Interview with artist Melissa Harris

This interview was put together by We Moon and the publishers at Mother Tongue Ink….publishers of the We Moon Datebook calendar, wall calendar, and now the 30^th Year Anthology. The interview is with artist Melissa Harris a fellow artist published in the We Moon Datebook Calendar and the 30^th Year Anthology. The questions are some that I came up with myself and some of the wonderful questions that I was asked by artist Lauren Luquin in a previously blogged interview. Laurens questions were so amazing and on target and I felt would be a wonderful way to introduce Melissa Harris to you. Here’s the link to Melissa’s Blog http://www.melissaharrisart.blogspot.com/ and the link to We Moon http://www.wemoon.ws/

And here’s the interview! In Joy, Jen Otey, MOONbow ARTworks

1. Introduce yourself (Greetings, your name, where you live, etc.)

A. I live in the Catskill mountains in New York State on 9 beautiful acres with meadow and forest.

2. What kinds of art do you do?

A. My paintings are expressive oils and watercolors that vary greatly in size and subject matter. Many of them are paintings of women in interiors or landscapes and some are landscapes. They are painted in a loose style and the watercolors tend to have a dreamy quality to them.

3. What is your favorite part of being an artist? ...and the most challenging?

A. The favorite part for me in being an artist is the joy I feel when I am inspired and bursting to create. The most challenging is finding enough time for the amount of painting I want to do.

4. How has your life prepared you and inspired you for this journey as an artist?

A. Well, my life didn't really prepare me. I had to swim "against the current" to create circumstances to be able to paint. My life has inspired me in that I am able to extract some elements from my life to gain inspiration, such as people, nature and relationships- oh and of course also creatures.

5. How has being a woman had an effect on your work? Where do you see the more feminine aspects of yourself in your art?

A. All of my painting really has been about honoring the sacred feminine even when it is not in a literal sense. Since the feminine is really about receiving - I would say that my work reflects my ability as a psychic to really tune into the essence of what it is that I am focusing on and be able to bring that out successfully in my art.

6. What does your creative workspace look and feel like?

A. After many years of "roughing it" in less than comfortable situations I have manifested my dream studio with french doors and large windows overlooking a meadow and woods and my stone circle with a fire pit. It's really quite extraordinary.

7. What is it like where you live, and with whom? ... what effect does this have on you as an artist

A. Where I live presently is in the mountains alone. I am often inspired to paint local landscapes but I also really enjoy working from photos I take of women either in landscape or in intimate settings. My surroundings really only affect my art when I am painting the literal landscape.

8. What websites do you have, that you’d like to share?

A. www.melissaharris.com

9. Where do you sell your artwork? / Where can we find it?

A. At the above website as well as many new age stores or centers around the country

10. How do you connect spiritually with your art?

A. There is no separation between the two. When I am creating, I am in the right side of the brain, the receptive so I am tuned into Spirit, Source, Goddess or however you think of that energy.

11. What is one thing you’re working on for your personal growth?

A. Continuing to have faith when the world is topsy turvy around us.

12. What made you decide to submit work to the We Moon Datebook Calendar?

A. I love the calendar

13. How has being a part of the We moon Calendar effected your work and the response to your work?

A. Being a part of We Moon has widened my audience.

14. Please describe your creative process?

A. Initially I take a good amount of time to "tune in to" my subject matter, by just sitting. If I am working with another individual it helps me to hold hands with them to connect energetically. Since I am interested in accessing the essence of what I am painting this piece of my process is important. I like working in natural light even if I am working out of my head or depicting a nighttime theme. There's something about the clarity of natural light that I really need in a studio situation."

"I always play music when I am painting. When I look back to a particular piece of artwork I often remember the time I painted it by remembering the music I was listening to. I used to prefer working from life rather than photos and that is shifting."

15. If you could impart wisdom to young women what would you say, do or share with them about what it means to be a creative and powerful woman?

A. Being a creative and powerful woman means always staying true to one’s self , much easier said than done at times. It means being able to take rejection and not letting that affect one's creative process, marching on simply because you love to create, being able to continue to keep going no matter what.

17. What is one thing you’re willing to tell us that most people don’t know about you?

A. I prefer being alone most of the time

Interview with Lauren Luquin

A wonderful woman, artist, and mother Named Lauren Luquin recently interviewed me for her amazing blog...check her out at this link and read the interview below!

http://www.visionwise-earthlivity1111.blogspot.com

1. Hi, my name is Jen Otey. I am the founder and creator of MOONbow ARTworks. Currently I am living in Southwest Virginia in my hometown. I returned here a year and a half ago after living in Alaska for 10 years.

2. What kinds of art do you do?

For years I painted still life, nude, portrait, and landscaper paintings. While living in New Mexico in 1999 I fell in love with the landscape and the spiritual nature of the work that the artists in my community were creating. Up till that point I felt that my work lacked a feeling… emotional, mental, and spiritual depth. At that time I was also exploring different types of spirituality…I had been learning from and working with medicine people, shamans, and energy healers. My mind, my spirit, my physical body all started to change and to connect with the earth and the sky in ways I did not understand at times and with those changes my art began to evolve and change to help me understand what it was I was feeling, experiencing and longing for. I started painting what was inside myself…surreal at times, abstract at others, and more specifically the sacred feminine that was and is awakening within me...the Feminine face of God and its many aspects and forms.

3. What is your favorite part of being an artist? ...and the most challenging?

My favorite part of being an artist is having the ability to dig deep, pull what needs to come forth and create something that depicts what needs to be seen. I also love it when others resonate with what is created….it is that oneness that excites, exhilarates and inspires me to continue the process of opening to what God/Dess has for me to show myself and to share with others. The most challenging part is that I am unable to do it all the time right now. I am a single mother and not only am I the nurturer and the homemaker but I am also the provider and the protector. Thus, I have a “day job” that requires a lot of my time and energy. But, I am working on changing that. Each day I do a little bit to move closer to accomplishing my dream of being a fulltime mother and artist. I also find that the baby steps keep things at a pace that is manageable and not so overwhelming. In a lot of ways it really is a blessing the way things are gradually and obviously to me, evolving toward my highest good and my ultimate goals as an artist and a Mom.

4. How has your life prepared you and inspired you for this journey as an artist?

Like most folks I was born and raised in a family that had its quirks. But, it is healing that channels the most creativity for me. It is my personal path of healing that has enabled me to discover my gifts that God/Dess has given me. I am so thankful for the abilities and the skills and the path my life has taken from the start up to present…it has put people that have taught me to paint, healers, teachers, family, and friends that support me and enable me to do what I do.

5. What does your creative workspace look and feel like?

At my most creative times…when the juices are flowing full bore it is a huge mess. Currently, I am exploring a brand new space for creativity in my own home. My son and I just purchased our own little house and we have a space right off of the kitchen that is the Mecca of creativity in our home. It is small but, it is allowing for us to do big things with what is going on inside our minds and hearts. My son is a brilliantly creative spark of life who loves to create with and explore material…all different kinds. He is an inspiration to me. Our space has a French easel, a big old farm table, a cork board for hanging sketches, quotes, photos and messages of inspiration, and a bookshelf crammed with books, tools, paint, brushes, tool boxes, sewing materials…you name it and it might just be there.

6. Where do you live, and with whom? ... How does this arrangement affect your lifestyle?

I live in Southwest Virginia in a small town called Wytheville…it is the town I grew up in. I have returned recently after being gone for 15 years. I am healing and rediscovering my roots through the eyes of my inner child and the new eyes of my grown up self that has been and continues to heal and grow. I live with my 4 year old son.

7. What websites do you have, that you’d like us to know about?

I currently have my own website, http://www.moonbowartworks.com from there you can access my Etsy.com site. I also have a blog that I sometimes write in….I am not so good with keeping up with that. Here’s the blog link…. http://moonbowartworks.blogspot.com/ and then there’s my Facebook site. http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/MOONbow-ARTworks/108932375589

8. Where do you sell your artworks? / Where can we find it?

I sell my work at my Etsy.com site that can be accessed through my website. I also have work at

Dos Manos in Anchorage, Alaska http://www.dosmanosgallery.com/

Babes in the Woods in Girdwood, Alaska http://www.babesinthewoodsak.com/

Galax City Gallery in Galax, Virginia http://citygallerygalax.com/

Ms. Divine in Black Mountain, NC http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ms-Divine/152624478088533

9. How do you connect spiritually to your art?

My artwork is how I explore what is going on within. I think I touched on that above…so I’ll keep this one short and sweet.

10. What is one thing you’re working on for your personal growth?

I am working on balancing my feminine and masculine energies. This seems to be a lifelong theme for me. I am doing this with my art, meditation, energy healing, and yoga.

11. Tell us about your background before deciding to do what you do now...

I was in architecture school when this type of art became an integral part of my life. I completed the degree and I still practice. It’s my day job. I guess I was always an overachiever and a bookworm. I did not often speak up for myself. I did what was expected of me without question…now I do what I feel is for my highest good. I listen within and allow for God to guide me. I don’t worry so much about what others think I “should” do. I set my own compass with the Divine and I follow it where it leads me. I trust more and my faith is the strongest it’s ever been.

12. Please describe your creative process...

I don’t know if it’s a process more than it’s my life….I eat, sleep, dream (awake and asleep), meditate, pray, it is who I am. Things come all the time. I try to make sure that I have something to write with all the time. Otherwise stuff comes and goes and as quickly as it’s right here with me it’s gone. I write and sketch a lot. The images come to me from Spirit like whispers and I not only can see them…but, feel them. It’s the magic of my life and can’t imagine it not being there. The more I develop my intuition the clearer the visions are and the stronger I feel, hear, see, and experience them.

13. Do you travel? ...where have you been...? ...where are you going?

I love to travel. I’ve been all over the continent of North America including a 4 month stint in Hawaii. I have been to Peru and I miss the Andes almost daily. I can’t wait to take my son there. I am currently planning a trip to England to see and experience the sacred sites around Glastonbury. Now that my son is older I am excited to start taking him out of the country. He’s been all over the U.S. He loves to travel like me and according the astrology book “The Birthday Book,” his day is the day of the wanderer. I look forward to taking him to Nepal and India someday. I want him to see how others live and to understand the abundance that he has in his life that he can share.

14. If you could travel back in time, when and where would you want to visit first?

Wow, this is a tough one….there’s so many places and times I’d go. I would have to mention at least three…one being I would love to meet Jesus in person as he was teaching his disciples in Jerusalem. I would love to see him in the act of healing. Another place I’d go is to Stonehenge when it was originally being used as a sacred site…right after or during construction. The third place I’d go is Machu Picchu during the height of the civilization there. I’d love to see a sacred ceremony held there.

15. What is one thing you’re willing to tell us that most people don’t know about you?

HHHHmmm well that’s a tough one too…I’m an open book most people know most things about me. I guess one thing that I haven’t told a lot of folks about is my desire to help end world hunger. My heart breaks to know there are people in the world starving…families. I would love to find a way to use my art, like Betty LaDuke with Heifer International, to help feed the hungry. I pray about this a lot.

16. Please add anything here that you’d like to add, or let people know...

I am thankful for the time to reflect in this interview. The questions are awesome.

Listen to this playlist: moonbowartworks's Playlist

Artist Statement for the Artists Wanted Power of SELF competition

In 1999 I created MOONbow ARTworks, for the purpose of exploring the sacred feminine within myself and nature...intuitively creating works of art that express my deep longing for balance and healing and my ongoing path to inner peace and greater sense of oneness.

After giving birth to my son in 2006 it became apparent that I had a massive amount of healing I needed to have happen in my life. The desire for my son to be a whole and happy person became the catalyst for the breaking of old patterns of behavior and the beginnings of the healing of my family lineage from damage created in the distant and more recent past. This I felt sure could be done by breaking the cycle...by first healing myself and giving myself an opportunity to become a more whole and happy mother.

More than ever, my art became the means of exploring my inner world as I worked with traditional therapists, shamans, energy healers, prayer and meditation. My work became a means for me to not only subjectively put my heart and soul into something two dimensional, but to create something that has allowed me to see objectively what it is that I am dealing with internally and where my path has taken me and where it may need to go...a tool to see where I have come from, where I want to go, and in some ways how to get there from here.

I am so thankful for the grace that comes from my creative process. It is a gift, to have the ability to make things that make a difference, not just in my life, but in the lives of others that come into contact with my work. I feel it is a large part of who I am and why I am here. I am so blessed and so grateful. My life is abundantly joyful because of the knowledge of who I am and what I am to do. Each day is a new opportunity to give, grow, receive and share. Creativity is what I was born for. It is my SELF.

In 1999 I created MOONbow ARTworks, for the purpose of exploring the sacred feminine within myself and nature...intuitively creating works of art that express my deep longing for balance and healing and my ongoing path to inner peace and greater sense of oneness.

After giving birth to my son in 2006 it became apparent that I had a massive amount of healing I needed to have happen in my life. The desire for my son to be a whole and happy person became the catalyst for the breaking of old patterns of behavior and the beginnings of the healing of my family lineage from damage created in the distant and more recent past. This I felt sure could be done by breaking the cycle...by first healing myself and giving myself an opportunity to become a more whole and happy mother.

More than ever, my art became the means of exploring my inner world as I worked with traditional therapists, shamans, energy healers, prayer and meditation. My work became a means for me to not only subjectively put my heart and soul into something two dimensional, but to create something that has allowed me to see objectively what it is that I am dealing with internally and where my path has taken me and where it may need to go...a tool to see where I have come from, where I want to go, and in some ways how to get there from here.

I am so thankful for the grace that comes from my creative process. It is a gift, to have the ability to make things that make a difference, not just in my life, but in the lives of others that come into contact with my work. I feel it is a large part of who I am and why I am here. I am so blessed and so grateful. My life is abundantly joyful because of the knowledge of who I am and what I am to do. Each day is a new opportunity to give, grow, receive and share. Creativity is what I was born for. It is my SELF.

I wrote this in response to someone asking me what my definition of the Sacred Feminine is....it is a start....

You are creation; you are creator, you are the breath of life in all nature....Devi, Devi, Devi. - Ammachi

Sue Monk Kidd has a wonderful book call The Dance of the Dissident Daughter. Which if you have not read it...it is a small gem, full of good juicy stuff. Anyway, she talks about her journey of awakening to the Sacred Feminine. She realized as have alot of us, that God has more than one face...there is the Masculine face as presented in religions all over the world and there is also a Feminine Face. Many of us grow up not even cognatively knowing that there is a feminine face at all...although our spirit, our souls, as women and men innately know there must be more. The Sacred Feminine is the mother, the female lover, Shakti (the destroyer), the Creatrix. In the Bible it states that we, as men and women are created in the image of God...that is proof in itself that God is both masculine and feminine. There are lots of other theological, philosophical, spiritual, and religious texts worldwide to support this thought, as well. Sue Monk Kidd states that the Sacred Feminine "simply means the divine in female form."(pg. 72 Dance of The Dissident Daughter). Another interesting tidbit is that...."The word mother comes from the Latin work Mater, which means matter. Mother and Matter are both the stuff out of which everything is composed."(pg 65 Dance of the Dissident Daughter)

Balance is the key...balance between the masculine and the feminine...this is my quest, anyway. Sue Monk Kidd says, "men and women contain both "masculine" and "feminine" qualities and the goal is to balance, blend, and honor both within the individual culture." (pg63 Dance Of the Dissident Daughter) All of this is within each individual to heal, nurture, balance, and celebrate! The Zohar states, "Male and female He created them." From here we learn: Any image that does not embrace male and female is not high and true." (The Kabbalah)

To me and from what I have read The Sacred Feminine, the Mother, allows you to go into the darkness, the shadow...to find a place in the light. It is the aspect of God/dess that allows for your healing, holding space for you inside and out. China Galland is another writer that delves into that shadow. She has an awesome book called, Longing for Darkness.

An interview with Aja from Moon Woman Rising

I was asked to do an interview by a lovely woman named Aja. She has a wonderfully empowering website called Moon Woman Rising...here's the link...go check out all that she has to offer! http://www.moonwomanrising.com
Here's the interview...
In Joy,
Jen

Q. How do you show up as an artist each day - what are you challenges, joys and processes for creativity?

A. I like to think that I show up each day...although some days more than others. On the days that I really show up, things just flow and the paintings and things that I am making and creating just materialize before my eyes as if they created themselves. This is when I know that I am in tune with what God/Goddess is whispering in my ears...telling me and showing me what I...the microcosm of the universe...and the universe as a whole need, in order to heal. On the days that I am unable to put in a lot of time I try to do at least one thing to keep my creative juices flowing....even if it means picking up my knitting and just sitting for a moment in the quiet after my four year is in bed, fast asleep. I also like to take time each day to stop, slow down, pray, quiet my mind and then ask what it is I need to see, hear, and feel...and then it just comes...sometimes slowly and gently like a whisper and sometimes in an intensely roaring blur of color and imagery. When I'm feeling uninspired I talk to the women I know and listen to what they are doing, going through, and feeling or needing empowerment in and then I check in with myself the same way with what resonates with these other women. I also spend time looking for inspiration...in nature and through books, magazines, calendars, and websites that feature art that is spiritually empowering. I also read a lot of stories, fiction and nonfiction that share the spirit filled paths of people, particularly women. I especially like stories of rites of passage or pilgrimages...as I view life as a pilgrimage of sorts. These are the ways I "show up" or as I like to say...stay in the flow.

Q. I am always struck at how important it is to quiet down and I love the idea of listening, whether it’s to other women or to the god/goddess, as a path towards expression. How did you first come to tune into a relationship with the divine and how did this relationship finds its way into your artwork?

A. My whole life for as far as I can remember, I have been talking to God....mind you, I was "talking" not so much listening. I went through some things as a kid, as we all do in our own way and on our individual paths....some of it was really challenging and hurtful and scary....the kinds of things that cause a young girl to learn the patterns and cycles of giving away your power....particularly to men. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a man hater...in fact I love men. But, I went through some stuff and watched my Mom go through some things that further reinforced the idea that I was powerless as a woman.

Anyway, to swing this around to a positive place....I started college in 1994 to receive my degree in Architecture. Something inside of me really wanted to prove to myself that I could do this...that I could get a degree in a "Man's" field and be successful...that I could be as powerful as a man....At the time I had no idea that I was missing the point. But, I did it. I got into a top rated school and I worked hard and I got the degree. During my last year of school I began to meet people that were really exploring their spirituality. I started talking more and more "to" God/Dess....not so much "with" God/Dess. My second to last year of school all hell broke loose at home and my parents decided to pursue a separation/divorce. I was ok with the idea....in fact in full support....but, while I was working a lot at my job, pulling crazy hours in studio, and doing the rest of my school related stuff, my parents started calling and utilizing me as a counselor. I didn't know I could say NO. I nearly had what I felt like, was a nervous breakdown....this is when I started "listening" to God/Dess. I asked for help...I prayed for help and I listened with all of my being for the answer...and I got it..."Go to New Mexico at the end of the semester and stay there for the Summer"....So I did. I packed up my car and my dog and my faith and I headed out to save myself from myself, my past, and others cyclical B.S.

While I was there I learned about alternative healing, reiki and energy work...I spent time every day in the woods...I learned about crystals...and I built sweat lodges with some native kids. I learned about sacred ceremony and meditation....I learned more about what it means to listen. I also met a lot of artists that were expressing themselves and their relationship with the earth and with God/DESS in ways I had never seen before...beyond just a one to one painting....deeper. Now, let me digress for a second and say...I am still learning lots and lots about all of these things and more...and I am learning more and more about what it means to listen...not just with my ears...but, my heart, my soul, and everything. When I paint I am wide open to receive.

I have grown since those months in New Mexico to realize that there is power in being a woman...there is power in femininity...I no longer pursue things in a way that a man might....as I am not a man and will not find joy in this way. Balance between the masculine and the feminine is what I seek...daily and have been for about 15 years now. I have traveled many miles and lived in many places seeking that balance....and that has been good for me, as it has afforded me the opportunity to meet people that have taught me things and places in nature that have fed my soul. Now I realize that it was all there within me the whole time...it was with me everywhere I've ever been and it will continue to be....
That's a powerful journey, thank you so much for sharing it. You work under the studio name "Moonbow" - I find that women often have a special relationship with the moon. When I was young and struggling, I used to pray to the moon. I had no idea what I was doing, I would just look out my window and pray to the moon because it felt right. Moonbows are often hard for the human eye to see, which makes me think of the process of listening, feeling and seeing with our whole beings, with our souls.

Q. As you journey, as both a woman and an artist continues, what are you listening, looking and feeling for?

A. Healing, Healing, Healing, Healing....this is what I am listening, looking, and feeling for. As I find myself more and more healed and more and more in my power I want more and more to continue getting stronger, shining brighter, and being more ME....the ME I that I am to the core. I truly believe that the more I step into my true being and the person that God/Dess wants me to be from the inside out...the more capable I am to make a difference in the world in a positive, loving, compassionate, meaningful, healing and powerful way. I want to challenge others through my art and my own path of healing in a way that positively encourages the healing of old wounds, the breaking cycles of abuse and patterns that no longer serve the soul, and the growth of joyful people.

Inner Children

I've been working with someone with the thought of healing my inner child for several months now...one that is badly broken and needing attention. It was shocking to turn inward to see her...really see her. Her eyes sewn shut and a metal plate nailed over her mouth...pigtails and a calico dress the only indicators of youth...and a pair of bright red, shiny high heel pumps, about 10 sizes too big. It seems I have spent the majority of my life trying to fill shoes that were entirely too big. I spent the day with another healer named Joy Gardner recently. She helped me to snip the threads that have kept me from seeing who I really am, all these years. She also helped me to pull the nails that held the contraption that has silenced me all these years....kept me from telling what's true to me. It was painful...has been for a long time...since I started to really work on getting through to this part of myself...hold her, heal her, be there for her, comfort her....telling her that it's ok...she's safe to be who she is...she doesn't have to lash out anymore...but, the pain is easing and I feel more grounded than I ever have in my life. I feel so much gratitude as the fear falls away...an illusion. I painted that broken part of me recently. I do not yet have a photo of her yet...but, I will post one. I do however have a photo of my most recent painting....a painting depicting a vision I had at the end of my session with Joy. I saw myself holding that child...really holding her, and all was at peace for a moment. I am trusting myself and loving myself. Here is that image...