The 52 Project, Chiron Return (on turning 50 this year) and 365 Leftys a Day

I am painting a Lefty-a-day for 52 weeks (365 days) as part of Riverside Art Museum's 52 Project using my non-dominant left hand (and my right hand occasionally) and posting work-in-progress on my Instagram. The 52 Project is RAM's newest "Art Make" enterprise, where a group of creative people find inspiration and motivation from one another while working on a 52-week, self-directed art journaling project. The goal is to help develop the habit of capturing inspired ideas and being more artful on a regular basis with an option to write an exhibit/project proposal to submit to the museum and have a 4-day exhibition/performance during the summer of 2016. If interested you can join in at any time.

Interestingly enough I started The 52 Project  two days before the beginning of my Chiron Return and the exact same day as starting painting Lefty Talismans

Astrologically speaking, Chiron Return (when the planet Chiron, otherwise known as 'the wounded healer' returns to the same position in the sky as when you were born) is a time where the original wounding re-surfaces. If it's going well it's a time of deep peace and completion; a spiritual coming of age (according to Astrologer, Martin Lass in his book about Chiron). I won't go into past lives and how the wounds I've experienced before have re-surfaced, other than to say that I'm learning about Faith yet again.

I'm will be documenting weekly progress here on my blog to summarize what I've learned during the week. You can follow along at The 52 Project

My goal in doing The 52 Project is to take a complete break from selling my art and focusing on the 'business of art' to instead focus on making the art and truly figuring out what the hell I'm trying to say.

Right now I'm quite overwhelmed with all the many websites and social media platforms I have. Don't get me wrong, I love them all; playing around online and social networking is a hoot, but I need to streamline. I envision my online world in one year after completing The 52 Project (May 3, 2016) and my ideal vision involves a new and uber streamlined website and just one FB Page plus an Instagram account. I see myself focused, with one primary online style and successful; whatever that means I can't tell you right now and I'm not defining it either.

When I painted yesterday's lefty-of-the-day I painted a Goddess (Goddess Love - see first photo below) and

I realized that even if no one else on the planet likes it, I DO and that counts more than anything. There are enough folks painting 'popular', 'trendy', 'political' stuff, I need to paint what I like. ~ Sketchbook notes, June 6, 2015

Week 5 Leftys

Goddess Love by k. crab

I find peace amongst all the craziness by k. crab

sketchbook

Seriously Sexy by k. crab

Full Moon in Sagittarius by Kathy Crabbe

Talisman: An object marked with magical signs and believed to confer on its bearer supernatural powers or protection...completion, consecrated object.

Consecrated: to make or declare sacred; hallow...4. To dedicate to some service or goal.

My Instagram - work in progress

My Blog posts documenting weekly progress

Kathy Crabbe at Beltane 2015About Kathy & the Leftys

Kathy Crabbe is an artist and energy reader living in sunny SoCal with her husband and pet muses, Abby the big, shaggy black dog and Djinn Djinn the small, scruffy one in an adobe home they built themselves.

Kathy is painting a Lefty-a-Day for 365 days (The 52 Project) and posting all works in-progress on Instagram

Full Moon in Sagittarius: Where past and present meet

Full Moon in Sagittarius by Kathy Crabbe Dear Creative Soul,

What's coming to fruition for you right now? If you set intentions on June 17 for the New Moon in Taurus look back at them now and take note. If you didn't then check in with your body and your higher self to find out what's going on.

Because it's Mercury Retrograde, don't expect a lot of forward motion until June 11 when Mercury goes direct, or better yet until June 27 when the shadow period is over.

Sagittarius rules abundance, aliens, dreams, long journeys, the upper legs, prayer, college teachers, turquoise and writers.

While the Moon is in Sag it's a good time to:

  • Seek new horizons
  • Explore worlds without maps
  • Quest!
  • Be outrageous
  • Look to the future
  • Seek freedom from all oppression

This Sag Full Moon makes me feel like crawling into a cave and soaking up some mineral wisdom. I'd bring a pencil, pen, Winsor Newton watercolor brushes, watercolor paper, gouache and some pigments made from an ancient formula.  I'd go back in time to when I was a sacred scribe; a monk; alone, but never lonely, never hungry, never thirsty, just filled with God/dess. This vision brings tears to my eyes.

I am still that monk, but in this lifetime my karmic mission is to express that depth of passion and wisdom in work that can touch others in an everyday way. I can live and create in the world, rather than outside of it. This I must remember.

If you're curious to delve further into your own past lives, I now offer Past Life Readings in person at The Learning Light Foundation in Anaheim (2nd Saturday of each month) and by phone. I also offer online readings accompanied by an 8-10 page written transcript (pdf).

Full Moon in Sagittarius by Kathy Crabbe

Art News

I continue to paint a Lefty-a-day as part of the Riverside Art Museum's 52 Project with the possibility of having a museum exhibit. If you'd like to join me there are two options.

  1. Make a drawing using your non-dominant hand and send me a photo of your work along with your thoughts/feelings about the process.
  2. Write a story for one of my Leftys and email it to me at kathy at kathycrabbe dot com

You may also be featured in my Creative Soul Spotlight. Here's a peek at the very first Lefty Explorer, Christine along with her Lefty drawing and story.

NEW! Follow along as I paint a Lefty-a-Day for 365 days on Instagram as part of Riverside Art Museum's 52 Project - I take pix along the way so see you can see my paintings in progress.

NEW! Past Life Readings in person and by phone

To purchase the Full Moon in Sag Painting above please email me.

Upcoming Events with Kathy

Temecula Artist's Circle When: June 28, Sunday, 11 - 1 pm (Last Sunday of the month) Where: Ryan Bros Coffee, Temecula, California Facebook Group

Creative Soul Readings at Learning Light Foundation When: 2nd Saturdays, 10-5 Where: 1212 E. Lincoln Ave, Anaheim, CA

Creative Soul Readings at Karma Boutique When: June 27, Saturday, 11-5 Where: 4242 Camino Del Rio N. #19, San Diego, CA

Awaken Your Divine Feminine Soul eClass ~ Gemini Moon Term When: 1 week before the New Moon each month Where: Susun Weed's Wise Woman University

Links

Soul Readings Past Life Readings Astrology Reports Goddess Zodiac Playbook Instagram

Where's the Moon? Full Moon in Sagittarius, June 2, 9:19 am, Pacific Time

"What Goddess has done before, She now does for me and more!" ~ Adapted from the 77th Psalm and from page 60 in "The Writings of Florence Scovel Shinn"

Kathy Crabbe at Beltane 2015About Kathy & the Leftys Kathy Crabbe is an artist and energy reader living in sunny SoCal with her husband and pet muse, Abby the shaggy black dog in an adobe home they built themselves.

Kathy is painting a Lefty-a-Day for 365 days and posting all works in-progress on Instagram at http://instagram.com/kathycrabbeart

Arty Happenings: Getting published by We'Moon & RAM Museum Exhibit

Big Changes Afoot! I'm re-designing my website to make it easier for you to purchase prints, cards and originals of ALL my most popular work (about time!) so stay tuned.

We'Moon Datebook Is Publishing My Freebird Original Print!

Woohoo! My original handpulled print titled Freebird will appear in the upcoming We'Moon 2014 Datebook. This print was originally created for the cover of Pat Proud's CD: Freeborn: Songs of a Playful Sage. The We'Moon Datebook is what I use to keep track of the moon and for it's lovely artwork and writing, all submitted by it's readers. My art and writing have been published in We'Moon before (1993, '95, '05 & '08) and each year they accept submissions from their readers so I encourage you to enter: http://WeMoon.ws

Kathy Crabbe, Freebird, 2009, linoleum block print on hand dyed tissue paper, 4x4”.Kathy Crabbe, Freebird, 2009, linoleum block print on hand dyed tissue paper, 4x4”.

Upcoming Art Exhibit Where You Can See Freebird

Small But Mighty Print Exhibition Riverside Art Museum Riverside, California Website Exhibition Dates: February 2 – March 2, 2013 Opening night reception:  Thursday, February 7, 6-9 pm, during Art Walk

Art by Kathy Crabbe

How to Purchase Art from this Blog Post

To purchase prints, cards or the original Freebird or the work pictured above (except for Vera) please click here: Kathy Crabbe Art. Art pictured above starting from the left: Ms. Iridescent Hibiscus celebrates Valentine's Day (watercolor, gouache, ink & marker on paper) Lovey (watercolor on rice paper) Peace Within, Peace Without (watercolor on paper) Vera (silk painting) To purchase prints, cards or the original please click here: Kathy Crabbe Art

I'm Now Posting Daily Drawings on My Blog

To keep tabs with my Daily Drawings please check this blog where you can also sign up to receive email notices each time I create a new post. I also share my Daily Drawings and lots more good stuff on my Facebook Fan Page: Kathy Crabbe Art  so stop by and "Like" my page when you have a moment.

Sparkly Blessings, Kathy Crabbe

Verse to Image Exhibit: the poet has come back

Kathryn V. Crabbe. 2012. The Poet Has Come Back. Drypoint etching and monoprint, 13 x 26 inches My newest hand pulled fine art print is a combination etching and monoprint. It was created for the "Verse to Image Exhibition" at the Riverside Community Arts Association Center in Riverside, California.

This exhibit features members of the Printmakers Network affiliated with the Riverside Art Museum and explores the connections and spaces between literature and the plastic arts with displays of writing that have inspired the artists' works on view.

My print was inspired by Margaret Atwood's poem The Poet Has Come Back and by a quote about rebellion from Chris Hedge's book Death of the Liberal Class.

Atwood's poem talks about the god of poets having two hands, "the dexterous and the sinister" which actually refers to the left and right hands, something of great interest for me due to five years spent painting and drawing exclusively with my non dominant left hand in early 2000. Atwood's lines below were explored in the print I created.

The poet has come back to being a poet after decades of being virtuous instead...Welcome back, my dear. Time to resume our vigil, time to unlock the cellar door.

To understand humanities intuitive, 'primitive' past I looked to the earliest known drawings (and prints) created some 35,000 years ago in the Chauvet Caves of Southern France. (see image to the left) I also took notes and made sketches from Werner Herzog's 2010 documentary film, Cave of Forgotten Dreams for which he was granted the rare privilege of filming inside the caves.

I also investigated the groundbreaking work of archaelogist, Marija Gimbutas who explored Neolithic Goddess culture, mythology, linguistics and folklore in her book The Language of the Goddess. Gimbutas writes:

Hands and feet symbolize the touch of the Goddess; they impart her energy.

The color red is the symbol of life.

Figurines occasionally have enormous hands seemingly imparting divine energy or spells.

Chauvet Cave - handprints

In the Chauvet Caves are walls containing two different kinds of palm prints, one kind was made by pressing the fleshy round part of the palm of a hand onto the wall's surface and the other by spraying the color red around the hand.

In my etching/monoprint I made a full hand print (in black) using my right hand to represent the left brain dominant, logical society of today and another print (in red) using the fleshy base of my left palm to represent the intuitive, right brained world of our Paleolithic ancestors. In between the two hand prints I printed an etching of a root like symbol to connect the two worlds; both the rational, present day society and our intuitive past.

It is important that we, as a culture are presented with a vision of this possibility. We need to acknowledge and face our shadow side, our fears, our left hand and yes, stand vigil at the cellar door so that once again the poet has two hands, the dexterous and the sinister.

This piece also symbolizes how important the role of the artist and our imagination can be, especially in today's society. By making our mark, by critical thinking, skepticism and risk taking I ask each one of you to consider how important art, the imagination and the artist can be in North America today.

We must always learn from and study the example of other peoples throughout the world, but we do have to analyze our own conditions here in the belly of the beast. We, as conscious artists, must combat the torrent of mind-control with a real alternative - murals, songs, dance, poetry that contain different values and have educational content as well as beauty...everything is political.

Miranda Bergman, Mural, Mural on the Wall from Art on the Line, Essays by Artists about the Point Where Their Art & Activism Intersect, Edited by Jack Hirschman

VERSE TO IMAGE EXHIBITION Riverside Community Arts Association Center Riverside, California Exhibition dates: March 22 – April 21 Reception: April 5, 6-9pm (during Riverside Arts Walk)