ALEX GREY VISIONARY ART INTENSIVE, Blowing out the Dust
“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” Pablo Picasso
I learned last year that the live figure drawing was less about anatomical precision and more about the dynamic translation of energy into form. Accordingly I relax my grip on the pencil this time, holding it further back allowing a freer flow of the strokes that define the human body.
I devote more time on the the color coded evocation of the particular character of each chakra: red for the primal root chakra with its powerful survival instinct anchoring the body to the earth at the base of the spine; orange for the sensual cradle of emotion and sexuality in the pelvis; yellow to simulate the clarity of rationality and will emanating from the solar plexis; spring green radiating the love blossoming from an open heart chakra; blue illuminating the throat center of creativity and self-expression; purple for mystical insight available thru the psychic center of the third eye; all culminating in the golden white crown chakra, an iridescent thousand petaled lotus of divine inspiration and integration that reflects and transcends the entire light spectrum. Not a bad journey to take on a summer’s day in the Hudson River Valley.
Alex’s thoughtful selection of music enhances attunement to the subtle currents flowing thru all the bodies, models’ and artists,’ in the spacious room. Having removed my own greatest obstacle, my fear last year of not getting the figures “right,” I’m free to go with the flow and find myself increasingly energized. By the time we settle into the crown chakra drawing, a segment introduced with the Hallelujah chorus that sends twitters of delighted recognition thru the room, I’m in the zone. Joyful rays of rainbow hues nearly obliterate the figure I’m drawing as my body rocks in rhythm with the music. Attuned to the sacred in all things, the exercise that began with Handel’s robust choral celebration of the divine, concludes with Tool’s transcendent metal rock “Spiral Out.”
“Spiral out, spiral out...” Waves of goosebumps skitter across my skin, again and again until I am broken open, feeling like the radiance I’m portraying on the page has pierced my own skull, spilling torrents of divine light thru the flesh that felt so dense only hours ago, but now feels porous and light, vibrating with infinite potential.
With the chakra superhighway opened up, every wheel engaged and whirring fulfillment of its purpose, a rising tide of emotion demands release. The music is still going when I gratefully take Alex’s hands and beam a prayer of thanks from my heart to his before retreating to the porch where I can let go, allowing mild convulsive sobs to shake this body so deeply stirred by soul.
Shades of grief and gratitude mingle in the breaking wave of raw emotion. Fresh realization of the miracle of my earthly vessel, the beautiful turnings of my life’s journey, and the potentials of my highest aspirations wash away the insidious and inevitable dust of daily life that clogs psychological pores and settles into cracks I didn’t even know I had... A damn good cry...
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Suddenly there is a hand at my shoulder. A young man I’ve never spoken to before, with tattoos on neck and arms, a toddler in the stroller he’s been minding, hands me a tiny bouquet of wildflowers. “Safe journeys,” he says quietly and retreats before I can finish stammering my surprised thanks.
Safe indeed in this sanctuary. While most people who see Alex and Allyson’s art will immediately see the artistic and even spiritual merits of their lives’ works, I feel privileged to participate in the community they have so mindfully created, a safe haven for artists seeking to create more than cultural artifacts. The Cosm community inspires us to create vehicles for transport, the means to delve deeper, reach higher, explore the frontiers of human consciousness-- and facilitates moments like this of compassion, connection, a pure and simple exchange of love.
The Greys give to me what I have aspired to give to others, an opportunity to connect not only vertically to the Divine within, but laterally, externally, soul to numinous soul. They remind me that as fulfilling as it is to create sacred space for my young friends at home with art, books, music, film and late night philosophical debates, I need to receive the rich sustenance of the Mother’s womb as well as provide it for others.
I learned last year that the live figure drawing was less about anatomical precision and more about the dynamic translation of energy into form. Accordingly I relax my grip on the pencil this time, holding it further back allowing a freer flow of the strokes that define the human body.
I devote more time on the the color coded evocation of the particular character of each chakra: red for the primal root chakra with its powerful survival instinct anchoring the body to the earth at the base of the spine; orange for the sensual cradle of emotion and sexuality in the pelvis; yellow to simulate the clarity of rationality and will emanating from the solar plexis; spring green radiating the love blossoming from an open heart chakra; blue illuminating the throat center of creativity and self-expression; purple for mystical insight available thru the psychic center of the third eye; all culminating in the golden white crown chakra, an iridescent thousand petaled lotus of divine inspiration and integration that reflects and transcends the entire light spectrum. Not a bad journey to take on a summer’s day in the Hudson River Valley.
Alex’s thoughtful selection of music enhances attunement to the subtle currents flowing thru all the bodies, models’ and artists,’ in the spacious room. Having removed my own greatest obstacle, my fear last year of not getting the figures “right,” I’m free to go with the flow and find myself increasingly energized. By the time we settle into the crown chakra drawing, a segment introduced with the Hallelujah chorus that sends twitters of delighted recognition thru the room, I’m in the zone. Joyful rays of rainbow hues nearly obliterate the figure I’m drawing as my body rocks in rhythm with the music. Attuned to the sacred in all things, the exercise that began with Handel’s robust choral celebration of the divine, concludes with Tool’s transcendent metal rock “Spiral Out.”
“Spiral out, spiral out...” Waves of goosebumps skitter across my skin, again and again until I am broken open, feeling like the radiance I’m portraying on the page has pierced my own skull, spilling torrents of divine light thru the flesh that felt so dense only hours ago, but now feels porous and light, vibrating with infinite potential.
With the chakra superhighway opened up, every wheel engaged and whirring fulfillment of its purpose, a rising tide of emotion demands release. The music is still going when I gratefully take Alex’s hands and beam a prayer of thanks from my heart to his before retreating to the porch where I can let go, allowing mild convulsive sobs to shake this body so deeply stirred by soul.
Shades of grief and gratitude mingle in the breaking wave of raw emotion. Fresh realization of the miracle of my earthly vessel, the beautiful turnings of my life’s journey, and the potentials of my highest aspirations wash away the insidious and inevitable dust of daily life that clogs psychological pores and settles into cracks I didn’t even know I had... A damn good cry...
**************************************************
Suddenly there is a hand at my shoulder. A young man I’ve never spoken to before, with tattoos on neck and arms, a toddler in the stroller he’s been minding, hands me a tiny bouquet of wildflowers. “Safe journeys,” he says quietly and retreats before I can finish stammering my surprised thanks.
Safe indeed in this sanctuary. While most people who see Alex and Allyson’s art will immediately see the artistic and even spiritual merits of their lives’ works, I feel privileged to participate in the community they have so mindfully created, a safe haven for artists seeking to create more than cultural artifacts. The Cosm community inspires us to create vehicles for transport, the means to delve deeper, reach higher, explore the frontiers of human consciousness-- and facilitates moments like this of compassion, connection, a pure and simple exchange of love.
The Greys give to me what I have aspired to give to others, an opportunity to connect not only vertically to the Divine within, but laterally, externally, soul to numinous soul. They remind me that as fulfilling as it is to create sacred space for my young friends at home with art, books, music, film and late night philosophical debates, I need to receive the rich sustenance of the Mother’s womb as well as provide it for others.