Greetings Friends,
July has been quite a month! I am feeling empowered, creative, un-stuck and this feels amazing! I went on a journey July 4th to Taos, New Mexico to help facilitate an artist retreat called “Shine On”. My good friend Uma and I put together a really cool experience combining art and music to retreat goers. The whole experience was fabulous!
Uma is a phenomenal artist, working with the medium of paint and canvas and could probably go much more in-depth of what she does if she were explaining this. She tackles mandalas and I swear she brings “spirit” right through most of her paintings. She has a peaceful and pleasant way about herself that spreads and it was an absolute JOY to be around her, her family and the retreat goers. I really loved how there was no hierarchy, it was friends sharing; their lives, their wisdom, their talent, themselves. We laughed a lot, cried a bit, painted, we did yoga, TiChi, movement, and ate…oh yes, we ate and ate and ate! Ha ha!
I would kid about the 3 meals a day and I made up silly little songs comped from other hits, like, “Oh no we’re EATING again!” sang to the tune of “Oh no it’s raining again!”. Yiiieeee! We star gazed, philosophized, pondered, wondered, hot tubbed, hot spring-ed, mud-bathed, stream hopped, hiked, skinny dipped, floated the Rio Grande, watched heat thunder storms from a distance (it was better than ANY fire-work show ever). I met new people, I watched dear friendships re-kindle, I got to be a fly on the wall of a beautiful family that loves and respects each other…and, we even had a murder day! Yikes! The chickens hit their weight limit and started to die off so, the last 4 chickens were thoughtfully honored, killed and plucked and bagged! That was quite a task. Picture little Uma and I trying to stuff an almost 9 pound chicken into a small shrink wrap bag. Wings had to be tucked and it’s plump SLICK dead body had to be wrestled into the bag!!!
I played pivotal songs during the retreat, held a small concert during the retreat and also played for Unity Church in Santa Fe. We also strolled the art galleries in Santa Fe and had a fair amount of delicious ice cream!
It truly was such a rich experience! I am honored that Uma asked me to join her and feel super blessed I was able to contribute my heart and art and also came away with a painting I am quite proud of!
This painting is called, “The Knower”! The painting starts with a saying you create and wish to manifest. Then you add significant colors of your past, present and future. Then you create a face. For me, it was like a self-portrait and it’s the one IN ME who “KNOWS”. There is other symbology and things that are very significant. A balanced heart, the Tetons, a voice that sings out, the cowboy moon, the stars, a hidden guitar, a tragedy line, my funny hair…and, an angel. I love that the angel looked like a brown “blop” on a most colorful canvas. I wondered when I did this, “who had their hand on my brush”? It wasn’t me. It literally looked strange.
I pulled away from the painting and it looked like a dragon fly. I remember when my father passed. I walked to the back 40 down by the river and asked him, “how are you going to show up for me now dad?” And 20-30 magnificent dragon fly’s landed on a log where I was sitting. I smiled and thought, “Ok, pop has dragon fly energy”. So when I see a dragon fly, I smile and know he’s with me. Well, there on the canvas was a dragon fly. My Papa. My angel and all those who are up there with him including my mother, my God mother and friends. I painted a small halo over the dragon fly. Then I decided to put angel wings over the dragon fly so that on lookers of this painting KNOW that there is an angel off to the right of the painting by the face. This “KNOWER” KNOWS what I need to do, be, become, hold, let-go of, create, invest, awaken to, trust, love, let be, and honor. This “Knower” gives me grace, fortitude, clarity, honor, integrity, creativity, passion, wonder, awe and magic.
I have to say, I LOVE this painting and I cherish this new modality of creativity. I hope you all enjoy the back story and the freshness of perception it brings me. Thank you for reading these blogs and joining Mo and I in our journey of music.
We will be taking to the mountains playing Redfish, Sun Valley and Donnelly in Aug. Hopefully moving away from the triple digits that make us sweat way too much!
Be well and stay cool!!!
Nicc & Mo
Juno & Sobee
