Month: March 2015

Masquerading…as yourself

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"Masquerqding" 16"T X 12"W, Acrylic on Gallery Wrap Canvas http://www.pameladunmirefineart.com

“Masquerqding” 16″T X 12″W, Acrylic on Gallery Wrap Canvas
http://www.pameladunmirefineart.com

Do you sometimes hide who you really are?  We tend to have different masks for different roles.  Our work a day mask, our social mask, and our mask to hide our emotions. Just like the flowers above who are hiding behind the foliage, we tend to hide behind our masks. We masquerade so people don’t have to see the true us…. It might be scary to let someone see the real you. What if they don’t like the real you?

But… If people can’t see the real you, how will they let down their guard so you can see the real them?

My guess is that once the mask is off people will like you, trust you and feel that you are valuable as a friend and visa versa. What would your world look like if you took off your mask?  How about Masquerading as yourself, see the beauty of it all.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING THIS PAINTING CONTACT ME AT”

pameladunmirestudios@cableone.net

Diving Deep…. into yourself.

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"Diving Deep" Acrylic on Gallery Wrap Canvas, 30"X30" http://www.pameladunmirefineart.com

“Deep Down” Acrylic on Gallery Wrap Canvas, 30″X30″
http://www.pameladunmirefineart.com

I have been doing deep diving lately, not in the ocean… but into myself.  I find that the spring or vernal equinox is a time when I move in this direction.  It is a time of renewal when the earth buds forth, and I start to move forward too.

In order to move forward you need to know where you have come from.  So I dive deep into my soul and look at my journey so far.  It is not always easy to look at yourself, we are our worst critics. Instead of looking at my faults I focus on the good things that have come from me; the blessings and bounty that God has given me; the beauty of my life, the abundance I have; and the amazing things I have done.

We can all find something to be thankful about, or even proud of; think back to something hard-won that you persevered through. If you look at only the positives in your life and give gratitude, you will find that your path will be much different from dwelling on the negatives.  Your journey will be smoother, your path clearer and more rewarding.  If you dive deep you will find your Why for living and doing what you do.  Take some time to dive deeply into your self this spring it will make your year all the better.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE “DEEP DOWN” CONTACT ME BELOW OR AT:

pameladunmirestudios@cableone.net

Reflecting Back, memories in Black and White

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"Reflections with Red" Acrylic on Watercolor Paper 6.5" X 5" http://www.pameladunmirefineart.com

“Reflections with Red” Acrylic on Watercolor Paper 6.5″ X 5″
http://www.pameladunmirefineart.com

Remember those old black and white photos, of the family.  Old Granny on the steps of the house looking stern along side grandpa.  I have a few of those, that have been passed down to me from my mother’s side.  My dad’s side of the family is more mysterious, no pictures and no memories but ironically I can trace the genealogy back to pre-revolutionary war times, but no black and whites.

Many of us would just as soon not identify with our ancestors… but I think it is a key to who we are. How far back did that talent for art materialize? Where did I get that wry humor?

I worked for many years in the adoption field.  I tried very hard to get as much information as possible about birth families.  It is important to know…  It makes one whole… I even tried to pass along some of those old black and whites.

We all innately need to know where we came from; remember the mini-series Roots. Ancestors help identify that you came from a clan, even if you have never lived with them.  The collective consciousness of your family is always with you; it is one of the reasons, you are who you are.  Go dig out those black and whites this weekend.

IF INTERESTED IN THE ABOVE MINI-ABSTRACT, SUITABLE FOR FRAMING. CONTACT ME AT pameladunmirestudios@cableone.net

Winter’s End…The Cycle of Life

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"Winters End" Acrylic Painting on Gallery Wrap Canvas, 24"T X 36"W http://www.pameladunmirefineart.com

“Winter’s End” Acrylic Painting on Gallery Wrap Canvas, 24″T X 36″W
http://www.pameladunmirefineart.com

I am seeing the beginning of Spring in my neighborhood.  Beautiful Crab and Bradford Pear trees are in full blossom.  The days have warmed and the birds are chirping profusely.  It is amazing what a few weeks can bring forth.  It was only a month ago and we were blanketed by snow.  Nature and mother earth have cycled through their darkness and come full circle into the joys of Spring.

That is how our cycles of life flow, sometimes we face bitter cold and darkness, followed by times of plenty  and sunshine.  Many of us ask,” why can’t it always be light and happiness that shines on me.”  As a person of faith I know that you must face the cold in order to appreciate the warmth; hardship in order to recognize abundance; poverty of spirit in order to find the wealth of life.

However, it does not mean you need to be unhappy.  Take those cycles and use them as an opportunity to grow and bring clarity. Find purpose in all you do for Winter’s End is here and Spring is just around the corner.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING THIS PAINTING LET ME KNOW AND IT CAN HAPPEN.

pameladunmirestudios@cableone.net

Finding Your Path……

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"Finding The Path" Acrylic on Gallery Wrap Canvas, 30" X 30" www.pameladunmirefineart.com

“Finding The Path” Acrylic on Gallery Wrap Canvas, 30″ X 30″
http://www.pameladunmirefineart.com

It took me many years to find the right path, should I say I was a late bloomer.  One thing for certain, people would always show up at my door to talk.  I guess that is why I eventually became a counselor.  But….. there was that other side of me.  The creative person that was just waiting to jump out.

I remember watching my father paint, I loved that he could make something come alive. I wished that I could do that too.  But I would tell myself that I could never do what my father did, he was so good at it, and I, well was just a clumsy girl. It wasn’t until much later in my life actually when I was 37 that the passion of being an artist started percolating in my soul. That is how things come to me, they bubble and swirl around until they pour forth into action.

It was an epiphany, when I visited Ghost Ranch, that wonderful place in New Mexico where Georgia O’Keeffe painted so passionately; that I knew I was to become a painter.

I now know many years later that the path I took could only be right if I incorporated both my love to help people and my passion to paint, ergo this blog, my upcoming book and healing seminars through art.

I found my path and humbly hope that I can make a better world, a kinder place, a happier and joyful life for those I touch.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING THIS PAINTING CONTACT ME BELOW AND WE CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN.

Reflecting Home……

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"Reflecting Home" 30" x 30" Acrylic on Gallery Wrap Canvas http:www.pameladunmirefineart.com

“Reflecting Home” 30″ x 30″ Acrylic on Gallery Wrap Canvas
www.pameladunmirefineart.com

Dreaming of my childhood today…  I can’t deny that I am a water baby, being raised on a lake in Michigan.  It wasn’t until I was older that I realized what a special and privileged life I had.  Laying in my bed in the mornings I could watch the Herons flying low over the water and diving deep to catch a bass.  Fly fishing with my dad on the shore of our property, making my fort under a big Willow at the waters edge, and rowing my boat across the lake to visit my best friend, are childhood memories I will never forget.

No wonder that I am drawn to the reflections of water, and how the light bounces off the ripples.  Water is an amazing thing to paint. Years later when I lived on the Coast of California, I would paint the waves crashing against the rocks, or gently washing onto the beach.

Now this water baby finds herself living in Arizona where water is so precious.  Here we say, “Whiskey is for Drinking and Water is for fighting over.”  I still have small reflections of home where ever I live and always have a water feature on my property to enhance my life through sound and reflection, light patterns and color.  Occasionally when I get really sentimental I will paint those memories.  My newest painting “Reflecting Home” is an example.  What are your precious reflections of home?

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING THIS PAINTING CONTACT ME AT: pameladunmirestudios@cableone.net

Compartmentalizing Our Lives

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" Compartments" Acrylic on Gallery Wrap Canvas 30" x 30" http://www.pameladunmirefineart.com

” Compartments” Acrylic on Gallery Wrap Canvas
30″ x 30″
http://www.pameladunmirefineart.com

Sometimes I put things in boxes and take them out when I need to. It makes life easier.  You know what I mean, I have the ME that my family sees(box #1), and the ME who the public sees(box #2).  I wouldn’t dare leave the house without makeup… but at home sometimes it is just easier to rest the face…giggle.

No really, we do compartmentalize, it is a form of protection and survival.  If you put something in a box and tape it up good and tight, it can’t come out.  That’s what we do with old memories, and slights, and inadequacies, and other things that make us feel less than.  It is also what gives us stress, ulcers, back aches and headaches.

How about those boxes get decorated with pretty bows, so that we look forward to opening them up.  It is alright to put things in Compartments so we can deal with them when the time is right… or it’s safe now… or I’ve grown up; but dealing with all those feeling in those pretty boxes we must do, in order to move forward and be all that we want.

Even in later years, I have had to open boxes that sat on my minds shelf and say, “What the heck is in here, that is making me stuck”.  I found those old saying that I heard as a child, “you are not good enough”, “don’t do that, it’s not how we do things in OUR FAMILY”, “girls should act proper”, yadda yadda…….

Now I just wrap those old boxes up in bright colors with big bows and send them off into the universe…. Those are old memories and slights; not who I am now.. Now my compartments have paint tubes and canvases in them……

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING THIS PAINTING CONTACT ME AT pameladunmirestudios@cableone.net

Thoughts Run Deep….. the patterns of life.

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Running Deep, Mixed Median on Paper http://www.pameladunmirefineart.com

Running Deep, Mixed Media on Paper
http://www.pameladunmirefineart.com

After days of hibernating undercover, listlessly waiting for the cold and snow to stop, I am back in the studio.  Sometimes melancholy runs deep when I am tired and my energy is spent.  After weeks of cold and snow, ice storms, sleet and long days of travel it felt good to wrap myself in warmth and deepness.

Thoughts run deep during this period……this is when I hear that deep small voice of my God, gently nudging me back to life.  This is when my thankfulness is deep within my heart.  This is the place where my dreams materialize into thoughts and actions.  This is where I become energized and my creativeness begins to blossom again.

Today I stepped back into the studio, and creating called me, it spewed forth.  It sang the deep song that I had nurtured all those days.  I am back……

IF INTERESTED IN THIS OR OTHER PAINTINGS PLEASE CONTACT ME AT

pameladunmirestudios@cableone.net