RoxGrover

09:33 am: Black and White

I have been playing around with black and white variations in my work and I like seeing some of the images without their usual saturated color. I tend to lean toward a lot of color in my work and I am surprised that I am really enjoying the black and white. The Bayousphere deadline for the 2005 publication is today and here is a gallery of the images that I came up with to submit: http://roxgrover.com/v-web/gallery/bayousphere05

03:44 pm: Shaking Up The Sky


Dakini Deities and the Enlightened Seeker

The Dharma Dakinis are female deities of India and the Himalayas. Accounts describe them as unconventional, spontaneous, mysterious, yet possessing profound knowledge that they give freely. The Dakinis are said to dance in the sky, waiting to demolish the barriers to enlightenment for anyone who seeks spiritual growth - especially when the seeker is nearing a breakthrough. The Dakinis' demolition of obstacles between humans and truth may at first seem chaotic, even destructive. But in fact all that is being destroyed is the rigid thinking and hardened shells that cover so many of our dormant strengths. In Tibetan Buddhism, it is believed that each being has the potential to reach enlightenment. It is a difficult journey, but there are divine beings that help those who have reached a crossroad. A Dakini is one such helper, offering guidance and the power to strip away illusions.

By observing the energy and feminine wisdom possessed by the Dakinis, you may open yourself to your own spirituality, learning to unlock the creativity and knowledge locked inside you. And, as you reach a crossroads or near a breakthrough, Buddhist teachings suggest that is just when this kind of lesson might be made available to you.

Man or woman, you can adopt the attitude of a Dakini for yourself: examine your true nature, shake up your preconceived notions, and smash your limitations. All you have to lose are the stumbling blocks that have prevented you from pursuing your higher goals.

For more information visit Likeanillusion.com

11:31 am: new images added to my recent works gallery
http://roxgrover.com/v-web/gallery/recent/P0004666

05:06 pm:

08:05 pm: Balinese Room show flyer
Here's my most recent flyer. I really like it a lot.


by the way- visit http://www.citizenchangemusic.com! :)

10:04 am: I have had to remove several images for various reasons- I will be posting more "acceptable" art soon ;)

01:52 pm: Ladies Night III


Beautiful Saiann

09:19 am: Ties That Bind


I have become interested in textiles and weaving lately- actually I had an interest in junior high because I had a really great art teacher who did a wide variety of things with us including weaving- but then went to a high school where the teacher was burnt out so I didn't have the opportunity again and didn't take the initiative on my own...

Anyway, as I studied women artists and particularly modern and contemporary feminist artists last spring in my advanced writing course (I did my thesis on the use of the female body in contemporary feminist art) and I again became interested in weaving. I got this from the Daily OM today:

Maya Backstrap Weaving

Everyday in the highlands of Guatemala, Maya women engage in a moving meditation that is a metaphor for the mysteries of creation. Backstrap weaving is an ancient textile art, pre-dating history. According to Maya legend, the goddess Ixchel invented backstrap weaving and is credited with creating the cosmos on her loom. Even today, every Maya textile design is in homage to the goddess of medicine, childbirth, and weaving. The indigenous names of the parts of the loom, the weaving procedures, and designs are all part of the Maya vision of birthing and the cosmos.

Known in Guatemala as the "stick loom," the backstrap loom is made of hand carved wooden parts. Weaving literally binds Maya women to their land, as well as their culture. The backstrap is tied around the waist of the weaver, the other end secured to a post or tree. The weaver is an integral part of the loom, connected to her environment, at one with nature.

The textile art has been passed on from one generation to the next, from mother or grandmother to girls as young as seven and eight. For Maya women, weaving is a ritual part of everyday life, done between chores. The textiles created on the backstrap loom cannot be very long or wide. It may take two or three months to create a traditional huipil (blouse) that must be woven in pieces and then sewn together.

Despite government restrictions, Maya women have maintained their culture and have continued to create their unique, colorful textiles which are prized all over the world. Though linguistically they are challenged by as many as 20 different languages, through weaving the Maya people share a common heritage. Many aspects of Maya culture are communicated by traje, or costume. Thus, Maya women bind their people by their cloth.

Backstrap weaving is a craft of indigenous peoples throughout the world. Such weavings are found in Africa, India, Indonesia, and Tibet, among other countries. The craft is so respected that there are even workshops offered in Guatemala and Mexico, as well classes in the U.S. and other parts of the world.

For more information visit Mayatraditions.com

04:00 pm: Going Up

03:59 pm: Abstract II

03:57 pm: Abstract VIII