Plant seeds of thought with the intent of cultivating good experiences

The thought seeds of today become the blossoms of our tomorrows.
What we choose to think here and now manifests for us in our future.
Our current situation is the result of our past thinking and the thoughts we think right here and now are bearing the experiences of our tomorrow.  You give out what you put in, you reap what you sow. These statements all mean the same thing, what we plant in the fertile soil of our subconscious mind grows for us in our future, which is why its so important to believe in yourself, approve of yourself and above all love yourself and all the endeavors you partake in.  This piece is a beauty, simple and offering the viewer a hand full of seeds, when planted, they will produce the beautiful flowers of your thought patterns.  Complaining kills seedlings, doubt and fear dry them out, nourish the seeds of your thoughts with confidence and trust in the process of life.  A good affirmation:  I choose to plant the seeds of positive life changes, all is well in my world and keeps getting better as life unfolds for me. 

Will you be mine, will you be mine?

Shakira doll statue

Here is a miniature sculpture I made for Binicio of his Colombian Idol Shakira. 
Self acceptance and approval means not being ashamed of making pop stars, :-) it was a fun experience actually and she turned out well.

Thought and the Lotus Flower

When I took writing about art at City College with professor Marjorie Munsterberg I learned a lot about symbolism.  One of my papers was on a Korean ceramic piece which had the lotus painted on.  This plant is a powerful symbol in the east and among its many meanings, the one I like most is the awakening to the spiritual reality of life.  When you come out on top, you are the lotus, just as it comes out of the mud and murky waters to blossom above it all, out of the water in the light, bathed in complete understanding. 
That is why I created three versions of this flower, each one was an experiment, but I love them all, thought will be displayed in a case with these flowers.

thought

The latest and greatest is a girl who is significant, why you ask? Because she represents thought.  I made her thought because the central theme this year besides accomplishment (picked up my degree today!), is the power of the mind.  Thought is behind everything, everything in life is a reflection of our internal thoughts and these thoughts can be controlled and altered.  My thoughts are changing for the better everyday.  I am constantly realizing my beliefs and also looking at the past with a fresh perspective and then letting it go.  I am looking at hurtful situations and forgiving those I was resentful towards due to my new found understanding that I can alter my thoughts, I have found such a multitude of people I didn’t even know I resented to forgive, all with my thoughts.  I have learned that I can keep them on the positive and begin some real life changes.  Healing takes place when we love ourselves, loving ourselves begins with changing the way we think about ourselves.  It all goes back to thought, so what more of a powerful word could I write on my little figure, who with self-restrained arms and hands, looks out into the vast future ahead of her, ready, and painted with sheer inspiration, to begin her journey.  If my thoughts today are creating my future, then I certainly need to be sure they are the best thoughts I can think. 

NatureHeal

NatureHeal
HealNature
Shes like a flower.  When I look at her that’s what I see, tropical beauty, growth and fruition. 
Since I am accumulating works for the new shop, I have broken out the old molds to help with some facial quickness.  I embrace the molds now, they are nothing to be ashamed of, besides I will still make originals, but at a higher price.  I have an entire shopping bag full of molds (most now unusable and damaged), this is one of the “baby faces” that does not really look good with huge breasts and nudity in my opinion.  She is simple, carefree and looking after her plants.  On her left arm is drawn a small flower and also the word nature.  I wanted nature to be on her for she is a nature girl, heal is written on her skirt, nature heal.  Nature heals.  Healing can come from nature.  I can bring back the commercialism of the colorful girls and still have them be significant.  Cant wait to make some more.

Moving forward, NJ license and Unique thrift

So today was amazing, its like ever since my health issues made me look within and reevaluate my life that things have been very simple and easy.  I have chosen to have a simply life doing something that fulfills me and that I am passionate about.  With that said, today was a whirl wind of running around trying to secure my booth in Paterson.  Yet unlike the past when I would be stressed out and pulling my hair out, it was like stepping into a boat on a swift river, I simply laid back and enjoyed the ride as it careened through the twists and turns, yet it was effortless.  Effortless… that is my new favorite word.  Life is effortless and easy!  That is my new affirmation.  Anyway, I applied for my New Jersey venders license today, and hopefully I will be able to get the spot and size that I want or something better.  This is my polymer clay resurrection, everything exists now, the past, present and future at the same time. 

The re-creation of scleroderma

It was very important for me to recreate this piece and use it as a concrete symbol of forgiveness and release.  The past sculpture (pictured above) made about five years ago was called scleroderma after the debilitating disease my mother had.  The work of art depicted someone with bad skin who was in agony, I put the goddess symbol on her chest… I do not recall why nor why the hair was bright blue, but I used both of these as catalysts for the new piece.

The new piece is the enlightened version of the former.  She is healthy, her body is full and soft, her face is not strained.  The right hand’s position is intact, but the offering in the other has been eliminated.  The head was kept looking upward and slightly cocked to her left; the legs are still crossed though more loosely.  I changed the color of the piece simply for the sake of having the drawing show up on her better.  The texture is stone-like, ironically since scleroderma is Latin for “stone skin” so the piece still can be called scleroderma, but it represents healing instead of suffering, it is my mother whole and healthy again, its her spirit disease free and its also me letting go of the whole situation which is why I wrote on her back, “forgive, release” and  “let go.”

The pattern on the figure is extremely important.  I have always thought but never stated that the figures are mostly female, not because it is easier to sculpt women or because I prefer to make them, but simply because they are not women, they are goddesses.  I believe I have tapped into some of the earliest forms of worship and appreciation which was for the female deities and qualities of nature as caregiver, child bearer, and giver of love.  Instead of merely copying the symbol, I took its shape and flipped it on the computer, repeated it, and printed it out… pictures are included here so you can see.  I took that pattern that formed and used it to paint onto the figure, after that was done, stripes were painted on one side, creating a asymmetrical composition for the whole work.  The stripes represent the wild side, and the plain side represent her “tame” side and the duality of the human spirit. 

Transformation

TRANSFORMATION

Transformation of self

Of thought

What does this mean?

I can explain.

We all change, we change a little every day until we are unrecognizable by our past selves.  Do not despair, there is good news.  If we love ourselves and trust in life, we will always change for the better... ALWAYS.  Always moving forward with sureness and building upon the past, your foundation.
That said, I am looking at two works of art from between 2004 and 2005 of sculptures that represented pain and suffering.  Amazingly they were sold, someone owns them, but that is insignificant.  They were what I was putting out, what I was going through, my mothers illness, they were her incarnated into sculptures, I was young and didn't know how to deal so i did what I always and still do which is make things.  Those things helped me, but I have changed.  I will re-create those pieces today, I will re-create them and make them relevant, make them TRANSFORMED just as I have been.  They do not need to suffer anylonger, its time they were set free and released. 

Past works

You know whats cool?
When you can look back on your own catalog of work and draw inspiration from it. 
Today I am making a couple of new pieces for my future shop and was actually going to imitate or draw inspiration from some of my old work so onto photobucket I went, I dont use photobucket anymore so its cool to see how the work there from years back was different, and what I can do today to make those pieces live again with new flair and my current style.

woot! may get new retail location soon

Howdy, Im very excited, for soon I may be getting a new retail location, but since I would own it this would be my first. 
*happy happy joy joy*

Also expect a re-launch of the etsy store, creativity and commercialism all in one.

Forgive and be FREE

I created a little lady who really reminds me of the old works which were happy little ladies in colorful tattered skirts and shirts.  She is small enough to fit in your hand comfortably and carries with her a message: Forgive and be set FREE.  Forgiveness is the answer to many of our problems.  I am currently undergoing a personal, inner evaluation and cleanse in order to identify what I can change for the better.  Several negative behaviors have cropped up, common ones include being too critical or judgmental, having self doubt and fear, and holding grudges or resentment.  These negative beliefs and ideas hold you back!  The way to Freedom is through forgiveness.  Forgiveness literally sets you free from the shackles of self-imprisonment.  Holding grudges for people in our past does nothing harmful to them and everything to you, you become cynical, angry, and frustrated.  I have decided to take an active role and ask myself who I have to forgive, at first it seemed like there was one or two people, then I realized I had a lifetime of people to forgive, one at a time, including forgiving myself for things I have done in the past.  When you let go, all the guilt dissipates and the clouds part giving way to clear skies of understanding and love.  This work of art embodies these ideas.  Aesthetically, she is simplified, no huge breasts or nudity for she is humble, something I strive to capture in myself as of late.  The gestures are a slight beckoning and then release.

New banner

The blog once again has a new look, I changed it before to the super colorful one but, although I love color, it was a bit too flashy for my tastes.  The new one also emphasizes the affirmation figures by having one in the banner in a natural surrounding.  I also love how every time I or anyone else visits the blog, they can see words like health, prosperity, abundance, and wealth which are the boldest and largest.  Also I love and approve of myself which I have recently learned makes a world of difference in the well being of your life. Words written on the actual figure in the picture include, belief, money, faith, and strength can you see where this is going yet? Its a positive life shift reflected in the art.  Positive affirmations are constantly on my mind, and thus constantly creating positive life experiences. 

Love is the Healing Power within us

Love and Healing. Love is integral in healing which is why I created this figure with hearts all over herself, for it is the love within our hearts, not the love from others that I am referring to.

This figure took an amazing four days to complete.
Day 1: On my way to NYC to check my mail and deliver a butterfly panel in Long Island City… she was formed during the ride over and simple body shapes were created.
Day 2: I decided the figure would be “understanding” while strolling around the mountain with Luis and discussing everything from relationships to art, I actually made her face as a sort of tutorial to show my friend how to make a face from scratch. This day I also kept working on her in a restaurant.
Day 3: Woke up early and began getting serious with her creation, I had a finite amount of brown clay in her tone so she had to be made a bit thinner than I had planned. The ideas turned from understanding to healing which is on the forefront of my mind these days. Healing takes place when we love ourselves, truly love ourselves, plain and simple. The hair was painstakingly lovingly rolled out piece by piece and curled around a needle before being placed on her head, so that she has curls instead of twists. The hearts were also placed, they came as a bit of a surprise to me as my inspiration told me not to fear Valentines connotations and just go with what makes sense to me. I put the sign in her hand on purpose. The Affirmations will have it spelled out clearly what they are about, no more reading into the postures or colors of a piece, they speak for themselves and its written all over them.
I kept the monochromatic scheme because I knew red/pink hearts would distract, so would an eye which I was going to paint on… the sign in its starkness now is the focal point, it reads, “Love is the Healing Power within us,” and that’s the real value.
Day 4: baked, photographed, and blogged!

SO again, love and healing, hand in hand. Love is a warm inner power that we all have and its easy to use, just open up and let the love flow out all over you or those you love, visualizing this can transform your life for the better, there is nothing wrong with loving yourself healthily.

Why did it take a year and six months for me to follow my heart?

Why did it take a year and six months for me to follow my heart?

I just read the BLOG posted in 2008 about how I was changing my art and my figures into what I wanted them to be which was affirmations.  I want my figures to reflect something innate, something beautiful, something human, but also something positive.  I used to have fear.  Fears of the way they might be received.  Art that is provoking and moves us emotionally is usually art that is either conceptual, or if figurative, depicted violence or pain or suffering or any of the other negative emotions of the world.  I have always been on the positive side and fought with myself to create beings in anguish.  Though I am human and go through hard times as well, I always try and see the good that comes out of them.  The life lessons.  I just read through all my etsy feeback and also the old blog and realized that I have been postponing this for too long.  Last night I checked and saw that I still owned AffirmationFigures.com, this is the name my website and blog will have from now on, why?  Because affirmations are a great way to keep our inner mind dialogue on the positive and keep it there.  Affirmations are paths which lead us to what we want, they set us free.  I have totally let go of the self-doubt, fear, and self-imposed restrictions, I know if I truly love and believe in myself as well as my art, that it can only be met with success!  People do not want to see the fallen, the downtrodden starving artist, they want to cheer you on as you become a success at what you do.  The Butterfly People/Affirmation Figures/Polymer Clay aspects, or whatever physical name you want to bestow upon them are and have always been physical incarnations of my spiritual journey.  They are still, and they evolve because I evolve as a person.  Now is an extremely important time for me to heal, get in touch with the inner self and work on myself as a person.  I have developed  some negative behaviors, and have much forgiving to bestow upon those that have been a part of my life, this done releases me and allows me to fly free. The art will follow, every step of the way.

Marvelous

This figure is Marvelous. 
Marvelous is a standing figure whose face I made by taking a mold of one of my bronze sculptures.
I used a wire spine to keep her standing and a small clay base which was covered by her draping garments. 
She loves and accepts everything about herself and so is a marvel, her life becomes marvelous. 

Health

Now is a time for healing and for maintaining overall health.  Good health is one of the most important things in life.  Eating right is an extremely important aspect, but it is only one facet of the mind, body, spirit health which encompasses overall health.  I have recently discovered that asking for help or affirming it is not enough.  My beliefs are that the power of thought influences life, even dictates it… so how could bad health come if one does not ask for it?  Internal anguish.  Horrible things like fear, anger, resentment, guilt, they must be eradicated for great health to flourish.  So now begins a journey into my wake up call, what it means for me and how I will deal with it, going inside and visiting all the ghosts that I must evacuate from my being, its all about acceptance, forgiveness, empathy, patience, tolerance, and most importantly of all, letting go.

 

The medicine man here was made recently to cement the beginning of my journey. More healers to come!