“An Image From Beyond” – When I’m Given the Picture and the Edict to Create it

An image "given" to me from an acquaintance who recently diedNancy Smeltzer, MFA

The images for my art work often come to me in that dream state of consciousness between being half awake and asleep. This image, however, while the State of Being was similar, was “shown” to me while meditating and thinking about a healing acquaintance, Brian Baker, who  drowned last week while on vacation in Hawaii.

The man was an amazing healer who specialized in sound and vibrations to literally shake issues apart. I most remember his didgeridoo, which he once placed against my chest as he toned through it at a gathering we were attending. That memory and the accompanying sensations is still very powerful. At the time, I had not started on my spiritual path, and I now know that in my cosmology, we’re vibrated into existence. It’s sort of like the ceiling in the Sistine Chapel, where God’s fingertip almost touches that of Adam’s as the spark of Life is transferred into Man. For me, the metaphor that I’ve been shown is that each of us, as we’re manifested, come into Life on this Earth by being vibrated into existence by a huge Om sound. So, I now know why that intense toning that Brian did was so powerful for me.

So, what to do with this image I’ve been given? When I’m shown one like this, in that State of Being that the Aborigines call Dreamtime, I know that I’m supposed to make it. I have had several other times when I’ve been shown an image in a “dream”, the earliest of which is “The Moon Rises Over Thundercloud“. I imagine that the image for this new piece “An Image From Beyond” is partially due to what I know of the style of Aboriginal art and Brian’s use of a didgeridoo. The colors certainly aren’t traditional for that art form, but, hey, that’s what I saw. So far, having quickly created the image in Photoshop right after I awoke, I printed it out onto fabric using PhotoFabric from Blumenthal Craft. While all of the versions of that silk treated fabric that I’ve seen are 8.5″W ( 21.5cm W), the one that I used was 11″ ( 28cm) long so that I could send it through my ink jet printer. Now that the image has been removed from its paper backing that allows it to go through the printer, and washed and ironed, I’ll start on the quilt sandwich and make a mini art quilt. While it’s a given that it will have buttons and beads on it, I know that there will be some small shells sewn on to the piece, too. Keep posted to see how this quilt develops as I make this piece to honor Brian and his boundless energy.

Have you ever gotten an image from an unusual place, such as a dream? What was your image, and how did it compare with what the final piece looked like? 

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You can see more of my art work on my web site at www.fiberfantasies.com (be patient as it loads; it’s worth it), my healing work at www.hearthealing.net and can find me on Google + , Facebook (for Transition Portals) Facebook (for Fiber Fantasies),  and Twitter.

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