Musea Call for Entry - Carnaval of Spirit Love

Country: USA

What year was this painted? : 2022
What medium is this painted on (i.e. Acrylic on Canvas, Acrylic on Watercolor, Watercolor, etc) : Acrylic and collage on canvas
Share with us the story or poem connected with your painting. Max 500 words. : (ah, do you hear?) a howl from that tree, humming in the brush my breath to harmonize our song combined when i return to paradise (remember?) if I told you what i remember from Africa if I said songs rush like passion through my blood and the feeling of home is pressed into my feet i would be telling you a story i have never lived or breathed i cannot remember Africa, home i cannot remember this first America, when it was home to my lineage, either because every part of it has been stitched into blue and white the red and black and brown, that belongs to my cells, I must read from books So I paint the SUN SHE remembers Africa First America SHE remembers when i belonged to my song back, way back when i could hear it THE SUN REMEMBERS Michelle Bernard

Country: USA

What year was this painted? : 2022
What medium is this painted on (i.e. Acrylic on Canvas, Acrylic on Watercolor, Watercolor, etc) : Acrylic and collage
Share with us the story or poem connected with your painting. Max 500 words. : shapeshifting into cities like shoes some fit some wore away my soul nourished by the study of concepts, careers— my Self and myself with others entranced by an enduring dream and by symphonic sound that said: go be be like those explorers you spy, like James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, and Maya, the ones who wore floppy hats covering one eye meet them and sip cappuccino till 3 then wine till your journals swell go on roll your hips to salsa, sway to the merengue wafting up from the second floor give the pregnant lady your seat. stand beside the brown one, the white one, mahogany, and olive see yourself in each of those faces, their lineage of culture and art go there belong to the rhythm and rhyme the gritty urban paradise call it beautiful

Country: United States

What year was this painted? : 2020
What medium is this painted on (i.e. Acrylic on Canvas, Acrylic on Watercolor, Watercolor, etc) : Liquid Acrylics on Canvas
Share with us the story or poem connected with your painting. Max 500 words. : Having grown up in Los Angeles and body surfed in the rolling waves on Santa Monica and Venice Beaches, I've always felt connected to water and although I imagined beautiful brown mermaids, there were none in popular books and movies. The same was true during my daughter's childhood. She once asked me when visiting Oakland's Fairyland with its children's amphitheater backdrop filled with only white angels, "Mommy, aren't there more brown people in the world? Then, why aren't there any brown angels here?" I complained to the City and eventually the mural looked more like the City itself, beautifully diverse. This mermaid is for my daughter...and for the little brown mermaid in me.

Country: United States

What year was this painted? : 2021
What medium is this painted on (i.e. Acrylic on Canvas, Acrylic on Watercolor, Watercolor, etc) : Mixed Media on Canvas
Share with us the story or poem connected with your painting. Max 500 words. : As an Elder now, life has scratched itself into my mind, delved deep into my heart and carried my soul on a roller coaster ride filled with thrilling highs and devastating lows. The most impactful lesson I've learned so far is to CHANGE. I've finally learned how to fully release all the painful stories of my past that could still bring me down if I let them. I've learned how to keep the lessons and let go of the pain so that now, when I gratefully awake to another new day with Mother Nature smiling in my face, I have a clear mind and an open heart. I am full of joy and faith that the very best life has to offer me is on its way to me right now. And that is why AND STILL I RISE!

Country: United States

What year was this painted? : 2022
What medium is this painted on (i.e. Acrylic on Canvas, Acrylic on Watercolor, Watercolor, etc) : Acrylic on Canvas
Share with us the story or poem connected with your painting. Max 500 words. : Expansion-Poetry It's time to rise and build Lights, camera, action Stand at the top of your tower Look at the land around you It's yours The scriptures tell us, "Write the vision Make it plain!" Save for the future Gather your resources Watch each dream manifest into your present day, Life Keep praying, meditating,fasting, and watching Things will move for you Before you know it. Prepare to change Behold the Lion....I sent him to protect you from Predators Who'll come to steal your dreams, joy Don't forget that, "You are Enough!" The Hawk will give you balance and Clarity Keep your eyes open Look forward Your time is now! Your time is now!

Country: Australia

What year was this painted? : Originally in 2019 and currently updated 2022. COW 2019 Visionary Archetype
What medium is this painted on (i.e. Acrylic on Canvas, Acrylic on Watercolor, Watercolor, etc) : Acrylic on Canvas 60 x 90 cm
Share with us the story or poem connected with your painting. Max 500 words. : 'She Who Sees Between and Beyond' originally painted as the final archetypal painting in my Color of Woman Teachers journey in 2019. She has been calling for some tendering to revisit where I left off in my visioning of my journey into 2022. Now was the time! She is in communion with the breath of stars, the light that runs through us all. I call upon these allies to bring me new clarity and vision of my purpose for 2022. Two years of ongoing growth, curating my growth edges, deepening my spiritual practice of creativity. Death, new life, changes everywhere, focus and determination, the sacred yes and the sacred no. Finding and losing oneself over and over. When I sat with her and asked her what she wanted - I heard the wind. When I asked her colours - I saw the colours of the cool ocean. When I asked her what symbols - I saw the triangle illuminating behind her and the koru/spirals with threads of connection. When I asked her how am I connected - I saw the red thread flowing around her. Her face largely unchanged from the original painting, she wears the sacred skin markings for women; Moko Kauae/chin markings; a long ago rites of practice my ancestors from Aotearoa New Zealand held, lost in the colonization process, reborn anew in a resurging movement across the land and being celebrated by many wahine/women, young and old, reclaiming their birth right to claim their moko kauae, without justification. It is a sacred process embedded in sovereignty and mana. For now I paint mine and adore its power and beauty. I do not copy any photo of a wahine's moko as its is not ok to do so, therefore I create my own markings. I have been asked many times 'when will you get yours Moana?' 'come home and receive your moko kauae'. I am waiting for the breath of stars to direct my path, one day they tell me, for now you wait'.

Country: United States

What year was this painted? : 2022
What medium is this painted on (i.e. Acrylic on Canvas, Acrylic on Watercolor, Watercolor, etc) : Acrylic painting on Canvas
Share with us the story or poem connected with your painting. Max 500 words. : Legacy-Poetry This tree reminds me where I came from A legacy of love and power Each root represents something greater than ourselves Each leaf and root gave me Life My language I received from my momma She birthed me Taught me that I matter Reminded me of my beauty Prepared me for the real world She taught me to laugh when I felt like crying She taught me how to dance and create a Business I call her, "The Giver of Life!" Through my fathers line Grandma Dorothy came A PIONEER woman The first Woman in our family to Pastor a church When she was criticized, she stayed steady Held her head high and kept moving She believed God, prayed daily, and had unwavering faith I call her, "Networker. " Ms. Daisy Lee was my Momma mother She cooked for many Healed many with her hands Loved the broken The greatest Thrift shopper of all time I call her, "The Planter!" Aunt Debbie my Dad's sister was always quick tongue, took up for the weak, never back down from a fight, always spoke her mind and stood in her truth. Is an Awesome singer I call her, "The Fighter!" Aunt Darlene my fathers baby sister, the Fashinista, singer, writer, Actress, Painter and a Seamtress. I call her, "Socialite!" We are connected by God, Blood, love, generations and traditions You taught me how to love me I call your name Our hearts are one Thank you for giving me a Powerful legacy

Country: New Zealand

What year was this painted? : 2022
What medium is this painted on (i.e. Acrylic on Canvas, Acrylic on Watercolor, Watercolor, etc) : Acrylic on Canvas
Share with us the story or poem connected with your painting. Max 500 words. : Outside there is a buzzing. Cicadas and something else...fireflies. I know they are near. I hear their light. The tree of light and the cosmic ocean. The genie and the tree spirit. The lone bird in flight and the shapeshifter in deep reflection. The lady who holds the bowl peers at me unblinking. She looks at me and I look at her. I see now that the the essence of my Soulfire is not so easily coated and founded in words. It is conveyed. It is communed. It is a gift. It shows up in co-creation with others and the Field. What a gift to behold! The gift of INSIGHT! What else sparks such a flame that moves the wheel of human evolution? I ask the unblinking lady, “What is your name?” “My name is Kamilla” is immediately shared. “You paint the spark of a dream, a tail of a vision,” she continues. “You hold out your hand to a whisp of a story and bring that out. In the chosen portal of canvas, paper or the expanse of sand, or salty air. Your inner fire is lit and fed and nourished. When it seems to be out you will find the embers are there and gently you give them breath and attention. Intention flows out with bursting flame. And the river of lava flows when the next generation of seeds have sprouted. "You lounge about in the realm of the stars as you please and your body is here communing with the earth. And you flow with the lava river of intention, sparkling hot. You bring it into crevices of rock and mountain that roar into life and reshape the earth. The rains come and the ocean waves meet you. Slick with the wet, the earth cools into new form and you step on to the cosmic raft, holding a bowl of embers ready to spark what is NEXT. “I am the ever-evolving shapeshifter. Dreams are catalysed in my heart and stream from my being as possibilities in the cosmic thought stream. You can listen in and come across these sparks of cosmic thought and do as you will in alignment with TRUTH as you know it.” Dear Cosmic Adventurer Where are we going? Into the realms of possibility. Come fly with fireflies and mystics. Come join the Cosmic Dance! Would that I am made of stardust. What a delight! Where is my place in all of this? The essence of stillness in depths of meditative journey blurring local and non-local mind. The cosmic face of multiverses. The lotus shaped keyhole that opens a portal to beyond what we know. The bowl of Star Soup. Drink and Dare to Explore! We journey distances not travelled and paths well tread. We shift perspective and look beneath the pebbles that go unnoticed. We see a lake as a puddle and a vastness within a clover leaf. This is the Cosmic Adventure. Dance with us!

Country: New Zealand

What year was this painted? : 2021
What medium is this painted on (i.e. Acrylic on Canvas, Acrylic on Watercolor, Watercolor, etc) : Acrylic on Canvas with embroidery
Share with us the story or poem connected with your painting. Max 500 words. : Listen. Listen to strands of love woven. Strands of blood, bone and DNA of the ancestors. Do you know we are connected, you and I? Our blood and DNA codes don’t have to match. We share an experience, a moment, a personality trait, a feeling. My imprint here shares something in common with yours. The eye of my heart sees the beauty in you. We are all connected. Welcome! Let’s have tea and share from our hearts. Tell me about your day, great, great, great grandmother. Tell me all you have learned and experienced in life. A tree of life is what a family tree is. Did you know? Do you see the forest of family trees? Expanding throughout time and around our earth. We share a potent communication network. All that mycelium in the earth. Welcome to the gathering of the council of all beings. All of us connected. What is the invisible thread that weaves us all? Is it Love? What is this Love? Love is cotton candy shared at the Easter Show. Love is making poppadums from scratch and wisdom shared amongst three generations. Love is the rain pouring onto dry earth. Love is laying in the grass at dusk. Love is jumping into the cold river at dawn. Love is holding hands as we wait for that inevitable phone call. Love is foot and paw prints side by side in the sand. Love is seeing the Himalayas from a shaky plane ride to Jomsom. Love is karaoke in a bar, empty except for us Love is painting together in circle dancing to Motown songs Love is drinking G&Ts and dancing around the lounge all night Love is tying on threads of red Love is knowing you are seen Love is candle lights flickering and sharing stories when the power is out. Love is the smell of mum’s perfume Love is the baby birds rescued by dad Love is a bursting joyful heart Love is an outpouring of tears Love is daisy chains in your niece’s hair Love is journalling at midnight Loved is dark chocolate and red wine Love is cosy blankets and watching movies Love is leaves floating to the earth Love is a flower budding Love is you Love is me Love is us Love is.

Country: United States

What year was this painted? : 2022
What medium is this painted on (i.e. Acrylic on Canvas, Acrylic on Watercolor, Watercolor, etc) : Acrylic on Canvas
Share with us the story or poem connected with your painting. Max 500 words. : THE WEAVER I am cut from the cloth of my Ancestors. The very fabric woven painstakingly with Their hands. Those same hands passed down a tool to me - The tool of Creativity. Backed by the knowledge that these hands can manifest anything, For I am Creator -- Queen of my own domain. Through image + word and symbol The Message of my Ancestors is revealed to me And They have deemed me Goddess... Wisdom garnered through life's experiences And the guidance of those who have walked on before me -- Both in this physical realm and the Ethos of the Cosmos where They now reside. The Council of Ancestors has been called and They stand proudly watching me For I have now become The Weaver, As They were for me. The Circle of Life continues... And as I weave these threads to cause and create the fabric for the next generation, I find JOY knowing that this tool of creativity was intentionally passed down to me. Even after the blessing of being cut from Their cloth, The Ancestors bestowed upon me the tools I need to build my own Queendom. And through these layers of Red, Black, and Green, I am beholden to the story of My Making. The making of Wysdom, cut from the cloth of my Ancestors...

Country: USA

What year was this painted? : 2022
What medium is this painted on (i.e. Acrylic on Canvas, Acrylic on Watercolor, Watercolor, etc) : Acrylic on Canvas 30" x 40"
Share with us the story or poem connected with your painting. Max 500 words. : Where are you from? Inevitably this is the question that will be asked at some point in time when meeting a stranger. I can be coy and respond Oakland… presently. Previously, LA. I know that's not what they mean. The real words behind this question: Why is your skin the color that it is? Why are your facial features as they are? I cannot place you within my assumptions: your milk chocolate cafe mocha cappuccino skin confuses me. What you want to know, but don’t have the words for is, “From where is your blood? From where is the DNA that makes you who you are?” Where am I from? I am from the same as you: from One mother. One father. One amoeba, One earth. One star. One universe. One dream.

Country: Canada

What year was this painted? : 2021
What medium is this painted on (i.e. Acrylic on Canvas, Acrylic on Watercolor, Watercolor, etc) : Acrylic on canvas
Share with us the story or poem connected with your painting. Max 500 words. : SISTER Many things to many people Overlooked and underloved Treasure Buried Fertilizer for Nations The Rock Foundation of the World.

Country: Canada

What year was this painted? : 2021
What medium is this painted on (i.e. Acrylic on Canvas, Acrylic on Watercolor, Watercolor, etc) : Acrylic on canvas
Share with us the story or poem connected with your painting. Max 500 words. : The Sankofa is the symbol for Wisdom. The jaguar is the Guardian. The painting is about connecting through time and space to our female ancestor through the wisdom passed down through the generations.

Country: Canada

What year was this painted? : January 2022
What medium is this painted on (i.e. Acrylic on Canvas, Acrylic on Watercolor, Watercolor, etc) : Acrylic on Canvas
Share with us the story or poem connected with your painting. Max 500 words. : Colored Girl. For a time one would have thought that was my birth name, the colored girl. That was the reference used to identify me, sometimes my name would be included, you know like Denise the colored girl. Througout my childhood years I silently struggled with being the girl with an adjective. Did they not know I was more than colored? The ingrained struggle changed somehow. Really, I ought not say somehow, because I know exactly when. I had turned 18, and my mother was planning the annual family trip to her home island, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. This time, I figured since I was 18 I would not be mandated to make the voyage, instead I spent days planning with my friends a fun filled unchaperoned house boat trip in the Okanagan. It was guaranteed to be an absolute blast, afterall, we were of adult age, therefore able to be unsupervised. It was our independent summer of wild fun! Only, my mother had other plans. I wasn't as grown up as I thought I was (her words), and would be visiting the islands along with her - fullstop. So off I went. I had travelled to St. Vincent before, only this time it was different. It was as if I had been given new eyes. I saw the sheer beauty in the landscape, the culture, and the people. For one thing, I experienced feeling a true sense of belonging, as everything around me reflected me - the colored girl. And it was beautiful. There were teachers, lawyers, bankers, police, government officials, and the women were curvaceous, with full high bottoms, large voluptuous lips, bright eyes, wild fashioned hair, and dressed in bright colors. For the first time ever, I embraced colored girl in a magical way. Understanding it to mean for me, strength, beauty, vibrant, warmth, love, and grounded. In my lifetime, I give great thanks to that woman, my mother for taking me, as if she knew.

Country: United States

What year was this painted? : started in 2014 and stored til 2022 and finished!..wahoo!!
What medium is this painted on (i.e. Acrylic on Canvas, Acrylic on Watercolor, Watercolor, etc) : acrylic on canvas
Share with us the story or poem connected with your painting. Max 500 words. : In honor of my mother, Kazuko, which translates to PEACE..to all women and mothers to all...to all our ancestors and into our future Literally, the ancestors came calling…came across this canvas that had been stored away for 8yrs unfinished! I was going to recycle it for Maverick, our year long painting in 2022. As I passed by it one day shortly after my mother, who very recently slipped peacefully into the next realm, it grabbed me and I knew I needed to finish it and see where it took me and what I needed to see and hear…..On the back I found I had named this unfinished painting, ”SOUL SISTERS”..dated 2 days before mom’s birthday 8 yrs ago… In the painting cloaked across the bottom are our ancestors, holding us up. I had already painted the 2 women and was/am astonished how it depicts us as we are presently..her with the halo and myself w the long flowing hair, the sun radiating warmth and love between us….This also is for the women of the island nations.. and for all women of the world..expressing, supporting, love beyond colors and cultures..SOUL SISTERS..we all belong, we are seen, we are held, we are blended, we are women of ONE..this is the CARNAVAL of SPIRIT LOVE PARADE