Thoughts on the artistic process...

• "Her Rising Tide" is a reworked painting. I made the decision to paint over an intense and cathartic painting expressing rage, into something inspired by the transformative energy of the ocean where I lived. I believe the act of overpainting and transforming the energy of the work was part of a healing process. There was also something freeing about painting in an abstract manner, layering oceanic colors in paint until it became like the swirling ocean that had drawn me to it for my personal art retreat and recovery in coastal Mendocino.

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• The above Youtube link shows a bit of that painting process and you can see the final image is much more abstract offering a different energy and message.
  The title "Her Rising Tide" has multiple meanings for me through an ecofeminist lens and as a survivor of abuse, but ultimately the core theme is about change.
  
  Art journaling is a good way to explore a holistic art practice. There are some links to my You Tube channel here and on the Gaiagyrl page of my website, which has some warm up exercises, especially for all the folks who say "I can't draw/paint" and "I wish I could draw/paint", (so many people have said this to me through my life) but for anyone just to get going without too much thought.
  
  Intentional, transformative art making is an interesting way to engage with the holistic self.
  Whilst all art could be seen as essentially transformational, there is healing potential in creating something cathartically raw, to express pain/ anger, acknowledging it, letting it have a visual voice and also deciding to change it into something else, reclaiming our own wellbeing and cultivating the growth we wish for. 
  In this process we can learn to author our own stories and one step at a time, envision and experience a process of renewal.