Your Mind Power

"Imagination is your most powerful faculty.

Imagine what is lovely and of good report.

You are what you imagine yourself to be."

- Joseph Murphy, author of "The Power of Your Subconscious Mind"

"The Power of Your Subconscious Mind" is one of my favorite books. It teaches you how to use the powers within yourself to become who you wish to be. Quiet, relaxed meditation/prayer two or three times a day has a very powerful effect on your overall well being and your ability to accomplish goals.

When repetitious thoughts are systematically absorbed into the subconscious mind they become habitual. Thinking "I am _______" and "I have _______" as they exist in the present moment and visualizing yourself being and having what you want on a regular basis attracts what you want to come into your life. You will experience amazing changes if this technique is carried out daily.

One of the major and most important ways to utilize this power is to begin to catch negative thoughts that create doubt within your mind. Becoming more aware of your thoughts and changing them immediately whenever you hear any negative or fearful words in your head gives you more power and control over your life. This book can help you easily incorporate positive practices every day that will change your life for the better. You can overcome fears, doubts, anger and many other thoughts and emotions that keep you from reaching your full potential.

Cheers to happy, successful and peaceful thoughts for you!

Giving Full Attention

 "Durant Nature Trail, Raleigh, NC"

30"x24" oil on canvas painted by Cindy Mott McGarry

"You are where your attention takes you."

-Indian seer

When beginning a painting, the finished piece of work can seem almost unreachable. The "Fun" part of a painting (at least for me) finally comes after the basic composition, major shapes, angles, and under paintings have all been laid down. Many early shape and color plans in a multiple layered painting may change dramatically before feeling comfortable moving forward to the next step/layer/color ...  This is why it helps tremendously to be very aware of where your attention is taking you!

With certain styles of oil painting it is easy to get way ahead of yourself by laying in too many light colors first. The rich, thin, deep, dark colors need to be laid down on the canvas first for an impressionistic style of painting in order to make the following layers of medium and light colors much more striking and dimensional. When laying in the darks it is quite helpful to imagine what they will look like underneath all those alluring orange, pink, yellow, and white strokes of light. If your attention stays on creating that dark vibrancy of the under painting realm first, then the depth of the finished piece will appear much more alive!

A big reward for using your attention properly will be when you are finally free to swing that brush or use your fingers to get "Splashy, Sprinkly, and Loose" with those final layers of colorful light - and you can see where your attention has taken you!

Happy painting!

Below is an early darks under painting for the above Durant Nature Trail painting.

Painting in the Present Moment

A zoom-in of my oil painting, "Lavender Woods"

"The living moment is everything."
-D.H. Lawrence

Living in the present moment allows you to really "see" beauty, colors, and shapes. If you relax your mind and absorb calmly what is around you, then you feel much more alive, energized and connected with the world, yourself, and others. Focusing only on the present moment can create a much more open mind.

By experiencing each moment in a fresh and open way, your imagination is free to emerge and play. Only then, can your unique consciousness come alive. Everything becomes easier and more clear. Happiness and excitement about life itself cause a mental freedom and an openness that allow a flowing thought process. Connecting with present, new thoughts, and acting on them can make you feel like a child again with uninhibited creativity! 

It's all about mind over matter, right? With your hands acting as the instruments of your mind, you can automatically create whatever you want to build from pure consciousness thoughts and images!

Happy Valentine's Day!

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine. - Proverbs

Here is a good example of "sprinkling"!

The painting on the left is a fast and colorful under painting of purple and blue flashy and splashy brush strokes. On top of that layer is a sprinkling of various colors to add more excitement to the overall piece.

The painting on the right is the next layer with a heart shape colored with a mixture of magenta and cobalt blue. White highlights and green for the focal point color give it more depth and interest. And, finally, more sprinkling of new and old colors to tie it all together!

Staying loose is key. Let it evolve into it's own being!

I used Winsor Newton (http://www.winsornewton.com/products/acrylic-colours/) acrylic paints for this painting.