The encaustic medium is magical, vibrant and translucent.  My creative muse guides, inspires and feeds my soul through this medium, mixed media and collage.  Blessing me with endless moments of creative joy and harmony...providing those ahhaa moments about life.  Join me on this creative journey, spend some time reading my musings about this life, the blessed other souls that come into contact with mine, however brief or often, that can leave everlasting imprints on our journey....perhaps our lives might share some similarities, bringing us closer and more connected...and less isolated.

"I suppose there is one friend in the life of each of us who seems not a separate person, however dear and beloved, but an expansion, an interpretation, of one's self, the very meaning of one's soul." ~ Edith Wharton

Here's to finding those expansive moments.....

Sunday, July 19, 2009

To Thine Own Self be True - New Piece -Sold at Art In the Yard

"To Thine Own Self be True" 12 x 36, Encaustic Mixed Media Collage 2009
Click on image for a closer view.

This piece provided me with great joy in the process of 'birthing' it...the piece is about loving oneself deeply and unconditionally.  It is also about my reflections on relationships, their significance, the role of 'marriage' in the traditional sense vs. non-traditional, the wondering about 'expectations' and letting go of all that is 'expected' but following your own heart's desire and creating your own notion of marriage, relationships and love.

I will be away from the online world for one week at a silent week long meditation and creativity retreat...at a beautiful location called Dunedin, Creemore, Ontario.  I am not taking anything except myself, art supplies, meditation equipment...I am wondering about taking my camera....if I do I will share visual images for later when I return.

Wishing you all creativity and joy in abundance.
Shanti.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Art in the Yard 2009 some photos to share

Here are a couple of shots of my tent with panels -- the below image is a piece I completed recently, called " To Thine Own Self be True" Encaustic Mixed Media Collage, 12 x 36 - 2009.  I sold it at the show to a lovely woman...it was so wonderful to meet and share my passion with many people at this lovely show, Art in the Yard.

I met some wonderful artists...Here is Kate Jones, a lovely visual artist and songwriter-singer...she performed at the show and I am loving her CD - Her Seasons.


Kym Brundritt, is another lovely artist I met that weekend..she also celebrated her birthday on Sunday..Happy Birthday..her work is vibrant, positive and happy just like her.   




Here is Jean Loney, a wonderful mosaic artist and friend, whom I had the pleasure of getting to know during a 5 week Encaustic Mixed Media Collage program I taught...


Also at the show were some of the Elora-Fergus Studio members, artists and friends...Here is Dorothy Collin, who is a potter in a country garden...

Carla Drimmie, a new artist on the Elora-Fergus Studio Tour...also sharing her beautiful and elegant jewellery creations.

Here is Jerre Davidson, the chair of the Elora-Fergus Studio Tour this year...at the Art in the Yard event..talking with Mandy Deskur, also on the EFST (Elora-Fergus Studio Tour) and on the excutive this year too. 


Overall the show was lovely to be part of..and I am pleased to have donated a piece for the silent auction to raise funds for the Elora Centre for the arts.
I also ran a free draw prize at this show and the winner for this draw prize is:  Elyse Redden - congratulations.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

A new family member to love and cherish and PLAY with!






We have had Willow for about a month..she is coming on 4 months old..she is a joy, a ball of energy..constantly loving cuddles, won't sleep unless she is on someone, and jumps playfully wanting to play all the time...we love her and we will cherish her.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Art 09 photos and draw prize winner announcement

Art09, Metro Convention Centre in Toronto, On. Canada.  This is a recent show collaborative that I participated in with my brother, Soumen Karmakar, Photographer.   

My brother and I recently participated in a joint venture, exhibiting at the Art09, first annual show...we called our collaborative "WAXSCAPES"...he is a photographer, does lovely black and white landscape photography...and some colour too...we decided to try collaborating using wax and photography together.   It was a great beginning to maybe something larger one day.......I tried my hand at building wax on top of his photographs, one of which was of these lovely trees.  I built an image of a tree using the encaustic medium, which was 3-dimensional in nature...this piece sold at the show to a buyer from Florida..unfortunately we did not get a chance to photograph this piece before it went out into the world..but a small glimpse of it can be seen behind us in this shot above.


Tracy Hendricks and Myself, Supria Karmakar.  Tracy is a longtime friend from highschool days,...in fact she was my very FIRST friend when I immigrated from London, England to Canada....These photos are compliments of Tracy..thanks so much Tracy for your support and sharing.  Below is a photo of my friend Cheryl Orletsky....she is a fabulous animal lover and we call her the "Dog Guru" check out the cool things she is doing and building with her life for she has a wonderful gift with dogs, cats, and animals in general....

Group shot...Marjorie, Supria, Cheryl, Gilda, Soumen and Rhea.
Thanks to all my friends and family that came out to the show to support my brother and I.

We had a draw prize for the show and the winner is:  Leah Erdahl....hope to hear from you so you may claim your draw prize.