Mantra Monday

And the Goddess Give Away Goodies go to...

the Dazzling Dia! Hooray!

Thank you to everyone who visted and contributed to the creative discussion! It was incredibly interesting and invigorating to read everyone's merry making plans! I wish you all the Best of Luck in your experimental and imaginative endeavors. Go forth and make that gravy! I'll be posting another give away for spring in a few weeks. Stay tuned! :)

This week I decided to jump on board with the Trinket Queen Jennlui and participate in Mantra Monday. (Go take a peek--Anyone can play!) I can't think of a better way to start the week than with a new moon and a meditative moment quickly concocting a magickal message. I wanted to create a card that encompassed my spiritual and professional goal for the year ahead.

Proceed with Peace & Purpose.

What will your message be, my pretties?

Many Blissings!~*

Art On The Dark Side: Artemis

Though I do SO love the lights of the season and the sweets (oh my goodness the sweets!), I needed a little deviant distraction from the mall madness and blizzard coverage. The marvelously macabre Miss June at Art on The Dark Side provided "Mutant" as this weeks prompt!

"Artemis" Molly Roberts 2007. Oil on canvas

"Artemis" was part three of a goddess triptych I completed a year ago. She was designed to represent the playful and strange attributes of maidenhood. I don't remember exactly how I came to give her fawn arms--I knew I wanted to include "deer" in the work somewhere as it is one of the goddess's most well known symbols. I had sketched her holding a fawn, or wearing necklace with a stag charm, but it must have been a late evening at the studio when I decided I would depict her sprouting hooves. I wanted her to be childish, curious. I did a brief jot on her while the work was in progress:
"Girl hood. Maidenhood. Fleshy flowers in bloom. Flat chest. Imaginative because they don't remember. Mischievous. Flitting about in a dandelion tutu blowing bubbles in the evening. Apple blossoms in early may. Am I too skinny? Too short? Too blond? Wanting to be a mermaid, sand pushed up on my skin. Hair was wild like a thousand shivering threads. Teeth like an old house full of ghosts. Firsts: first taste, first swim, first crushed firefly. Unsure, bashful, insignificant. Flying was not improbably, it was a necessity. Queen of the Thicket, benevolent ruler of all the crickets. A petticoat full of hares. "

Art On The Dark Side: Poppet

How Serendipitous! I've stumbled upon Miss June's deliciously dark blog gallery, Art On The Darkside Challenges, and had the perfect piece for this week's prompt!!

"Poppet" Self Portrait by Molly Roberts. 18"x24" Charcoal on canson. 2007

I created this work for a figure drawing class a semester back. I was SO excited about June's prompt, masks, as I use them in almost everything I do! However, I don't include them as a form of hiding, or shame but I feel like the masks I put on my sitters transform them--as if the mask gives you freedom to do the things you're too afraid to do and say the things you're far too polite to say. I love dressing up my sitters! First watching them experience the weird uncomfortable nervousness and you see the expression on their face when you come at them with gray blush and a headdress and you KNOW they are thinking, "You know what you're doing...right??" Then, watching their eyes light up when they look in the mirror and realize how different they look--how free they are! My favorite was dressing up a football mom friend of mine and watching her tear up as I transformed her into the flowing, glowing, abundant goddess Ishtar. This particular piece is a self portrait as it is difficult to find models in the area to do long term sittings--an artist is her own best friend. :)

Go visit June and see what other shadowy surprises she has in store! Go forth and draw, friends! :)

Merry Making!
Many Blissings~*