Blog
12/27/2021 8:21:18 AM
This past month has been a real turn around for me deciding what to do about my non-eco products. I have decided to keep JUST the High Waisted Bikini's going for now and delete most else that wasn't working within the idea of recycle or natural. I may reintegrate the stainless steel water bottles, notebooks and coffee mugs but let's face it, those are pretty common and not that exciting where-as the bikini's are unique and fun! I will be sourcing long term for new Print-On-Demand products that work within the Eco framework but they are few and far between. With the time and effort it takes to create products, and if this is going to be a long term business, I need to feel good about what I am starting and bringing into my future, not to mention the future of the planet. I am happy to come across REPREVE, a material made from recycled poly and also they use plastic bottles for their thread in which they make a strong fiber for swim and activewear. I am learning more about this company as I create more bikini's for now and slowly bring back in other Eco-conscious items. You can read more about REPREVE and watch short video here, it is very interesting to see and know about:
REPREVE® | Sustainable. Certifiable. Recycled. High-quality performance fiber.
12/19/2021 6:09:23 PM
There has been some confusion on my next work, beehive ginger, Zingiber spectabile. There is another ginger very similar in appearance, shampoo ginger, Zingiber zerumbet. Both are are pinecone-like but the shampoo ginger is a bit smaller and tighter (and yes, you can squeeze the bract's and get a substance out one can soap-up with!) where the beehive is a bit more large and spacious. The common and best edible ginger is Zingiber officinale and a lot of folks think my painting is the torch ginger, Etlingera elatior.
"Zingiberaceae, the ginger family of flowering plants, the largest family of the order Zingiberales, containing about 56 genera and about 1,300 species." - Britanicca
There are three edible types under the general umbrella of “gingers” — ginger, turmeric and galangal.
Oh my goodness, at this point I don't feel like getting too academic about it all but yeah, loads of different types of gingers, so, it's not surprising people think my painting to be is of some other than it is! I will move forward with some more interesting info as time goes but for now...paint to paper time!!!
12/11/2021 7:32:53 PM
Diving back into my painting this week is such a peaceful calm joy! I am finally painting the Beehive Ginger, something I have desired to do for over 5 years when beginning my "tropical botanical work with a twist". I am planning to make this painting quite detailed with a few varieties and flowers popping out at you! This species of ginger is grown for ornamental viewing however in S.E. Asia it can be used medicinally.
"In Indonesia, this plant is used medicinally to treat inflammation of the eyes. It is prepared for use by pounding the leaves of the plant into a thick paste, and then topically applying it to the required part of the body. It has also been recorded being used to treat burns and as a treatment for headaches and back pain.
Academic research has found that the plant has antimicrobial properties and significant concentrations of the Zerumbone synthase enzyme, which may be effective in treating colon cancer.
The scientific name of the species is Zingiber spectabile. "Zingiber" is originally from a Sanskrit word that means "shaped like a horn" and refers to the horn-shaped leaves of most species of ginger. "Spectabile" is derived from the Latin spectabilis, meaning 'visible' or 'spectacular'." -Wiki
So, I was very pleased to discover it is such a highly valued plant here right where I am in Indonesia. I am planning on producing 5 paintings up to May 1st (Beltane) where I hope to show the work at a local yoga center here that has expressed interest in working with me to display some of their member's art. One way or another, come Spring, I plan to have a small exhibit and this is always so fun to think of and plan for. I already have my framer at hand so I just need to produce! Keeping in the Bali/S.E. Asia medicinal plant choices, I will continue with my theme I have established over the years with perhaps one or two plants that represent a different kind of medicine, medicine of the heart. Enlightenment, opening, rejoicing, prayer.
12/4/2021 2:55:30 AM
Rainy season here in Bali and I have wrapped up a lot of loose string projects this past week. I ended up piling on a Christmas card project too but now I am done and have finally thinned out my life enough to 100% focus on my next painting. The Beehive Ginger (not the heliconia in pic here) is one that I've had in my mind for years so I am beginning FINALLY tomorrow on a beautiful Sunday morning. I feel joyful with my effort paying off with my fitness level and am ready to indulge in another 5 month round of this "Living in Bali" life I've created.
My online time spent marketing with the Insta and Shopify (MEJSPIRIT) since June 1st was educational and it did reinforce I'm very competent at making websites and connecting all the dots; various social media and sourcing marketing companies, however, the time, money and effort has come down to me still not painting after wanting to for over 2 months now and the obsession I developed with my own marketing was taking over. With the world doing so much via online and social media, I need real hands-on work, tangible production. I've cleared my head space by pausing the MEJSPIRIT Insta (I still have both my art and travel Insta's) & Shopify shop (lots of products still available freely through Fine Art America) to now have nothing BUT time to get real. What was really bugging me was that most of the products are 100% polyester, so here I am, a conscious earth loving artist that loves to paint medicinal and enlightening flowers and fruits, spending my time and money trying to sell polyester products. How does that represent me at all? It doesn't.
I did find one bikini that uses eco-friendly material and I will be creating a page on this website or on a new platform to showcase these later but for now I'm anxious to put paint to paper and enjoy my holiday month of December feeling the richness that comes from tangible art. May your holiday season bring lots of love, laughter and joy!
