Sheena Ludlow

The Path

"To a woman not led astray from herself by sentiments stemming from the surface of what she sees, but courageously responding to the dynamics of her own nature - to a woman who is, as Nietzsche phrases it, "a wheel rolling of itself" - difficulties melt and the unpredictable highway opens as she goes."

This quote from a book by Joseph Pearce and Micheal Mendizza, Magical parent Magical child, is a constant inspiration to me up there on my studio wall. And how true it is that to respond to the dynamics of your own nature takes courage, sometimes its uncomfortable to go with your gut, when perhaps it means confrontation or doing something that everyone else will think is mad or just believing that what you want is possible.

This image above taken on a rainy day in September, a beautifull rainy day in September, depicts just this for me, staying on your own path, at your own pace, relaxing into the flow of your life, observing and experiencing as you go, learning to be excited at what might be around the corner and all the time there is the ground beneath your feet and the sweet air in your lungs as you roll along.

Bye for now. Sheena

Eat me 2

Hello there folks, here's some more of those circles I was talking about, each one not exactly a perfect circle and yet perfect in its own right. I love the intense bright colours and finding the balance between them as I paint and then being entranced by the painting from afar, the eye takes the whole thing in and is immediately brought to the different clusters of colour and then you are taken on a journey around the painting connecting the circles as you go.

I've been hibernating like a hamster huddled up in my nest, conserving energy, restoring my batterie, something that feels so right to do at this time of year, necessary for my system to be well.  My son said a few weeks ago "I really want a hamster" and I said well you realise that I dont like seeing animals in cages, when I was a kid we had a budgie and all I ever wanted to do was set it free. Everybody kept saying to me but those budgies were born in captivity thats all they know they'll  die if you set them free. And I would reply but they have wings I'm sure if the budgie had a choice it would take one day flying, feeling the wind on its face doing whats its supposed to do over a lifetime in captivity. We used to let the budgie out of its cage to fly around the kitchen and on one fatefull day it got out the window, we watched as he flew far away and I was so happy for him up there in the sky.  So I said to my son if you really want this your going to have to save up buy it yourself and its completly your responsibility from that point on.  The next day I was at a friends house for coffee and at one point in the conversation she said "you don't want a hamster do you? My daughter has one and she cant sleep at night with the noise in her bedroom, you can have the cage and everything?"!!!!  I love when things like this happen here I was presented with a choice, say no, say yes and tell my son I bought it and he has to pay me weekly even though I got it for nothing!!! or say yes and make my son very happy and find a home for a hamster that might be set free someday!! I mean how could I say no! it was just far too perfect and my son was thrilled of course. The hamster circle has started in our house, literally she has a plastic ball that she runs around in, its the wierdest thing tripping over a rodent in a ball in the kitchen, she's already gotten out of it twice, I reckon her day of freedom will come.

Bye for now & thanks for reading. Sheena

Weaving

Hi there, just taking a moment away from the canvas to write, something that I must say is new to me, learning how to flow with words the way I do with paint. I've been painting circles of colour, circles of life, all triggered off by one piece of work (above) started in 2006 entitled Weaving, which now resides in the house of a wonderful elderly couple who bought it at my 1st solo exhibition in November 2007. The painting is filled with small golden yellow circles all connected in the web of life, the spider spins her web and behind everything is creation.

There is the circle that is our life and inside of that circle there are myriad moments of experience all filtered through our bodymind with our senses. And so the paint, the rich velvet smooth beautiful paint and the colour, the intense happy vibrant alive colour, and the form, all of which together allow me to express my experience of being alive and of course the random chaotic pattern which says it all.

Yes, and so the paint... has been flowing in many a circle, depicting many a circle of experience. The elderly couple I spoke of, came to see my work ten years ago at a time when I was keeping it all to myself, gathering it in my cave, not wanting to show it to anyone. They were so encouraging and truly appreciated what I was doing, those few simple words gave me such strength.

This painting was without doubt an enormous symbolic gesture of my understanding of things, most of all myself and my place in the world. Its always fascinating to me how the pattern of the weave comes together how absolutely perfect that those lovely kind people were there encouraging me once again ten years later, and that it was them who went home with the painting, meant for them all along without me even knowing, and how, with time... things always come full circle.

Many thanks for reading, all the best. Sheena.

sea

Hello there, this piece above is a limited edition giclee print of a photo taken on a beautiful beach near where I live, on a warm day in late september. This end of the beach is a magical place where the water drips down the moss covered rocks from the field above. 

The sound of the sea is all around, the waves crashing, and closer here  the sound of the constant drip of the water into the soft white sand. The moss leads you around the corner where caves beckon to be explored. Life beckons to be explored. Time stops...now  and all there is, is the soothing rhythm of the waves coming in and out.

Sea calm      Sea clear      Sea green      Sea ice     Sea warm        Sea

Sea wild    Sea vast    Sea deep    Sea more     Sea more    Sea more      Sea

Thanks for looking and reading, slan leat. Sheena                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Earth 2 oil on canvas 20x20cm

Hello everyone! Just to let you know there's an exhibition being run by the very energetic, enthusiastic, and bubbly Karen Harper, irishcraftsupdate.com/blog, starting this week and going until the 23rd on the top floor of Dunlaoire shopping centre. There are 20 artists and photographers involved, myself included, please come along to the opening on Thursday 13th December at 7pm for some inspiration and festive fun!

This painting really comes alive when you stand well back from it, for me it evokes the intensity of colour you find in nature when its raining or has just rained. The water on the earth changes its colour, imagine the hard dry earth and then what happens as the water slowly penetrates it...the earth has relaxed you could say become something more than it was... a place where its easy and nurturing for new life to grow. And stones, rocks, the bones of the earth, the bones that we can touch, the wet bones surrounded by moist glistening velvety moss, a sensous experience indeed. Imagine walking through the woods at that moment when the rain has just stopped, the water has intensified the smell of everything, as you walk among the trees on the rusty brown the bounce of the earth here is incredible and the smell of it as each footprint you make releases the heady smell of whats below into your nostrils. You come across a part of the wood higher up with rock protruding here and there in the ground different types of moss surrounding some and covering others. The contrast of textures of the smooth hard rock and the rich soft moss are extremely pleasurable. Nature is a continous source of inspiration and delight for me. Thankyou for reading and I'll be back soon. Sheena

ps: if you're in Dublin check out the vegetarian restaurant Cornacopia on Wicklow st, they have a wonderful exhibition of small paintings going on there for the next two months, see if you can spot mine its called EAT ME!

Earth Series

Typing

Connections