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“Side by Side” – the painting

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Side by Side-Dominique Hurley “Side by Side“, 30″ x 40”, mixed media (acrylics, granular gel, light molding paste, glass beads, acrylic paints) on gallery-stretched canvas.   Go to my online shop for the Original and Prints.

Note: the photo does not show the reflective nature of some of the colours – this painting shimmers live and looks different from different angles.

The Final Day (almost):

What a blissful day on Sunday – I had decided to take a complete day off B-School to paint (and sing) – and that’s just what I did. I didn’t even check our 2 B-School Facebook Groups (they do get addictive…).

I started very early in the morning with Kirtan music (Sanskrit chanting) and switched to 50s and 60s music after lunch. I never did get around to taking my shower (not a common phenomenon!)…

After a late afternoon walk with a friend in Bowring Park (where I delighted in the endless parade of dogs of all kinds and sizes) and a bowl of healthy mung bean stew, I headed back to the studio and kept working late into the evening.

When I saw number 444 on my camera, however, I understood my guides were telling me it was enough for one day – it was already past 10pm and I’m usually in bed at 9. Plus, I was starting to get annoyed with myself – not a space to paint in.

The next morning, I woke up to the blizzard outside and my morning meeting cancelled, so I continued working on my painting for a little while before wiring and varnishing it.

The Creative Process:

I have had such an amazing time with this painting since the last Studio Sneak Peek. I invite you to join me in that creative process today. If you’ve missed the previous 2 posts and want to experience the progression from the start, you can access 1) “Love, Beauty & Mystery” by clicking here and 2) “Yinning and Yanning” here.

After finishing work on the couple, including the dots following the hairlines,

23_wip-Dominique Hurley-DLH_1533I continued working on the outer rings.  You’ll see the progression here – notice that I painted white under the orange because I wanted my orange to be nice and bright. It would have been much darker and muted if I had painted on top of other colours.  Also, I didn’t want to use the fluorescent orange I had speckled the base with because fluorescent paints aren’t lightfast. I may use UV resistant varnish, but I haven’t tested whether that would be enough to stop these accents from dimming with time.

I like to use the highest grade of professional acrylic paints available for a reason.  I’m reminded of the importance of that each time I visit my parents and see one of the faded paintings I made in the early 90s. It’s still beautiful, but some of the colours have disappeared. I’ve learned a lot since then.

Then I dove into Zentangles® in the corners.  I’ll confess, I was listening to one of the audio books for B-School that day and while my left brain was busy with that, my right brain got lost in the meditative trance of pattern making.  I had originally thought of just making a small pattern with ample space around the circle and around the edges, but as you can see, I got carried away and went all the way from the corner to the circle.

With dark against dark the circle lost its power. No worries. There are no mistakes in intuitive painting.  So out came the pearl and white.  I liked that and decided to balance the results with patterns in the opposite corner, but not as heavily there.

Great!  After looking at it for a while, I decided to grace the couple with a halo.  This representation of unconditional love naturally glowed. 🙂  I used zinc white for this because, unlike Titanium White, it’s transparent.  I went around the circle twice before adding rays of Titanium white lines.  Remember, you can click on an image to see it larger.

I then decided to empower the painting with one of the sacred sigils I developed in Vienna (learn how in a previous post).

How many times have I said there are no mistakes in intuitive painting?  Well, there aren’t.  After spending the afternoon working on these symbols (and even signing it), I realized that they pulled the eye in all directions.  The painting was much better (visually speaking) without them.  Just look at these side by side.  Do you see what I mean?

So I spent the whole evening starting the process over in those two corners- warm colour marks, followed by cool colour marks, followed by a gold glaze to unify.  Here’s where I understood advice I once heard – take notes.  I couldn’t tell which of my 3 golds I had used in the previous glaze…

It wasn’t quite right – too orangy and too flat.  I compared it to my early shots and much preferred it before.  So more mark-making to bring some of the magentas in and another couple of glazes – violets and golds (2 kinds).  In total, there are about 10 layers of paint on top of those two sigils, but if you look very carefully at the live painting, you can still see their texture – wonderful! Their energy is still there, even if their visual representation has been covered up.

What this last part process reminded me, however, is that it’s no use wanting to go back in time and try to recreated the exact same results.  Attaching to the way things were only brings misery (isn’t that so true in relationships as well?).

The painting has evolved. It’s different – it’s not really a case of better or worse. It just is – and I love it!

What about you?  Does this painting or process speak to you? How? Feel free to comment below.

Side by Side-Dominique Hurley

Title: Side by Side
Year: © 2015
Size: 30 “ x 40“ (76.2 cm x 101.6 cm)
Artist: Dominique Hurley
Materials: Professional acrylics, granular gel, light molding paste, glass beads & 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: $3,700 CAD
Buy Original and Prints.
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New Painting: “The Holy Instant”

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The Holy Instant-views-Dominique HurleyIntroducing:  “The Holy Instant”, 15″ x 30″, acrylics on gallery-wrapped canvas (no framing required) – SOLD

I keep thinking every next post will be a short one, but there’s a whole story behind this painting – one that started way before I painted it and continually evolved during the process. I’m sure it won’t end there either.

Fortunately and unfortunately, I got so much into the painting process that I forgot to photograph many of the steps along the way.  In the end, however, this painting has between 12-20 visible layers and countless invisible layers that I have yet to discover.

The Photo That Started It All:

I was at my housemate’s son’s girlfriend’s apartment for dinner one night.  Actually, she was renting it from one of her friends who happened to own two of my paintings – cool, eh?  It was a lovely evening – the company, the food, the atmosphere, the music.  I’m not sure how the technology worked, but I think the music was connected to the large flat screen TV on the wall that had a rotating wildlife photography slideshow on it. I recognized a few as famous shots.

A male red bird of paradise performing the practice of plumage display at a tree-top lek, where the males gather. The two central tail feathers, which are black and ribbonlike, have a plastic feel. Credit: Tim Laman

A male red bird of paradise performing the practice of plumage display at a tree-top lek, where the males gather. The two central tail feathers, which are black and ribbonlike, have a plastic feel. Credit: Tim Laman

There was this one photo, however, that literally took my breath away.  I had a difficult time being present with my hosts every time this image appeared on screen.  It was as if it was sending vibrations of pure love through every cell of my being, elevating my spirit beyond the here and now to a space of timelessness.  Try navigating that while trying to hold dinner conversation…  I finally went up to the TV and waited for it to reappear again so I could take a picture of it to take home with me. I knew I wanted to paint it. I seem to have 3 themes going in the studio: spirit trees, messenger birds, and stylized humans having spiritual experiences.

It was only after I had finished the painting and put Google magic to work (using the words “red, yellow, bird, long tail feathers”) that I found out that this was a red bird of paradise photographed by Tim Laman in the rain forest of Papua New Guinea as part of a National Geographic project.  What would we do without Google!

Personal Symbolism:

The Holy Instant-Dominique HurleyAs I was painting it, it dawned on me why the image may have had such a powerful effect on me.  I kept feeling the presence of the Holy Spirit and figured out that something about this bird reminded me of the many images of a radiating dove with its wings spread open that I had often seen in school or at church as a child – the image that often represents the Holy Spirit.

Before I had figured that out, however, I also felt a Christ-energy coming from it.  Although the head was down, it awoke in me the image of Jesus on the cross with his arms spread open. That wasn’t quite it though. As I was connecting to the energy, it occurred to me that it was more from the story after that story (not of the crucifixion or even the ascension), but when he came back down again.  There was this whole Heaven to Earth movement going on, a download of Divine Energy that I could not begin to describe (although I have done my best to do so…).

This is the kind of space I was painting in this past couple of weeks, layer after layer.  The fact that the main tail feathers ended up more like a pear-shaped mermaid’s tail is somewhat of an accident. I guess I subconsciously wanted or needed to put a bit of myself in there – the pear-shaped part, not the mermaid.  That brought the union of Heaven and Earth even deeper into the creative process. Then to frame all that with the two long ribbon-like feathers that were almost heart shaped was perfect – especially since I finished it on Valentine’s Day.

Cultural Symbolism:

Of course the name of the bird was perfect for what I’d been experiencing – bird of paradise. I was not surprised, yet totally thrilled to find out that it has had similar symbolism attached to it for two thousand years.  My Google research revealed that it was rumoured to have come from the Heavenly realms, from paradise, and symbolized the miracle of life on Earth.  The bird of paradise brought with it closeness to God or even favor from God.  And as I found on on many tattoo websites,

Because the bird is usually depicted in flight, those persons wearing a Bird of Paradise tattoo may be announcing to the world that their psychic kinship is with beings who prefer to ‘rise above it all.

It also has a deep spiritual significance for all peoples of Papua New Guinea, who use their feathers and dance their dances to get back the part of themselves that living takes away – a flying spirit.

The Name: “The Holy Instant”

The first name that came to me for this painting was “Holy Spirit”, but I changed my mind as I was listening to my friend read from her study group’s notes on A Course In Miracles (a unique, universal, self-study spiritual thought system that teaches that the way to Love and Inner Peace is through Forgiveness). You may know about the Course in Miracles through the work of Gabrielle Bernstein and Marianne Williamson (who will be in Ottawa on April 30, in Montreal on May 1 and here in St. John’s on May 4th – see details here). As my friend read about the holy instant, I recognized that expansive feeling inside me when I first saw the photo.

“The holy instant is a miniature of Heaven, sent you FROM heaven. …  in the absence of thinking, in the absence of reasserting the magnificent frame around the limited tiny miserable experience of life that you’re having, instead of that, you simply say, “Father, Holy Spirit, what is the truth here?  What is God’s truth here?”… Without that huge frame and all the meanings that you have all agreed to, there’s nothing to stand in the way of the direct experience . . . the simple direct experience of the divinity of everything and provide yourself the avenue for Awakening….The holy instant is a miniature of eternity. It is a picture of timelessness, set in a frame of time.  . . . so the whole of Heaven lies in this instant, borrowed from eternity, and set in time for you.” ~ Paul Tuttle channeling Raj (another name for Jesus), June 18 2011

Doesn’t that sound like what I was trying to describe?  I wouldn’t describe my life as a “limited tiny miserable experience”, but in comparison to living in the holy instant, I get what he’s saying.  My friend was reminded of that passage as I talked about the ornate frame of tangle patterns that I had painted outside of the quiet radiant space in which the bird of paradise existed.  I’m not sure if you can see it, but it all just fits and so this became “The Holy Instant”.

The Making Of:

As I mentioned, I worked on this over the span of a couple of weeks and layer upon layer. I don’t have many photos of the creative process, but have included what I have.

 

And here are a bunch of detail shots from the finished painting.

The cool thing, as always when I use Golden’s interference paints, is that in certain lights and from certain angles, you cannot see the radiant iridescent blue glaze on the left side of the canvas and violet on the right. The painting transforms as you move. It’s truly magical. That’s why a photo of many of my paintings cannot yet replicate the experience of being with an original. Still, I tried to capture it here for you.  These are not before and after shots, but photographs taken at slightly different angles.

The Holy Instant-sideview-Dominique Hurley“The Holy Instant” – SOLD
15″ x 30″
Acrylics on gallery-wrapped canvas
(no framing required)

Go to my shop to see all available paintings & reproductions.

What do you think?

Or, more importantly,

how do you feel as you look at it?

Feel free to comment below.

 

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New Painting: The Way of the Phoenix

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The Way of the Phoenix-Dominique Hurley

Introducing:  “The Way of the Phoenix” – 24″ x 48″, acrylics & glass beads on canvas (SOLD)

Go to my shop to see all available paintings & reproductions.

The Way of the Phoenix is about transformation, rebirth, mystery, and creativity. It’s also about taking leaps of faith to explore beyond our comfort zones in order to follow those strong inner calls of the soul. It asks us to let go of all that no longer serves us in order to be reborn in the flight of Love and Light. 

Actually, this isn’t a new new painting.  I finished it in November, but had to keep it offline as a condition for submitting it to a province-wide competition.  Alas, it and 96 other entries didn’t make it to the final round. That’s simply not where it was meant to be. No worries – it means that I can finally reveal it to you now.

The Fire in my Life:

I have long identified with the Phoenix as a symbol of transformation – I’ve painted a few in my time…  I also discovered along the way that it’s one of the symbols for my western astrological sign: Scorpio (the only sign represented by more than one creature: serpent, scorpion, eagle, and phoenix).  As Lynn Hayes explains,

At the end of its life it built a funeral pyre and burned in the flames, only to regenerate its progeny from those very flames. The Scorpio nature cannot run from the destruction of the fire of its emotional intensity, but within that fire is the secret of immortality and resurrection. Scorpio is a water sign but Mars bestows the essence of fire as well and with it the courage to enter the fire and become transformed.

Paired with being a Fire Horse in Chinese astrology, there’s simply a lot of fire in me.  It’s what you would call a recurring theme…

If you recall my writings from Bali, my skin issues (eczema) stem from having an excess of fire in my system (as told by a traditional Balinese medicine man, an Ayurveda doctor, and traditional Chinese doctor). The first medicine man told me I had to find ways to be even more creative, so that the fire doesn’t consume me. I’m working on it! Come to think of it, a spiritual advisor told me more than a decade ago that I had a volcano inside that simply needed to erupt, and that if I healed my skin in one area, it would simply find another exit.  I needed to go deep and deal with the fire at the core.  Still working on that too!

Although I don’t recall exactly why, I strongly identified with the story of Joan of Arc growing up (represented in one of my early paintings). Later, through past life regressions, I connected with several lifetimes in which I met my physical end through fire. When I let go of the drama of the details in those stories, I was left with an understanding of the power of detachment and rebirth.

As Dominique Hurley in this lifetime, the way of the phoenix has materialized as distinct chapters marked by various geographical locations, personal circumstances, and careers – yet with a strong underlying storyline of learning to be True to Who I AM. My life seems to be one of constant transformation – as they say, there’s nothing constant in life but change itself.

I do not fear the fire – it is my teacher, my rite of passage, my gateway to freedom.  I am still learning, however, to release it from my being through self-love and self-expression. As I continue to follow The Way of the Phoenix, I will continue to rise above the complex patterns of human behaviour to a state of higher consciousness and pure unconditional love – in this lifetime or beyond.

Do you relate to anything in that story or in this painting?

THE MAKING OF:

The underlying layers of fire were created through a very watery process. 🙂 Yes, we live in a world of contradictions.

I then used stencils that I made to create the face and figure out of glass bead gel.  In terms of spiritual meaning, glass represents truth or transparency. It’s the passage/barrier between the physical and spiritual realms.  It also carries the energies of transformation, rebirth, focus and communication.  I love glass bead gel (which is white when applied, but dries transparent) because in certain lights and at certain angles, it reflects in a most magical way that my final photos simply can’t show.

I then used tar gel in a squeeze bottle to design the phoenix and the flames. I wanted these to be raised and filled with the fire patterns from the first layers.

wip_IMG_8587Once these were dry, I applied several layers of purple and violet glazes around the raised elements.  These layers are not completely opaque as I wanted the spirit of fire to show through, unifying the whole.

I then had hours and hours of fun with a tiny paintbrush applying the patterns that make up our lives and environment.

I then glazed these in magentas and violet to push them back into the background – representing the fact that not all of our patterns are seen or clear. They also represent the mysteries of life.

wip_WayOfThePhoenix-DominiqueHurley-DLH_0395Once that was dry, I used a fan brush to add wisps of colour in the wings and tail – these are in an interference paint that can only be seen at some angles and in certain lights. This means that the painting appears quite different at different times of day.  Here it is in low lighting.

The Way of the Phoenix_lowlight-Dominique Hurley

Here are a few more detail shots of the final piece.

Both creating and beholding this painting have been powerful experiences for me – does it also speak to you?  Feel free to explain why in the comments below.

“The Way of the Phoenix” – 24″ x 48″, acrylics & glass beads on canvas (SOLD).

Go to my shop to see all available paintings & reproductions.

 

 

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Studio Sneak Peek: The Couple

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Dominique Hurley-wip-DLH_1139Have you seen the movie “The Secret“? It’s a wonderful film about the Law of Attraction.  It brought a lot of what I already believed to the mainstream as it bridged the spiritual and business worlds. It also enhanced my understanding and practice of manifestation.  Anyway, there’s this one scene where Marie Diamond, an expert in feng shui (a Chinese philosophical system of harmonizing people with their surrounding environment), was retelling the story of how she advised an art director interested in attracting relationships to stop painting women with their backs turned to the viewer – something he’d been doing for years.  She suggested he paint scenes with the kind of relationship he wanted to manifest. It worked for him. That’s what I’m now feeling called to do for myself.  My 2015 intuitive vision board also seemed to incorporate a movement in that direction – notice how the couple here is beside a building in colours and patterns much like what I’ve been moved to create with my current painting?

2015 Vision Board piece I haven’t been in a relationship for about 5 years now. I don’t mind. It’s been a fantastic 5 years!  I’ve been following my heart, connecting with my path, growing personally and spiritually, all the while learning to be more unconditionally loving in my relationship with myself and those around me.  Indeed, I’ve been exploring and expressing my love of beauty and the beauty of love in many fulfilling ways. I don’t need a committed relationship, but I’m definitely open to one with the right man for me.  Being in a soul-connected relationship has been a part of my psyche since a very young age. I haven’t been proactive in that area though, being quite the introvert.  After all, you don’t meet a lot of people when you’re a happy hermit in your art cave, or attend events that mostly attract women.  I’m feeling the energy shifting though, and am open to seeing what I’m moved to create with it.

At the dawn of 2015, I sensed that it was time to expand on my painting repertoire of empowered, intuitive, peaceful, playful, blossoming, and spiritually connected women – a visual representation of what I have been manifesting and experiencing in my own life.

Now I’m being called to paint couples, and the visions are coming to me much faster than I can paint them.

In my current painting (see its beginnings in a previous post),  I see the couple as being firmly rooted to the ground and reaching upwards in a joint commitment to growth.  They stand strong, centered, present, and balanced on their own in this pose of dynamic stillness, yet they stand together in a spirit of awareness, support, respect, and unconditional love on a shared path.

This week I sketched them on paper and traced them onto the canvas using white transfer paper. The marks wash off really easily. It’s great.

Dominique Hurley-wip-DLH_1151I then painted in their forms in white titanium acrylic paint (which is opaque). This allowed the colours I used on top to be much more vivid and clear than if I had painted them on all the layers of blue underneath.

I then had fun looking through my new Tangle Pattern Guide – 2015 edition for various patterns to fill each bubble.  I sometimes create my own, but imitation is a great way to expand and it is encouraged by the creators of Zentangle®. I  used shades of greenish blues (turquoise, teal, etc.) for her – a 3-hour session – and darker blues for him – another 3-hour session. I also used rounder smoother patterns for her and more angular patterns for him.  I not only want them to represent a couple, but also the masculine and feminine.  I may still work on his head… somehow the whole square-head thing doesn’t sit well 🙂  . We’ll see…. Once I finished with all the blues, I decided to go in with some gold to unify them.  Fun!

New Toys For the Studio!

Dominique Hurley-wip-DLH_1157I finally received my order of the newly released Liquitex Professional Paint Markers this week. I bought them online on sale over Christmas. I had been looking for fine-tipped refillable markers while in Ottawa to put my Golden High Flow paints in when I came across these.  I didn’t want to make tangle patterns with regular markers – some inks would be incompatible with acrylics. Others aren’t acid-free or archival in nature.  I was also concerned that if I used oil paint markers (which are quite smelly), I wouldn’t be able to paint with acrylics again on top.  There’s a whole fat over lean principle when it comes to the chemistry of paint – something I learned in Vienna.  The 2-4mm chisel points on these are a bit large for some patterns / areas, but that’s OK.  I still really enjoyed working with them, especially since I had to move my studio up to the main floor after a few water pipes broke last weekend in the studio.  I’ve been looking at the affirmation “Let go, let it flow” on my studio wall differently since then. 🙂   We’re now having all our water pipes replaced in the house.  Being in the front office, I didn’t want to risk spilling paint anywhere, so the markers are perfect. I’m also enjoying looking out of doors as I paint and working on a higher surface than in my studio.  I definitely need to get myself a regular height table when I move back to my beloved art cave.

I also got some of the tools I ordered to create my mandala series: a couple protractors and a giant compass that can make 24″ circles if I use the rod it came with, or circles up to 10 feet if I buy a longer 1/2″ dowel  Fun!

I’m thinking ahead to the tree – I’m not sure where to go with it. I’ve got 2 tree shapes that I’m considering.  Which one do you like the most?  Left or right?  Ignore the colours – I was just playing in Photoshop to consider the shapes and how they would overlap with the snowflakes. Also ignore the fact that the one on the left has leaves and the one on the right is so thick and ends abruptly.  I’m thinking symbolism as much as shape – it’s a tough call… folks on Facebook this week have been voting for the one on the left. You?

which one

This painting is far from finished. The intricacies of detail have made this a very meditative practice.  Stay tuned for the next Studio Sneak Peek to see where it goes from here.

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Studio Sneak Peek: Snowflakes

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11-Dominique Hurley-wip-DLH_1126

While staring at a blank 30″ x 40″ canvas during a pre-Christmas morning rebounding session, I received a vision for a painting of a couple standing together in tree pose.  The background was to be filled with large snowflakes in the Zentangle® style.  Saturday’s snowy photo shoot (see previous post) was perfect to get me in the mood.  This is also true of the book “Zen Doodling Mandalas that I picked up in Ottawa over the holidays (a natural purchase since I had already decided to create a dozen 30″ x 30” mandalas in 2015).  As I’m waiting for my $1000 order of canvas to launch that project, I decided to start on my painting of the couple, using the snowflake instructions from one of the chapters in my new book.

Background:

I started this painting process as I do most times – by using sacred palo santo smoke to smudge myself, my space and the canvas.  I then added a drop of blessed water from the Chalice Well in Glastonbury to my spray bottle to wet the canvas (and a dash on myself). It feels great to open myself, the space and the canvas for a whole new creative process.

The background will eventually be quite dark and the figures lighter. At least that’s how I envision it, but I’m going half planned and half intuitively with this painting, so we’ll see what happens.

I started with a very watery mix of white, pearl, interference blue-green, and 4 shades of blue.  Once that was dry, I added a glaze of pearl and 2 interference colours (they shine various colours at various angles).

Cutting Snowflakes:

Using my compass to make circles and a protractor that I printed from an online file to measure the 60 and 120 degree points on a folded circle, I then folded the left corner to the right mark and the right corner to the left mark. Then I folded it again in half.  Then I drew designs and cut them. Unfolding them is so much fun as the results are always a surprise.

Stencils:

I then placed them on the canvas, measuring carefully, and used a sponge to gently tap one shade of blue around them.  Voilà!

Tangle Patterns:

I then added darker circles (-ish… I wasn’t going for precision) to add contrast and spent the rest of the weekend listening to music and painting patterns in various shades of blue, pearl, silver, and interference blue. I have no idea how much of this will show in the final painting, but it was fun.  Here are the final 5 smaller snowflakes.  Click on any image to see it larger.

 

 

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Another Transitional Painting: Life by Design

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Life by Design-Dominique HurleyYay! Yay! Yay!  That’s just how I feel about this, my 2nd crossover painting (started in 2014 and finished in 2015).

It’s called “Life by Design“, in honour of all I’m living as a full-time artist this year and all I’m writing about in my new series of articles by the same name.

The figure is one I quickly sketched in Vienna during a live model drawing session, soon after learning about the Zentangle® movement.  When I saw her on my parents’ fridge at Christmas, I just had to make a copy to incorporate her on this work in progress (6-8 layers of paint waiting for an inspiration).

There’s just something about her that makes me smile – it’s that mix of playful, flirty, shy, excited, and brave stance as she looks into a future that’s totally hers to design. I can almost hear her say “Oh Goody! Now what?” It’s  also her special blend of simplicity through fluid lines and complexity through the multitude of patterns and experiences that make her completely unique in this world.

Life by Design-low lighting-Dominique HurleyI spent several hours painting her while listening to the 2015 Thriving Artist Summit (a free series of inspirational and educational 1-hour talks online that runs daily until January 18th – highly recommended for any artist). This painting is definitely infused with all that empowering energy.

I glazed over some of the tangle patterns using various transparent colours, including a special paint that can only be seen from certain angles or in certain lighting.  This is a reminder that no matter our moods or environment, we can choose to let our colours shine.

It was after stepping back and contemplating her for a while that I saw her path shape before her – made of her own substance and colours with an added layer of gold-coloured mica flakes (love, compassion), energizing her life with passion and purpose.

Life by Design-detail2-Dominique HurleySometimes (or often in some cases), our hearts may call us to live outside the box, off the beaten track, – that’s why I so enjoyed painting her path off the face of the canvas and around the side. I remember an art teacher once telling me that I should constrain my subjects more as I often had them go beyond the frame.  I listened and thought about it, but then decided to disagree.  Art was the one area where I could freely express myself and not worry about social norms, expectations, and all the constraints in other areas of my life.  I didn’t want to paint inside the box… and so this path winds off the face of the canvas, beginning and ending in a spiral – symbol of evolution, holistic growth, awareness, and connectivity with cosmic energies.

Life by Design – 12″ x 24″ – acrylics & mica on gallery-wrapped canvas (no framing required).  – SOLD.  Click here for prints.

Go to my shop to see all available originals and reproductions.

By the way, I’ve decided to name my first crossover painting “This Little Light of Mine“, after the song that I often find my self singing and dancing to.  It has been sold.

Dominique Hurley_0971

 

 

 

 

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New Painting: November Showers

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It’s easy to figure out what inspired this painting, simply by its name.  Being back in Newfoundland, it’s inevitable that I would add to my collection of weather-inspired pieces.

November Showers-Dominique Hurley

November Shower detail1- Dominique HurleyThis is “November Showers“- 12″ x 16”, acrylics & glass beads on gallery-wrapped canvas (no framing required) – SOLD. It’s one of the pieces that I’m bringing with me today to the Body, Mind & Spirit retreat in Salmonier, where there are heavy wind warnings for today (up to 130 km/hr) as well as rain (not that unusual here).  Luckily, the sun will come out on Saturday afternoon and hopefully stay with us until the end of the retreat on Sunday.  You never know in Newfoundland…

Did you see a smirky face in the painting?  When I look at it, I see the spirit of a being that isn’t phased by the weather – its joy is something that is carried inside no matter the environment.

What I really like is how the light catches on the glass beads and transforms the piece as you change your position.  That’s hard to show in a photo…

November Showers detail2-Dominqiue Hurley

 

 

 

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Video: Meet the Heart of the Vienna Academy of Visionary Art

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As part of the year-end activities at the Vienna Academy of Visionary Art, we all participated in the creation of a 9-minute video that captures the heart & spirit of this amazing school.  As you will no doubt see, its very first year in existence was a beautiful gathering of beautiful people for the creation of beautiful art in a beautiful city.

There are now only 5 days left to my Silent Auction – 10 paintings must find homes here in Europe before I head back to Canada.  It ends at 6pm on June 24th.  Open daily 11am – 6pm.

graduation layout

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