Angels Rising:
Oil painting by Rana J Rodger:
www.ranapix.co.uk
Sunday 13 May 2012
' There is an artist inside all of us just waiting for the right opportunity to express itself '
Angels Rising:
Oil painting by Rana J Rodger:
www.ranapix.co.uk
Saturday 21 April 2012
Saturday 7 April 2012
Stepping aside to let the magic happen
Story of a passion
I started my career specialising in architectural portraiture back in the 1970 S. (Jennirodger. Co. Uk) This then led to greeting card designs and illustrations for posters and children’s books and many commissions in the commercial field.
However I still feel that my best paintings were the first ones that I did aged three and four.
My mother has kept all these paintings and I sometimes look at them and connect to the magic that I felt at that time… The smell of the fat wax crayon as it slid across the page… The wonderful surprise when pink met blue… Or blue met green… The excitement I felt as the paper began to fill with circles and lines and dots…
In the late 80 s I decided to concentrate solely on my own personal artistic journey. There was a whole year when I spent practically everyday experimenting with texture, color and hue. There were days when I felt that I was just making a load of mess and not getting anywhere… But where is there to get to anyway?
I discovered a wonderful blue pigment in France called «Blue mineral» and spent an entire year just playing with «blue. »
I couldn’t stop… «Blue» took me on a voyage. I never imagined that there could be so many facets to «blue » (see Blue Gallery)
I was deeply moved by a trip to Australia and when I returned I started to make my own paints from natural pigments and began to experiment with different media… Rolling inks onto paper and working with gesso and oil pastel.
I had re-found the delight and satisfaction that I had as a small child, and as a result my paintings started to take me on a voyage of discovery.
My studio is a roundhouse built of limestone and wood high up on a plateau of sw France.
I choose to live close to nature, for it is from here that I gain the inspiration for my inner work.
My paintings are inspired from the earth… The source… The mother of all things.
I listen to the silence within… To my dreams and intuitions and paint from my heart.
Major inspirations for my paintings have been from travels in Australia, dry arid landscapes such as The Painted Desert in Arizona, New Mexico and Southern Spain, n Africa and the traditional art of all these regions (See www.ranapix.co.uk)
I’m now starting to pass on the gifts and knowledge that I have gathered over these years to children and to adults wishing to connect with their own artist within.
So many people have been told that they cannot paint, or think that they hold no talent.
My work is to help them to find their own'artist within'.
I use eft (Emotional Freedom Technique) and meditation to clear the mind and'release the blocks'that we hold in our head that prevent us from expressing ourselves.
I have set up a nature/creativity retreat centre deep in the countryside of sw France: www.thealchemygarden.com.
Here wehave'FUN'in the studio experimenting and playing with different media and techniques and'stepping aside'to let our true creativity shine.
It is always such a surprise and delight to everybody to'watch'and witness what is just waiting to emerge and talk to us.
Tuesday 13 March 2012
Sunday 4 March 2012
The flight of the Phoenix
I have no idea what will unfold.
I am using rollers and oil pastels. The painting may change completely at any given moment. Sometimes I scratch away at the surface to reveal the white oil pastel beneath...sometimes I mask certain areas to keep the image in a certain area while I roll on a new coat of another hue.
I seem to be getting bigger...expanding. My whole body now wants to dance across the painting as I roll the pigment.
The Phoenix is taking me on a journey.
For this moment I have no past...
For this moment I have no future...
I am one with this big bird who somehow wants to take me with him through his journey into fire.
I have no idea what will unfold.
I am using rollers and oil pastels. The painting may change completely at any given moment. Sometimes I scratch away at the surface to reveal the white oil pastel beneath...sometimes I mask certain areas to keep the image in a certain area while I roll on a new coat of another hue.
I seem to be getting bigger...expanding. My whole body now wants to dance across the painting as I roll the pigment.
The Phoenix is taking me on a journey.
For this moment I have no past...
For this moment I have no future...
I am one with this big bird who somehow wants to take me with him through his journey into fire.
The Phoenix
I am in the process of creating a new painting.
It is comprised of four individual paintings that go together to tell a story.
I don't know what the outcome of the story will be.
I am only following where my intuition takes me .
The four pieces together will come to approximately five metres in length and I am working on the floor of what used to be the garage until the new studio is completed where I will have the space to crate even larger paintings.
I will photograph the painting as it evolves.
Here is a section of the new painting: The Phoenix:
Early March 2012
I am in the process of creating a new painting.
It is comprised of four individual paintings that go together to tell a story.
I don't know what the outcome of the story will be.
I am only following where my intuition takes me .
The four pieces together will come to approximately five metres in length and I am working on the floor of what used to be the garage until the new studio is completed where I will have the space to crate even larger paintings.
I will photograph the painting as it evolves.
Here is a section of the new painting: The Phoenix:
Early March 2012
Wednesday 15 February 2012
The Mystery Experience
“When you taste the Mystery Experience you know something which changes everything. It’s like dissolving in an ocean of love.
There is such a feeling of relief and well-being. Like coming home. The
whole purpose of spirituality is to help us let go into the Mystery
Experience. And this is much easier than is commonly believed, because
it is simply recognizing our own essential nature, which is always
present.” Tim Freke
The colors of friendship
The Colors Of Friendship
Once upon a time the colors of the world started to quarrel. All claimed that they were the best. The most important. The most useful. The most beautiful. The favorite.
Green said:
"Clearly I am the most important. I am the sign of life and of hope. I was chosen for grass, trees and leaves. Without me, all animals would die. Look over the countryside and you will see that I am in the majority."
Blue interrupted:
"You only think about the earth, but consider the sky and the sea. It is the water that is the basis of life and drawn up by the clouds from the deep sea. The sky gives space and peace and serenity. Without my peace, you would all be nothing."
Yellow chuckled:
"You are all so serious. I bring laughter, gaiety, and warmth into the world. The sun is yellow, the moon is yellow, the stars are yellow. Every time you look at a sunflower, the whole world starts to smile. Without me there would be no fun."
Orange started next to blow her trumpet:
"I am the color of health and strength. I may be scarce, but I am precious for I serve the needs of human life. I carry the most important vitamins. Think of carrots, pumpkins, oranges, mangoes, and papayas. I don't hang around all the time, but when I fill the sky at sunrise or sunset, my beauty is so striking that no one gives another thought to any of you."
Red could stand it no longer he shouted out:
"I am the ruler of all of you. I am blood - life's blood! I am the color of danger and of bravery. I am willing to fight for a cause. I bring fire into the blood. Without me, the earth would be as empty as the moon. I am the color of passion and of love, the red rose, the poinsettia and the poppy."
Purple rose up to his full height:
He was very tall and spoke with great pomp: "I am the color of royalty and power. Kings, chiefs, and bishops have always chosen me for I am the sign of authority and wisdom. People do not question me! They listen and obey."
Finally Indigo spoke, much more quietly than all the others, but with just as much determination: "Think of me. I am the color of silence. You hardly notice me, but without me you all become superficial. I represent thought and reflection, twilight and deep water. You need me for balance and contrast, for prayer and inner peace."
And so the colors went on boasting, each convinced of his or her own superiority. Their quarreling became louder and louder. Suddenly there was a startling flash of bright lightening, thunder rolled and boomed. Rain started to pour down relentlessly. The colors crouched down in fear, drawing close to one another for comfort.
In the midst of the clamor, rain began to speak:
"You foolish colors, fighting amongst yourselves, each trying to dominate the rest. Don't you know that you were each made for a special purpose, unique and different? Join hands with one another and come to me."
Doing as they were told, the colors united and joined
hands.
The rain continued:
"From now on, when it rains, each of you will stretch across the sky in a great bow of color as a reminder that you can all live in peace. The Rainbow is a sign of hope for tomorrow." And so, whenever a good rain washes the world, and a Rainbow appears in the sky, to let us remember to appreciate one another.
Adrian Iron Thunder
The miracle is not to fly in the air, or to walk on the water, but to walk on the earth. ~Chinese Proverb
— with Mae Ria.
Tuesday 14 February 2012
And then the butterflies started to appear...
38 different species of butterflies were spotted on the lavender bushes...hovering in the blue mist of the borage flowers...
Monday 13 February 2012
I remember the time a few years ago when I was living in the
Alpujarras in Southern Spain and had separated with my ex- partner. I
thought that Spain would be my new home and I had said goodbye to
France. I received an offer to sell The Alchemy Garden.
For several months my constant companion was 'Indecision'.
I just couldn't decide what to do...To sell...or to return to France alone and try and manage the property on my own along with all the repairs that needed doing with no income and an 8 acre property and land that needed a lot of maintenance.
It was as if there were two doors of possibility that were equally charged....To sell ..or not to sell ( and I very much needed the money )
For months I battled and fought with the monster INDECISION.
He or she woke each morning beside me in my bed and often kept me awake for hours at night.... Should I ...Shouldn't I...round and round the question rattled in my brain and head until I was so stressed out I just couldn't function.
It was the day that I embraced INDECISION and accepted fully my situation of not knowing and simply 'let go' to what was being presented to me that release came.
The next morning I awoke clear as a bell as to what I would do.
I would stay on in France and somehow make it work.
From then on everything started to fall into place as if I was flowing along a soft river of grace.
I heard about ' helpx ' and support started to arrived from every corner of the planet.
I
had people staying from Lithuania to Japan, Ireland, Canada, Italy and
many other countries. Each individual bringing their own unique
contribution and learnings. From then on it has been an upward spiral of
long hours and much wonderful work on the land and repairing and
preparing the lodge and accommodation...building raised beds to grow
wonderful organic vegetables...planting seeds and making magical
pathways, rockeries, clearings in the woods and nature became my
greatest teacher.
Waking in the spring to the sound of the cuckoo...working and endless weeding and clearing became my greatest joy...later in the spring the nightingale started to serenade me through the night, the frogs croaked in the long grass...and then the butterflies started to appear.
For several months my constant companion was 'Indecision'.
I just couldn't decide what to do...To sell...or to return to France alone and try and manage the property on my own along with all the repairs that needed doing with no income and an 8 acre property and land that needed a lot of maintenance.
It was as if there were two doors of possibility that were equally charged....To sell ..or not to sell ( and I very much needed the money )
For months I battled and fought with the monster INDECISION.
He or she woke each morning beside me in my bed and often kept me awake for hours at night.... Should I ...Shouldn't I...round and round the question rattled in my brain and head until I was so stressed out I just couldn't function.
It was the day that I embraced INDECISION and accepted fully my situation of not knowing and simply 'let go' to what was being presented to me that release came.
The next morning I awoke clear as a bell as to what I would do.
I would stay on in France and somehow make it work.
From then on everything started to fall into place as if I was flowing along a soft river of grace.
I heard about ' helpx ' and support started to arrived from every corner of the planet.
Waking in the spring to the sound of the cuckoo...working and endless weeding and clearing became my greatest joy...later in the spring the nightingale started to serenade me through the night, the frogs croaked in the long grass...and then the butterflies started to appear.
Sunday 12 February 2012
Thomas and the butterfly
― Richard Bach, Illusions
This is my nephew Thomas in the photo. Although the doctors say that he has a rare 'disease' I ve never met a happier person in my life. He lives completely in the moment and when someone is hurting he hugs them with such love and compassion; being with him is like receiving darshan and when he laughs he has me in stitches. He is a ray of pure light and a great gift to this world.
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The Birth of The Alchemy garden...Embracing Indecision
I remember the time a few years ago when I was living in the Alpujarras in Southern Spain and had separated with my ex- partner. I thought that Spain would be my new home and I had said goodbye to France. I received an offer to sell The Alchemy Garden.
For several months my constant companion was 'Indecision'.
I just couldn't decide what to do...To sell...or to return to France alone and try and manage the property on my own along with all the repairs that needed doing with no income and an 8 acre property and land that needed a lot of maintenance.
It was as if there were two doors of possibility that were equally charged....To sell ..or not to sell ( and I very much needed the money )
For months I battled and fought with the monster INDECISION.
He or she woke each morning beside me in my bed and often kept me awake for hours at night.... Should I ...Shouldn't I...round and round the question rattled in my brain and head until I was so stressed out I just couldn't function.
It was the day that I embraced INDECISION and accepted fully my situation of not knowing and simply 'let go' to what was being presented to me that release came.
The next morning I awoke clear as a bell as to what I would do.
I would stay on in France and somehow make it work.
From then on everything started to fall into place as if I was flowing along a soft river of grace.
I heard about ' helpx ' and support started to arrived from every corner of the planet.
I had people staying from Lithuania to Japan, Ireland, Canada, Italy and many other countries. Each individual bringing their own unique contribution and learnings. From then on it has been an upward spiral of long hours and much wonderful work on the land and repairing and preparing the lodge and accommodation...building raised beds to grow wonderful organic vegetables...planting seeds and making magical pathways, rockeries, clearings in the woods and nature became my greatest teacher.
Waking in the spring to the sound of the cuckoo...working and endless weeding and clearing became my greatest joy...later in the spring the nightingale started to serenade me through the night, the frogs croaked in the long grass...and then the butterflies started to appear.....
This was the start of The Alchemy Garden
For several months my constant companion was 'Indecision'.
I just couldn't decide what to do...To sell...or to return to France alone and try and manage the property on my own along with all the repairs that needed doing with no income and an 8 acre property and land that needed a lot of maintenance.
It was as if there were two doors of possibility that were equally charged....To sell ..or not to sell ( and I very much needed the money )
For months I battled and fought with the monster INDECISION.
He or she woke each morning beside me in my bed and often kept me awake for hours at night.... Should I ...Shouldn't I...round and round the question rattled in my brain and head until I was so stressed out I just couldn't function.
It was the day that I embraced INDECISION and accepted fully my situation of not knowing and simply 'let go' to what was being presented to me that release came.
The next morning I awoke clear as a bell as to what I would do.
I would stay on in France and somehow make it work.
From then on everything started to fall into place as if I was flowing along a soft river of grace.
I heard about ' helpx ' and support started to arrived from every corner of the planet.
Waking in the spring to the sound of the cuckoo...working and endless weeding and clearing became my greatest joy...later in the spring the nightingale started to serenade me through the night, the frogs croaked in the long grass...and then the butterflies started to appear.....
This was the start of The Alchemy Garden
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The coldest winter
Greetings from France where we are grounded at the moment and the Aveyron river is iced over and the waterfalls have frozen in motion. Quite breathtaking to see but COLD to be out there and an icy artic wind is blowing.
The temperatures have reached minus 19 degrees up here...the coldest we've had over here in the South of France!.
Snug and warm in the ex garage which has been turned into a wonderfully insulated studio. Two cats by the fire and just about to make a cup of tea and some toast.
So grateful for this cosy room.
So many families around here have burst pipes and radiators and are without water
Saturday 11 February 2012
Juin Gibson
Juin Gibson
www.wildheartalchemy.com
www.wildheartalchemy.com
Juin Gibson is the creator of Wildheart Alchemy flower essences. She has made this range over the past 15 years in southern Spain. She works with plant spirit, making essences, teaching, writing, giving consultations. She has enjoyed a profound relationship with nature since early childhood, when she lived close to where Dr Edward Bach made many of his remedies, and she has always listened to the whisperings of nature. Her passion is facilitating others in reconnecting, through the natural world to their own true nature.
She worked for many years as a sign language interpreter and developed innovative nonverbal communication programmes for people with minimal language skills, and also initiated a performance art collective with young Deaf people, musicians and artists. She trained as a teacher, councellor, and for some years ran a successful kinesiology practice.
Her work revolves around the theme of facilitating communication channels, whether this is between Deaf people and hearing, humans and nature, or people holding differing viewpoints or speaking different languages. She believes that when we are truly heard, we are then able to listen to others, and acceptance and understanding often follows. Then we have the possibility of creating new and wonderful pathways out of seemingly intractable situations.
She now facilitates workshops and private sessions around the theme of connecting with nature, both within and without, including Sustainable Sufficiency, Embracing Change and Munay Ki.
Courses for 2012 at The Alchemy Garde
Courses for 2012 at The Alchemy Garden
With Rana J Rodger, Juin Gibson and Karin Preston
Greeting the Summer with Plant Spirit - Juin Gibson: June 4th to 8th
Cleansing your inner Psyche with Karin Preston: June 11th to 15th
Diving Deep into Nature - Juin and Rana J Rodger: June 18th to 22nd
Walking weeks along the spectacular Aveyron river gorge visiting medieval villages, markets, waterfalls and caves with Rana:
June 25th to 29th, September 10th to 14th, October 8th to 12th
Laughter is the best medicine with Rana: 6th to 10th August , 27th August to 1st September.
Cleansing your inner Psyche with Karin: September 3rd to 7th
Sustainable Sufficiency with Juin: September 17th to 21st
Munay Ki with Juin: September 29th to 2nd October
Activities run from Monday to Friday, you are welcome to arrive Sunday pm and leave on Saturday am at no extra charge
During that time you can relax in the gardens, woods or chill out by the pool.
Courses with Rana and Juin are £430.00 inclusive per week and with Karin £480.00
Special reduction of £50 per week for all early bird bookers before 1st May
For more information visit our website: www.thealchemygarden.com
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