Category Archives: Santos

Setting Intentions

by

0

 

cropped-watching-iii

Although I am just now launching myself as a figurative/vignette artist, I have been moving toward this goal for 16 years. It’s been a long road!

I remember emerging from my studio at the age of 34 and holding my fist in the air, a la Scarlet O’Hara, swearing my intention to never go without sculpting again!

But raising children is what happened for me in between setting intentions and reaching the launching pad. I did sculpt alongside my life, and so did my kids! When they were young explorers we did everything together- what I now call my “Life as Art” stage. You know, we just magnified everything that came our way by capturing it in our blazing minds and making it into art.

Our Art Farm helped, which was life on the wild and weedy side.

Our Art Farm is where unschooled. Where we raised our egg chickens, our milk goats and gardens; we raised up tents and fire for overnight stays and used our big pond for fishing and survival. This was part of our lifestyle in living Art.

Since my original inspiration was Tasha Tudor’s artful life, it didn’t phase me a bit to infuse everything with Art for the next decade or so. We kneaded, baked, fermented, milked, sculpted, danced, knit, spun and dyed wool; wove; grew things, stewed things and pickled things, studied, drew and painted everything in sight, stitched and sewed, hammered, dug into clay and encaustic wax; and generally, just made a mess, having a blast the whole way through.

Now as I sign my last child off to college, I find that my original intention has come back to me. The one that was set in the panoramic field of my imagination, as the blood-red sun set in the Tara of my mind, so long ago.

I find now, my new work incorporates so many of the things I played with during those years. The farmhouse still holds packs of family and friends at times, but most times now, I get little spells of Q-U-I-E-T, where I can concentrate enough to plan my next phase of attack.

If you join me on the newest phase of my journey, I think you’ll pick up some inspiration, and maybe even attend a class or workshop-to-be, where we can meet and laugh together. Laughing is my favorite. Life is good. Let’s set out to enjoy the journey and create something out of it for as long as we can.

Until next time-

Thanks for stopping in!

Linda 🙂

 

The Santos as a Mirror to Ourselves

by

0

Santos Awakening

Historically, it is said, that a Santos was placed in the center of a household to stand in as priest, as a representation of one’s intention to remain under the care and guidance of an actual priest or minister, who was far away from one’s European home. This traditional Santos held a straightforward posture, and denoted a simple expression of reverence.

The contemporary Santos that I am creating in this body of work boost my spirit in a way that urges me and prompts me forward when I gaze on them. They are like bright spiritual reminders that I am the light of God, as I move about my day.

And each one has the potential to be an incredibly personal shrine or talisman for its owner. A Santos, as a talisman, has the capacity to hold not only our hopes, dreams and visions, but also reflects its owner back to itself like a living mirror, calling us to continuous growth and transformation, prodding us to be all we can be. 

I propose that today’s Santos stands as a personal altar of truth, reminding us that we are more than what we believe ourselves to be. The Santos, as a mirror, urges us to rise up to meet and act from within our higher selves. We are, each one of us, God’s Priests and Priestesses- vessels of hopes, dreams, prayers and yearnings to manifest our best selves for ourselves, for our families, and for God’s own pleasure and delight. Our Santos reflects this back to us individually, but shows us that by lifting ourselves, we lift us all.