Calming the Monsters

Instead of doing art as usually thought of, I have been
working on the interior of my house. It's a little of a year since I moved from CA to Texas and into my present house. This is the first time in my life, that I have no one else to consider, so I have taken this space as my 3-dimensional "canvas". I am limited by money, so I cannot tear out walls, or do any other construction. My goal is to create a calming space, but one which feeds my soul.

This process brought my thoughts back to folk art...creating beauty from whatever materials are on hand, and from that my mind went to Alebrijes....the
name from the colorful, carved figures from Mexico.
Originally, they were talismans for warding against nightmares...or "evil spirits".

The name was conceived by the paper mache artist, Pedro Linares (1906-1992) of Mexico city. The word came to him in a dream, many years ago, when he was ill with fever and delirium. In the dream he was being chased by beastly dragon like creatures that were screaming 'alebrije, alebrije'. When he awoke from the dream, he created a figure out of paper mache, wire, reed and glue and painted it with bright clashing colors.

He placed his creature next to his bed, and the next time he was troubled by a nightmare, all he would have to do is say "No, thank you. I already have one."

I am hoping that I can make my home much more serene, which in turn will make me feel more settled and calm. I believe that tuning in to one's life....which includes everything, including one's surroundings, is healing not only for ourselves, but also for others because we relate to them more peaceably.