Gods and Goddesses of the City- Part I

So as I've wandered the intriguing streets of Montreal, I have come across, sometimes in the most unexpected spots, the Goddesses  and Gods of the City. Grafittied on a wall here. A picture stuck in a window there. A sarong depicting Kali which protects the mysteries hidden behind a glass paned door. And I have found them everywhere. Fascinated by these artistic depictions of facets of the divine, and other spiritual archetypes I decided it would be fun to make a photo chronicle from time to time of Who was spotted Where. This is the first of such entries on my blog. I hope that you'll enjoy this visual tour of some of the different walls and structures of Montreal and those who inhabit them as well as the work of the artists who put them there.

 

The Greenman of Demers is the first one I ever saw in Montreal. Just around the corner from our old appartment situated on a charming and very old street of the city called Demers he watches over the comings and goings of the inhabitants of his building as well as the growth of the beautiful morning glories and well tended gardens that are right across the street from his vantage point.  

 The Garden Spirits of Atwater area. There is a charming garden close to a Senior's complex in the Atwater area tended by the residents there. It houses numerous statues at varying degrees of emergance from the earth in the garden. A fantastic spot to let your imagination run wild or just to sit and draw!

 The Gargoyle of the Auberge. This handsome devil sits and watches over passers by from his Perch next to the Auberge du Dragon Rouge, quietly keeping an eye on his corner of the city.

 The Old Greek God. Is hand painted on a brick wall in a Mike's Eatery in the basement of The Desjardins mall at Place des Arts. I suspect we were watching each other as I ate my breakfast. Though he looks hungrier than I was....

 African Harvest Goddess. She is one of my favorites. Though bits of her are slowly peeling off the wall, the beauty and delicacy of the nuances and shadow/light that compose her are so lovely I have not done them justice in photographing her. She resides on a wall at the corner of Marquette and Mont Royal and is well worth checking out if ever you are in that neighbourhood. Looking out over gardens everywhere, shovel in hand and ready to plant or reap depending on the season this is the Lady to call on if you need help getting things to grow.

 (Kali- as panoramically as possible)

 (Kali-detail)

Kali. On Mont Royal street is a store of the same name and on the exterior of this building is Her likeness in various forms and permutations. Ever changing as new art replaces the old Kali redifines herself everynow and then.

Medusa. Looking out over a parking lot on the corner of Mont Royal street not far from Kali is Medusa. The lighting on her is really neat and I like the fact that she has been depicted with six arms in a somewhat Kali-esque fashion.

 The Atlas Minotaur of the St Laurent Overpass. This imposing fellow is holding up the overpass part way up St Laurent street in Mile End.

  
The New Age Deity. At some point in my travels a friend of mine and I ran across this enlightened being on a brick wall close to Mont Royal Street and a cross street I can no longer remember that has two names (it is close to the metro though) Spreading enlightenment and mandalas to it's grafitti-ed folowers this beautiful being speaks volumes in it's silence to the pedestrian who chooses to stop long enough to listen as well.

Zeus. Looking out over the same parking lot as Medusa (and possibly by the same artist though the styles seem different to me) is the Greek god Zeus attempting to keep order in this sometimes chaotic city.

And on this note I leave you today, but will be back with other Otherworldly Art finds from my travels through this city. Please feel free to leave comments...or if you know of other Deity themed art in the city that is worth checking out drop me a line. Happy travels and discoveries!

My first group show in Montreal! Everyone is welcome!

 

Enchanted Forest:

 Fundraiser & Vernissage: Cocktail & Chinese Auction

Location: Ahimsa Yoga Studio & Community Space

Time: Thursday, 09 June 2011 18:00

 

This Thursday June 9th from 6pm-10pm is the Opening and Vernissage of my first group show here in Montreal. There will be many amazing visionary artists and craftspeople with works on display in the lovely Ahimsa Yoga Studio from June 9th -July 9th. Also present for the vernissage will be a lively local story teller JD Hobbes http://taelstrumcanada.wordpress.com/ and the beautiful harp music of Theda

Theda Phoenix playing the harp 22.03.2011.AVI

www.youtube.com

You are cordially invited to an evening of fun and art! Looking forward to seeing you there!

The Greenman: Protector of the Woods

The Process

Here is the latest greenman early on in the process. The texture is down, one layer at a time until I am satisfied that I have built what I am looking for. The black gesso has been laid down and he is ready for  the layers of colour now.

Guardian of the Woods

This is the protective aspect of the Greenman. Watchful and playful all at once he guards over the lands sacred to him. Taking joy in the forest breathing, the small movements in the underbrush, a flash of feathered wings in the canopy, fireflies glowing through the dark night, he watches. Holding the rich woodlands in his heart his blessing is cast over the land. You may not see him as you trace your path through his domain but he is there grounded, his leaves on the wind and branches reaching for the sky taking everything in through his bright eyes.

The Greenman of Spring

Welcome Spring! After a long Winter finally seeing the lacy green leaves emerging from the buds on the trees is like a breath of fresh air. The Spring rains are invigorating the land and the plants springing forth from it after their seasonal dormancy under the blanket of snow that is Canadian Winter. Out from under this quilt that covers the earth emerges the Spring Greenman, mischief in his eyes already as he rubs away the sleep of Winter. Cloaked in the buds of spring and new life, garlands of fresh lucid green fronds and damp roots drinking in the Spring rains  he steps forth and begins a dance of seduction, mystery and love with the Lady of the Land. Magick is afoot and new beginnings are all around us. Dance with beautiful abandon and let new growth work it's magick in each new breath you take. Wishing you all the blessings of Spring.

The End of a Season

So Winter has finally come to an end, or as much as it does at this time of year in this part of the world.

Over the past few months I have observed the Winter season and it's nuances of light and dark, shadows of trees, changes in the land buried under snow and ice and the mysteries that lie beneath that sparkling blanket that covers the earth. I have searched for the Greeman as he slumbers in the cold kissed by the winds of winter, safe under the snow. Snowflake by snowflake, thought by thought I have brought this season and all of its subtle shades and stillness into my heart and my onto my canvas.

As a meditative piece this was very challenging as Winter is not always an easy season. Much like the labyrinth at the heart of the Greenman there is only one way into Winter and it is the same winding path to which we can't always see the end that leads us back out again. This path through the darker time of the year is one that we and our ancestors before us have walked for generations, centuries and maybe longer. It is a sacred path we walk as we find ourselves wrapped deep in the velvety dark stillness of the heart of winter looking inward at our own selves and our own hearts with silence and time to contemplate all that exists with in us and all that could exist there.

I am thankful for this time that has brought me awareness of the blue shadows of trees on the snow, of the possibility inside the buds on the branches, of the need for quieter times, gathering energy for the warmer months of growth to come. Wishing you the blessing of a burgeoning spring as the sun gathers strength.

The Seasonal Greenman: And the Wheel Turns

Hi Everyone!

So this is my first post on my blog , I'm pretty excited. As some of you may already know I have been working with moving through the seasons with meditative painting. One of the energies I am working with to do this is that of the Greenman, a fertile living masculine energy. Usually depicted as a man wearing a mask of leaves or a man with a face made of leaves he represents the vital masculine energy in Nature. I have started this series with 2 smaller pieces of the traditional Greenman and then moved on with the seasons, laying the first coat of colour down, on the dusk of the Fall Equinox, onto the Vernal Greenman

Today I heard the call of the Dormant Wintry Greenman, whose icy barren branches hold the last leaves of Fall and in whose heart sleeps the possibility of Spring. His voice whispers to me of the winds of winter and their hollow tales howling around Him, of evergreens tall, dark and somber whispering the mysteries to one another, of the movement of squirrels and birds who make their home in him, who seek refuge there, of sacred age old patterns in the snow at his roots. All this and so much more. The canvas is on my easel, waiting, as this energy processes itself in my heart and mind. As an image forms, that itself will see transformaion through the organic creative process, I open myself up to this and wait to see what reveals itself...what His beautiful face will look like as it emerges from my canvas.... I'll share it with you when He is done. Wishing you all the blessings of Winter.