New Toys

I've been on a scavenger hunt the past few days. Gathering lots of  materials for new series of small works. Can't wait to dive in to this pile of goodies!

New Toys

 

 

Hello My Name is Animal #2

On the Table

I love this part. Everything I've been working on for a few weeks is carved and ready for the final finish sanding. Then I get to put the puzzle together!

Body, Mind, Heart

Valentine's Day is here and as I sat at my work table recently making  Blossoming Hearts  I began to wonder ... with all the breakthroughs  medical science has made to understand the mechanics of the human heart,  why is it still such a popular symbol of love and passion?

     

“The heart has reasons that reason cannot know.”

      ~Blaise Pascal 

For centuries philosophers, scientists, priests and poets have contemplated the function of the heart. In Ayurveda, India's 5000 year old system of medicine the Anahata or Heart Chakra is located in the middle of the chest the same  region as the heart. It's characteristics are physical, emotional and spiritual. It's  associated with the physical functions of the heart, blood and circulatory system and also the spiritual traits of compassion, unconditional love and issues of the soul.

 

Anonymous Persian Anatomical Illustrations. [Iran or Pakistan, ca. 1680-1

In the fourth Century B.C. the Greek philosopher Aristotle identified the heart as the center of intelligence, motion, and sensation, the body's source of vitality.  

The Sacred Heart, a traditional Christian image, is often depicted as a flaming heart impaled by a sword or encircled by a ring of thorns. The imagery suggests physical duress but also spiritual passion. It's a frequent subject in Latin American folk art.  Contemporary artists have expanded on the traditional image to express there own ideas about the nature of the heart. It's even achieved something of a cult status in popular art. 

 
Mexican Tin Sacred Heart courtesy of The Virgin Rose on Etsy

Mexican Milagros courtesy of Alamo 2003 Shop

    El Corazon-Loteria Series by Teresa Villegas

    www.teresavillegas.com

    Sacred Heart-3 By Scott Holloway

    www.paintingloft.com

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I will have to leave the mysteries of the heart unsolved for now and instead end this post with some words from the Sufi poet Hafiz~

"How did the rose ever open its heart and give to this world all its beauty? It felt the encouragement of light against its being, otherwise, we would remain too frightened "
 

 It's all about LOVE

Blossoming Hearts

The Blossoming Heart Series is inspired by sacred hearts found in Latin American folk art. The found materials that I use are chipped, worn and nailed in place. Sometimes our hearts have to go through a bit of wear in order to truly blossom.

Unfinished Hearts

Wabi Sabi and Weathered Things

vintage hardware

There's a remarkable beauty in weathered things. The  peeling paint on old buildings, rusty hardware, lines on peoples faces and  eroded cliffs all bear witness to the  passage of time. It's etched on their surfaces like a mysterious story written in a forgotten language.

a weathered building in Granada, Nicaragua

The Japanese  have a phrase to describe rustic, impermanent beauty -Wabi Sabi "Nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect." ~ more on Wabi Sabi.

partially restored church Granada, Nicaragua

I'm drawn to the quality of transience in weathered things. There's an element of chaos in their inevitable decay.  I find the whole process hopeful. Eventually something wonderful grows in the ruins.

 

Mayan ruins-Tikal, Guatemala

Selected works from my Secret Garden Series

Manos Santos/Blessed Hands