THE ISLE OF IONA
My meditative designs began in the spring of 2011 on the Isle of Iona in Scotland. The original 6×6 drawings were based on requests given to me by sponsors who helped fund my journey. There are seven designs in the original set, and the collection continues to grow as part of my ongoing creative process.
All seven original designs were drawn on the Isle of Iona between April 9 – 16, 2011.
THE PROCESS
As with any spontaneous art form, my designs are influenced by the time and place in which they are created. Changes in my environment and mood affect both the conscious and unconscious choices I make in shaping each image.
I usually enter into the process without any intention to create specific imagery (although there are exceptions). Much like dreaming, the designs are a way for me to connect with deeper thought processes and emotions that can’t be articulated in words or expressed with finite symbols. I may hold onto a feeling or thought I want to contemplate while I draw, but my focus is on the tactile experience of ink flowing onto paper. I draw what feels good to me in the moment, and I let the drawing simply be what it is.
The finished result becomes an abstract representation of my contemplative process, a snapshot of my inner self at that particular moment in time. Like an ink blot, there’s no wrong way to see or respond to the designs. There’s simply what you see and how you feel about what you see.
Left/First: “Transform” – Middle/Second: “Into the Wild” – Right/Third: “Boundless”
Using an unforgiving medium like ink is also an exercise in risk-taking, openness, and trust. Much like life, there’s no guarantee the finished result will be beautiful, but the hope is that all these errant lines and scribbles will coalesce to create a finished product that will be both meaningful and engaging.
EXHIBITS & FEATURES
My designs have been displayed at the Oliver Art Center in Frankfort, MI; St. Francis Retreat Center in Dewitt, MI; Gallery Fifty in Traverse City, MI; and featured in print in The Rose in the World.
“Whatever the Weather (I Keep Myself Wrapped Up In You)”
Displayed at Gallery Fifty “Love Letters” exhibit, February – March, 2016
“Dreaming and Becoming”
Center spread feature in The Rose in the World, Issue 24, Spring 2015
Each winter I create a limited run of cards featuring my meditative artwork. I hand cut and fold each card and mail them out to friends and family to mark the season.
2014 – 2017 Winter card designs