Seeing Yourself in the Moon
July 7th, 2009
If the Moon Came to Dinner
Tonight is the Full Buck Moon and I celebrated in my favorite way by painting the moon, one of my favorite subjects. I have a couple new moon related pieces up in my art shop, including the one above, If the Moon Came to Dinner.
During the day yesterday, I was thinking about the Full Buck Moon and the Full Moon Dreamboard group that the fabulous Jamie Ridler runs on her blog (p.s. Jamie is launching a new website tomorrow with give-aways!)
Jamie's group does the Dreamboards in a collage style, which I totally love. But I've also been enjoying doing painted versions of these dreamboards lately. Above is what I did for the Full Pink Moon last month. As I pondered the Full Buck Moon this month, I started to doodle in my sketchbook and drew a woman with antlers. From the circles hanging from her antler prongs I drew circles containing the things I wanted to bring forth.
I took the little sketch I made yesterday and made the mixed media piece above in my art journal. The hubster fell in love with it before I finished it with the words in the circles, so I'll be handing it over to him. To finish the process, I did a second one in my art journal (below), this time writing in the words of things I want to bring into my life, expand upon, create, and grow during this full moon cycle.
To play with this idea for the self theme for the Creative Every Day Challenge you could keep in mind what you want to bring into your life during this full moon cycle and then try one of these methods:
Do a collage version: Tear through magazines and pull out any image that catches your eye. Don't think about it, just go with your gut. After you've pulled a pile, look at your selections and place the images that really sing to you on a piece of paper. Arrange to your liking, glue down, and then hang your dreamboard somewhere you can see it daily.
Write it out: Sit quietly, breathe, and ponder what you'd like to bring into your life. Then pick up a pen and do 20 minutes of free writing. You could describe your ideal day as if all the things you're desiring are already in place or just write freely about all the things you're wanting to draw to you.
Mixed-media: If you do the collage version, you could take the collage you create and paint over it, letting some of it show through. You could paint additional images on top of your collaged dreamboard. You might add writing to the collage. You could collage your own painted, drawn, or hand written elements into the piece. You might simply put some writing in an envelope and attach it to your collage. Or you could create mini envelopes in the collage to place one word, such as "money", "health", or "inspiration."
Paint: With the ideas of what you want to draw to you held loosely in mind, allow yourself to paint intuitively. Let yourself go with whatever colors or images pop into your head without worry about what it means. Keep painting until you come to a natural stopping point, then step back, and see what has come up for you. Put your painted dreamboard somewhere where it can continue to inspire you throughout the month.
Make a book: Create a small book or keep a blank journal where you can paste, draw, and/or paint images of things you want to draw into your life. I keep something like this by my bed and enjoy tearing images from catalogues and magazines and pasting them in. It's very relaxing.
Make a box: Collage a box as your dreamboard with images and words. Use it to hold collage material or written bits to put in future dreamboards or art journal pages.
Have you ever used any of these ideas? What other ways can you play with the dreamboard idea?
What is that you want to bring into your life during this full moon cycle?
27 Responses
I already though of a mixed media way of making a DreamBoard, thanks for all the ideas
Posted by: Nolwenn | Jul 7, 2009 at 5:05 pm |
Oh I love it so much. My favorite pieces of yours always seem to involve the moon anyways. The dreams hanging from her antlers … took my breath away tho.
Posted by: Lisa | Jul 7, 2009 at 5:21 pm |
Oh, Leah, what a beautiful Full Buck Moon painting. Thank you for expanding what’s possible with dreamboards! May all your dreams come true!
Posted by: Jamie | Jul 7, 2009 at 7:07 pm |
Your moon paintings are breathtaking! And your dreamboard is simply stunning! What a magical way of letting the universe know what you wish to manifest.
Posted by: Sacred Discovery | Jul 7, 2009 at 7:44 pm |
[...] *extra note: For some wonderful artwork and ideas for you to explore with visual creativity around the Buck Moon theme, check out Leah Piken Kolida’s blog Everyday Creative. [...]
Posted by: Full Moon, Cycles and Wholeness « Full Moon Path | Jul 7, 2009 at 8:28 pm |
Leah! This is stunningly vibrant! I love her. Her pose against the succulent moon. Her mighty antlers and her powerful intentions. She is you!
Posted by: Genie Sea | Jul 7, 2009 at 9:46 pm |
Your artwork under the beautiful full moon is absolutely inspiring! If only I had half the artistic skill that you possess!
Posted by: Pink Heels | Jul 7, 2009 at 9:48 pm |
Wow, Leah! That is a lovely piece of art. Awesome.
This challenge sounds like lovely fun, I can’t wait to start finding those images in mags that “speak” to me. Actually, I’m excited about making the box, too. Time to go hunting for a box!
Posted by: Kerry | Jul 7, 2009 at 10:50 pm |
Love it! Full moon oooo!!
Posted by: Cynthia | Jul 7, 2009 at 11:42 pm |
Wow…I learn so much watching you — your paintings are so intense and gorgeous.
May all your dreams come true.
Posted by: KnittingJourneyman | Jul 8, 2009 at 12:52 am |
so enjoyed hearing about the process for your moon paintings. I’m intrigued by the shift in color tone between the two pieces.
thank you.
we’ll see these dreams come true.
Posted by: Jenni | Jul 8, 2009 at 1:12 am |
I love your moon paintings, Leah. Beautiful. I too am attracted to the moon, particularly the full moon, and find it very spiritual and an ideal prompt for focusing on this theme of self.
Janice.
Posted by: Janice | Jul 8, 2009 at 7:02 am |
i love this post and your paintings! i love the feeling of them especially, beautiful work.
i keep creative visioning books and in the creative visioning class i teach i do a poster, so the students can put it up and see it every day while they are doing the class. i have one up in my art room and it’s so lovely to look back on in, see that i have all of those things in my life now, and think… what do i want next?
Posted by: andrea | Jul 8, 2009 at 8:51 am |
This post is especially intriguing, Leah. I too love the moon and the feelings that it produces. There are always changes and unrest around the full moon. I especially like the idea of painting instead of collage. For me, it makes the process so personal on an artistic level.
You are so inspiring!
Posted by: Janet | Jul 8, 2009 at 9:41 am |
These are absolutely magnificent and inspiring. Your imagination is something I wish I had! Thanks for your sharing and beautiful work.
Posted by: leigh | Jul 8, 2009 at 1:40 pm |
Beautiful moon paintings, Leah! My favorite is the first one.
Thank you so much for your creative ideas….
Posted by: Marina | Jul 8, 2009 at 4:21 pm |
Thank you for suggesting so many different ways to capture a dream piece — even writing! (LOL) Now I am wondering if it could be done with music or sound somehow, guess I am stuck in last month’s theme….
Posted by: Barbara Martin | Jul 8, 2009 at 6:30 pm |
As someone in the medical profession, my full moon paintings wouldn’t be pieceful.. We dread the full moon. But I love your painting if the moon came to dinner, the girl at the table seems so full of possibilities.
Posted by: Tyanne | Jul 8, 2009 at 7:46 pm |
Being a moon-child and a night person, I too have a love affair with her. Thanks for sharing your creations and the link to the group.
Posted by: michele | Jul 9, 2009 at 11:30 am |
Yah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Right on, let’s invite the Moon to dinner! OMG, I love every single one of these paintings, Leah — beYouTeaFull!!!!! May all your Moon wishes come true!
Posted by: Kara aka Mother Henna | Jul 9, 2009 at 1:36 pm |
oh my gosh, your paintings are so vibrant I feel like I could drink them in. Beautiful!!!
Posted by: brandi | Jul 9, 2009 at 1:53 pm |
I would be so delighted to slide into that empty chair in “If The Moon Came to Dinner.” What a lovely, rich, beautiful resonance your art has – thank you so much!
Posted by: Briana | Jul 9, 2009 at 2:32 pm |
You have a delightful quality to your work
delighting in it with you and bginning to dicover this wonderful innerlife that sings!
Posted by: sally thompson | Jul 9, 2009 at 4:38 pm |
LOVIN’ ALL of these pieces Leah! LOVE LOVE LOVE them!!
Posted by: sherry goodloe | Jul 10, 2009 at 10:59 pm |
your paintings are so, so wonderful! they brought tears to my eyes. probably also because i am a daughter of the moon. thanks for sharing them here. and as soon as i can afford it, i will be ordering
Posted by: Tatty Franey | Jul 11, 2009 at 5:19 pm |
Hi there,
I absolutely love your BUCK MOON RED, gorgeous – it’s inspiring me to have a go at something like that – thanks for the inspiration, it’s beautiful and I can see why your man wanted it
Posted by: Lorri | Jul 31, 2009 at 3:21 am |
[...] Leah inspired me. I realize that I really love dreamboards, but I’m just not into collage, so everytime I come across an alternative, then my dreamboard actually happens. Anyway, this month for me is about shelter. It’s the word that I kept thinking of as I painted this. [...]
Posted by: Full Moon Dreamboard: July 2009 « Jolie Guillebeau | Nov 23, 2009 at 8:45 pm |