Dreamdance: Unity

Dreamdance: Unity
9x12 inches
Medium: Watercolors
From the deck-in-progress: Dreamdance Oracle
Detail closeup  views, & prints available -here-

Satyros Phil Brucato writes for this card:

There’s strength in Unity. Here, the illusion of tribal “otherness” fades away, replaced by an awareness that “All Are One and One are All.” In this Dance, we come together, transcend our separations, and seek wisdom from the blending of traditions rather than the rigidity of a single approach. The Dance of Unity heals divisions, shares blessings, and calls people together in a loving whole. In this new millennium, Unity may be the ultimate path of human survival.

And yet, as we Dance this circle, we must be careful not to lose ourselves in it. It’s far too easy to pat ourselves on our collective back while ignoring the cracks beneath our feet. There’s a balance between Self-ishness and the total loss of Self; without that balance, we risk losing the precious contributions that difference brings. We are creatures of diversity, whose cultural and biological differences combine to make a stronger whole. Without that balance, we’re just “spinning our wheels,” making pretty designs but ultimately going nowhere.

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Sketches and in-progress scans:Initial  scribbly brainstorming in my sketchbook.

More refined sketch

And ready for painting.

Super rough color test in photoshop. Threw together textures from older paintings, and then fiddle with color balance on selections, just to get an idea of where to go before I pull out the watercolors and go at it for real.

First few layers of painting.

Used a bit of gel pen to enhance the "glow" around the medicine wheel stones.

Cabbage blue!

Dreamdance: Abandon

From the Dreamdance Oracle

Abandon

Size: 8.5x14

Medium: Watercolors

For prints and detail closeup views: -click here-

Satyros Phil Brucato writes for this card:

Caught in a mosh of inner and external chaos, the Dancer either surrenders or is destroyed. Sometimes such tempests are chosen; more often, they choose us. Either way, we learn to abandon our usual sense of control. If we cling too rigidly to our usual way of doing things, we risk getting mulched by the storms that inevitably come. 

If you choose to Dance with Abandon, embrace the sense of chaos that comes with it. Ride it before it shatters you. In the Five Rhythms practice cultivated by Gabrielle Roth, Chaos comes between the Staccato force of directed energy and the Lyrical harmony where all previous energies flow together. In order to achieve such harmony, therefore, the Dancer must pass through Chaos, shape herself to it, and accept it as a valid aspect of life’s Dance.

* * *

Initial very rough scribbles in my sketchbook for the concept.

 Refined that

 And further refined. Prepped for painting at this point.

Color rough in photoshop, just to get an idea of what direction I'm going to take the colors for the piece. Had a pretty solid vision in mind already, even at the initial brainstorm sketch phase. Wanted the satyr to be a really stand-out contrasting color from the rest of the scene.

 

 Started painting.

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Painting with the color test up on my monitor so that I can use that as reference for my tones.

Dreamdance: Fear

Fear

Medium: Watercolors

Size: 8.5x14 inches

Prints available, and detail closeups: -here-

From the Dreamdance Oracle

Satyros Phil Brucato writes for this card:

When Fear traps us in its razor-bladed hell, escape often seems impossible. Yet as long as we’re alive, we’re never truly hopeless. Courage is our weapon in such situations, and while we must eventually surrender to mortality, we can still carve out a life worth remembering before we go.

Sword-dancing turns the art of war into a spectacular skill. Sharp edges cut both ways, and a little bloodshed is inevitable when learning how to use a blade. Still, a person who’s determined (or desperate) enough to master such arts can weave a glorious trail of steel and blood and fire in their wake. To do so, you must learn to face terror on its own terms and make yourself an instrument of change. Literally and symbolically, blades divide one state from another; where one passes through, the landscape gets transformed. In the hands of someone who knows how to use them, blades can cut new paths through apparent hopelessness, lighting a way through the darkness of Fear.

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Some of the sketches and in progress scans for this piece:

 Initial brainstorm sketches.

Composite sketch pieced together in photoshop, from the rough brainstorming pieces.

 More finalized sketch, ready for painting.

Painting in progress.

Dreamdance - The Elders

 Dreamdance Oracle: The Elders

Size: 9x13 inches

Medium: Watercolors

For prints and detail closeup views: -click here-

Based on Native American fancydance.  

Satyros Phil Brucato writes about this card:

It’s a timeless dance: the circle of youth, maturity and age. Within it, we Dance our lives, surrounded by an audience of kindred spirits, loved ones and strangers. Ideally, the Elders among us – including, someday, the Elders we are or will become – show their vitality and uphold the traditions that keep us strong. From those Elders, tokens of wisdom and experience fall. Will those legacies be trampled in the dirt beneath careless feet, or saved and passed on to future generations? Will younger people even want those legacies, or will the Elders’ Dance be lost in the shifting dust? It’s our place to decide what is salvaged and what is lost. 

In the various powwow fancy-dances, salvaged traditions get dressed in bright colors, combined into new and vibrant forms, and then displayed in vigorous displays of spiritual fun. Old and new elements blend into spectacular forms of restorative art. Both Dancers and Audience, however, must remain mindful of the steps and their traditional importance. In a moment’s ecstasy, it’s easy to lose sight of important things and have them snatched up, ignored or destroyed. If and when you join the Elder Dance, be careful not to lose sight of precious things, scatter them, or hoard them for yourself. Age grants perspective, but that perspective does not always involve wisdom.

* * *

Some of the sketches that led to this painting:

Dreamdance: The Lovers

 Dreamdance: The Lovers

Watercolors

9x13 inches

For prints, and closeup detail views of this piece: -click here-   

More of the Dreamdance Oracle: -click here-

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Satyros Phil Brucato writes about this card:

The Garden of Love features rich delights and passionate pitfalls. Dancing there, we see little beyond the face of our Beloved. Yet life goes on around us – sometimes drawn to watch or support us, other times to trip us up or simply ignore our existence. Beauty is the order of the day, at least when we first begin that Dance. Where it takes us and what happens as a result remains a mystery as unpredictable as the maze of emotions evoked by Love. 

Capturing the vitality of love and life, salsa dancing is hot, passionate and often improvisational. Following several traditional steps, the Dancers take off from there and let awareness of one another guide them through the flow. In the blur of that dance, however, it’s a good idea to keep your eyes open and your perceptions focused on your surroundings as well as on your partner. Not everyone will have your best interests at heart, and even the most supportive people can become obstacles. Guided only by passionate energy, it’s easy to trip, hurt people, or otherwise make a fool of yourself. Dance joyfully but with care through the Garden of Love. 

* * *

 Initial brainstorming in the sketchbook

Didn't like the first couple of scribbles...looked too much like a Harlequin romance novel cover.  I never realized how much salsa poses resembled that!

 Finalized sketch on the board, ready for painting.

After surveying the thumbnails of the cards I had so far, I realized what I really needed was some more warm colors in my cards.  Didn't want them to all start looking alike. And so...tried this color rough in photoshop to get a feel with some pinks and magentas and oranges and reds.... I'm finding that doing these color roughs are really good for me. They help me break out of my established color palette patterns and try combinations that I would not initially have thought of.

 

Getting started with the painting.

 

 

Dreamdance: The Innocent

Dreamdance Oracle: The Innocent

Medium: Watercolors

Size: 9x13 inches

For prints & closeup detail views: -click here-

(For more info on the Dreamdance Oracle, -click here-)

Satyros Phil Brucato writes for this card:

Innocence Dances beyond despair. For all the shit that life throws at us, the Innocent cannot be entirely defeated. Inviting you to left yourself above the ruins of mortality, this Dancer demonstrates graceful strength far beyond her apparent means. However fragile she appears, Innocence endures.

Like Classical ballet, however, innocence demands a heavy price. Both disciplines force us to stretch ourselves to the breaking point, defying the usual limits of mind, body, soul and circumstance. A wrong move can spell disaster, and so mindfulness and constant practice form the foundations of ballet and innocence. Despite impressions of childlike frivolity, the Innocent is a rebel, casting herself against oppression with strength of body, heart and will.

* * *

This was a piece with classical ballet as its inspiration. I started by watching lots of videos on youtube of various ballet pas de deux. I did several gesture drawings in my sketchbook from that.

Photoshopped a couple of compositions. Decided on the one on the left.  Too many directions on the other one.

Finalized sketch on the illustration board:

In progress painting. Skipped color rough for this piece, which I've been doing lately for almost all my paintings.  I had a fairly solid idea in mind already of what colors I was going to use.