For three days and three nights my studio was blasted by the music of Stjepan Hauser and Luka Sulic playing this magnificent piece, ‘Smooth Criminal’.  Without preconception – EQUUS AUXILIUM was birthed.

 

I remember, I was in school  learning how to write words for the first time and thinking to myself , “Finally. I can write poetry again!”  I don’t remember what I wrote , but I do remember playing with a tub of sand when the Principal and some grown ups came into the classroom to talk to my teacher.  They  whispered about me and pointed –  ”That’s the little girl who wrote the poetry I showed you…” I remember wondering why they thought that was special . Surely they could write poetry themselves? …lol  Later on in years, I admit , I used poetry to basically be a lazy student.  I knew that all I had to do was fire one at an English teacher and boom – an”A” .  It only backfired on me once when I wrote my book report on a Midsummer’s Night’s Dream in grade 9  (16 years old). The teacher gave me an F for plagiarizing and there was no convincing her otherwise.  I took it as a compliment – but I still never took writing poetry seriously.  I ‘d never met another poet.  I somehow got the impression that all poets were dead.  I live in a place where it is just not part of mainstream culture (no – rap just is not quite the same thing). But now that I have become an Artist – it’s as if something in me woke up.  I  spend the day manipulating paint on canvas or working on a huge steel sculpture and find that my body  runs out of energy far sooner than my inspired imagination.  So those times when I’m exhausted  (like now) – I can still create. I can take ideas and energy and sculpt them in the mind of the listener and play emotions like a musician plays an instrument. I often choose sensual music to listen too and I find that much of my poetry borders on the erotic.  Not erotic in that lustful, disgusting pornographic way that North Americans seem to love so much – I mean erotic in the sense that  life is an erotic experience – sunshine warmed  skin – breathing – observing light – the intoxicating scent of my husband – titillating taste buds with delicious tid bits – snuggles and hugs with children and pets – belly laughs – looking deep  into another’s eyes  for an eternity,  kind of erotica. I suppose as an Artist I have become a seeker of Beauty.  It is everywhere and I’m in bliss.  This is the state of mind in which I can create my works, whether that be poetry or art.  I hope you enjoy my travail, my journey…

BTW: please forgive the grammar – we poets just don’t give a damn

Poem : Sphynx, by Mardi

Painting :  (a favourite artist ) Michael Parkes

.

..

…

Miss

tress

Tigress

sitting here

upon my breast

muscles coiled

and   tail

a

switching

 

barely perceptual

 

whisker twitching

 

rising and falling

 

under your

 

great

 

weight

 

my

 

breathing

 

powers against

 

the Queen of Fate

 

Your focused gaze

 

upon me rests

 

as the earth

 

beneath

 

my back

 

is blessed

 

from your

 

rumbling

 

purring

 

sandstone

 

chest

 

 

.

I

blink

eyes widen

as open maw

 

Y A W N S

 

as an extended paw

s   t   r   e   t   c   h   e   s

out one single claw

to gently

prick

my

L

i

p

 

A

scarlet

drop of

 

.

 

life’s

dew

extruded

from my

puckered

pout

a

reminder

of  what

price is

due

a

tear

a

cry

a

muffled

shout

for a

child

 

that has been slew

 

spinning on

 

the round-about

 

whilst

I

trembled

meek and mewed

jesses loosened >>>>

head unveiled >>>>>>>>>>>

horizons calling  setting sail >>>>>>>>>

 

singing boldly  telling tales >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

pearl and truth  encrusted trails >>>>>>>>>>>>

 

painted portals >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

of imagined lands >>>>>>>>>>>

wild winds caress >>>>>>>

like imagined hands >

fevered kisses >>

blissed-out

sleeps

in

 

kundalini

 

wrinkled

 

sheets

 

…

 

..

.           .            .

.           .           .

.            .

.

*** For a richer experience, be sure to open the links, seen as high-lighted words, in the  blog ***

I have the great privilege of living in one of the most spectacular places on earth.  The snow capped Coastal mountains are at my back, my toes dip into the shimmering blue palette of the Pacific Ocean and my belly rests on the green, green mosses of the British Columbian rainforest.  Eagles, cougar, bears, wolves, deer, owls, herons, ravens are just a few of the wild beasties in our backyard.

Every  autumn, my  youngest child, Aria,  fills our swimming pool with little rainbow trout she has caught in our mountain fed stream .  It’s fun to watch them jump to catch bugs along with the frogs who take residency the moment the temperature drops.  Come  spring they are released  back into the sanguine stream , sleek and silvered.

W W W . M A R D I . C A  <<<  Stream of Consciousness Collection >>> SCHOOL OF THOUGHTS

Available as Architectural Glass Panel

Custom sizes / Limited Edition

 

It’s so easy to be in touch with Nature here.  Just step outside and breathe.

The sensuous summers here are so very long – but never, never, long enough.  I can never take enough walks with my hounds on waterfall-beaded trails.  I can never warm myself enough over beach fires of cedar bones umbrellaed by vast luminescent skies.  I can never play enough with sun kissed bronzed children or musicians, drizzled with wine.   I find myself nostalgic and longing for more – a spoiled child , greedy for yet another golden roasted marshmallow – toasted to sticky fingered perfection and smelling of wood smoke.

I’m just not ready for the Canadian monsoons to begin – but , ah…too late.  They have come a pitter-pattering, without my permission.  As I fight off the base impulse to collect all the animals and design a retro-funky ark – I decide, instead, to begin this season of rich creativity  with a video vignette of a special time of summer we all look forward to – the painting of the Roberts Creek Mandala. I’d like to share it with you – something to  feast the senses on while being serenaded by the dulcet tones of Sting, and my favourite trumpeter, Chris Botti.  Enjoy.

FYI : My contribution can be seen at 2:10 (…the eye of a beast)

Every summer our little village, along with visitors from around the world, get together and paint a rather huge Mandala that can only be viewed in it’s totality at a Eagle’s nest height. Each person – whether Artist or Electrician, Child or Grandparent, paints their little piece to make up the visually delicious whole. The Whale was this year’s motif,  in honour of our global commitment to healthy, clean waters.

We painted from plastic buckets in rainbow hues, heads bowed to the earth – our backs and shoulders bathed in golden light.  A  supine  Grey Whale came to the shore ,  as close as possible to us without beaching. It was the first time in many years there had been a sighting and, to the delight of all, the Whale visited many times during that week.  But for those of us who live in this majikal place, this was no surprise.  We’ve come to expect miracles here.  When the whale was sighted, we rushed to witness the awesome event.  Afterward, there was a lot of exchanging of glowing, smug smiles as we returned to our inspirational works of art – these prayers for a healthy world.

A Mandala is an ancient , often circular , drawing of great symmetry and balance. They can be found the world over in every culture since the dawn of humankind. The Mandala is Nature’s blueprint for flowers and galaxies and everything in between.

Spiral Stream Mandala – Mardi
Digitally manipulated graphite drawing
Click to view image – Custom Prints available

We are a tiny insignificant grain of sand

on a tiny insignificant planet

in an infinitely magnificent whole.

 

We are

each of us

the centre

of our universe.

 

Jai Lu’s Mandala

 

It is from our unique perspective

that we observe the unfolding of time and space

fractally blossoming to our sublime focus.

 

 

And the greatest gift

you will ever give

to your universe

is to take your

passions

courage

talent

enthusiasm

and create your own

burning sun

of

elegant truths

 

 

 

Imagine a ball of energy, floating in space, about the size of a basketball.

Make it burn with a powerful, pure white, fauceted light that is the auditory equivalent of a very clean, crystal clear – barely perceptible high pitched tone…

Now imagine perceiving the vast universe outside of this ball of energy using this term of reference – that there is everything that is this ball of energy and there is everything that is not this ball of energy only. Imagine these two states from that perspective.

Alright, now, under the entire pressure of the vast universe, spin and compress this ball of energy into a minutely tiny, cosmic, energetic diamond spark – so that you have only the perspective of that which is this spark and that which is not this spark. Experience the perspective from within the center of ther spark.

Now turn this spark inside out like a donut and fold all time and space – all that is not this spark – within the spark. Again, experience the perspective from within the spark.

Now overlap the images of the tiny spark with everything on the outside and the image of the tiny spark with everything on the inside. Experience the perspective of both states simultaneously. If you have trouble with that imagine flipping back and forth between the two states faster and faster until, like a film, it merges and blends into a singular experience.

Well done! Now go do the exercise again – except imagine yourself as that ball of energy.

by Mardi…written Thursday, April 9th, 2009 at 11:16pm