A Very Exciting Project

I am very exciting to share this with you all!

The Tarosophy Tarot Deck

 We are delighted to announce the creation of a new type of tarot deck, the Tarosophy Tarot, also to be known as the Tarot of Everlasting Day. Authors Marcus Katz and Tali Goodwin, with award-winning Canadian artist Janine Hall are together producing a considered, elegant, enigmatic and magisterial sequence of images which will provide a truly original presentation of taro...t. Drawing on Marcus’s three decades of study and experience, working from the original and often still unpublished works of Aleister Crowley, A. E. Waite, the Golden Dawn and other sources, this will be a tarot for the soul, redrawn for the man and woman of today. Whilst being grounded in the various tarots of the past, it will not be beholden to any, striking off into the landscape of mystical vision. Tali will be providing research into traditions spanning across the Marseilles and Lenormand styles, uniquely combined with contemporary insight and field research incorporating the requirements of modern readers. Marcus will be building from entire collections of occult order material and all published works and often unpublished works on Tarot. Janine will be visioning these designs into fine art, capturing a truly ethereal expression of Tarot. Amongst other innovations and design features, the Tarosophy Tarot will contain ten additional cards, and be the first deck to exist in three separate versions, each of which will be at a different level of resonance. The design for each card across the three decks will build on the seekers own discovery of their soul through the images. One deck version will be suitable for divination usage, one for teaching work and self-discovery, and one for the highest spiritual insight and vision. Together they will illustrate the initiatory journey of the order of everlasting day. A full journal of letters and illustrations between the designers and artist is to be provided with the deck, giving invaluable insight into the creative process that informs this deck. The first two images from this deck are planned to be available as colour plates in the first book of THE MAGISTER in 2012. For more details as they are produced, please see The Tarot Speakeasy: http://www.tarotspeakeasy.com/ and visit Janine Hall’s portfolio at http://janinehall.ca/.

Kingston Prize

I'm honoured to have had my portrait of James  http://janinehallstudio.wordpress.com/2010/12/ selected for this years Kingston Prize Exhibition!The portrait is on display now at the Art Gallery of Calgary http://www.artgallerycalgary.org/exhibitions/  if you would like to see it before it goes off to Ontario. There it will be on exhibit until January 29th. Here is the link for the detailshttp://www.kingstonprize.ca/ The Kingston Prize is also on Facebook if you want to keep updated.http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Kingston-Prize/106635629405038?sk=wall&filter=2   

New Portrait and Exhibition

This week two things to share.

First, there is a major exhibition of creative work by all members of my family on view at the Art Gallery of Calgary.  There is a gallery each for the paintings of my father, my mother and myself as well as a display of my brother's frames.  This exhibition will be on until August and the opening celebrations are Friday April 29th from 7 until 10.  Here are some links:http://www.artgallerycalgary.org/exhibitions/http://mimesisfinearts.com/HTML/paintings-n.htmhttp://jhff.ca/index.htmlhttp://www.wallacegalleries.com/index.php/component/option,com_gallery/id,31/task,artist/Second, here are some images of a new portrait.  It is 26x46" and will be on display with her brother's portrait at the Weiss Gallery for a few weeks.The compositions include still lives of items with personal meaning to the family and they are oil on board.  Usually commissions go straight to the home without a public viewing and so this is a rare opportunity to see them live.  I'm very grateful to the family for allowing me to show them at the Galleryhere is a link to the portrait of her brother:http://janinehallstudio.wordpress.com/2009/11/26/new-portrait/That's all for now but please check back next week to know about the opening of my brother Jarvis's new Art Gallery here in Calgary.peace and love,janine

portraiture for the new age

Throughout the summer and most of the fall I was working on this last portrait.  It is oil on canvas and 41x53".   In this project I was able to explore my ideas around art and specifically portraiture having a talismanic role in a subject's life.  The content and composition of the piece was inspired by symbols in the subject's natal astrology and tarot, personal artefacts that hold deep meaning and inspiration for him, esoteric healing symbols and representation of an ethereal atmosphere.  My philosophy is that because the  fundamental spiritual movement of human culture appears to be toward self knowledge, self revelation and enlightenment-ultimately self united with the divine- that portraiture and particularly commissioned self portraiture is a natural support.  In the hands of a spiritually conscious artist, one who is aware of the capacity for art to be a channel for healing energies the artwork can become an intimate sacred object or a focal point for meditation. The portrait may be seen as kind of "vision board" for experiencing higher self consciousness, self reflection and revelation and finally affect healing on a quantum level.In a recent television show an artist commented that oil portraiture of oneself  was "a bit of an antiquated thing".  Hearing this I realized that people may actually believe commissioned portraiture has lost it's role or meaning in contemporary culture.  By some secular perception portraiture might appear true, but certainly through the ever growing contemporary spiritual perception personal and intimate forms of artwork like portraiture have absolute and invaluable roles to play.Peace

new portrait commission

Hello!The latest portrait commission is complete.  This is a companion piece to the finished one last fall- The Tree and the Boy.The piece is on oil paint on board and the size is 18x24".  I am particularly satisfied with the colour on this piece, it achieved richness that seems to take on a voice of its own that enhanced the portrait. There is also a sweetness to the the boys facial expression that was captivating to paint.  Here's a detail...If you think of it check back soon, more in the wings...janine

Peace

Here is the newest work from my studio.  It is oil on board and it is 22x24" and the title is Thirteen:We are Golden.  I am  very satisfied with the piece as I feel it embodies my desire to combine nature and the mystic, that is, representation of the(apparent)natural world-the flesh,textiles and hair-with representation of spirit-the aura and halo. I am intrigued by the use of a completely dark background to serve as the ground of being from where our experience emerges.  For me the piece evokes calm, meditation and healing. Further, the solid presence of the figure-an archetypal energy of a love filled innocent-extends a palpable peace.  I am fascinated by the potential of the elements in paintings- the colour, composition and texture etc- to interact creating vibrational frequencies which have real affect in the viewers aura  and this deepens the meaning of the phrase "extends a palpable peace"."Peace is your most valuable asset...it is your fundamental ground of being."  (Raj 2006-01-08)Until next time,janine

New Year Blessings

I hope you have all had a restful and peaceful holiday break.  I'm getting back to my studio routine myself.  Here is a still life just completed that will be at the Weiss Gallery shortly.  It is 10x12", oil on board as usual.Painting for me is a spiritual practice which is profound when working from life.  A very wise master says that each and every object we give our attention to holds the key to our(and its) enlightenment.  In contemplation and observation of  objects I ask to receive insight into the truth of what is there before me.  This practice grows from the knowledge that all things are living energy rather than  inert matter with some sort of consciousness to reveal.  Truly I'm asking for the divine consciousness that is there in what appears to be paper, fabric, ink and clay to be revealed. Fascinating and peaceful beyond measure- a true synthesis of (mystic)meditation and painting.Until next week when I will post the project at my easel now,Blessings for your early 2010,janine

Buddha Seed print

Hello;I am very happy to tell you that I have made a digital print of my painting Buddha Seed.  This  image speaks of the potential within humanity for wisdom, strength and peace. The print is 26x28" and is now available through the Weiss Gallery in Calgary.  Please contact them for more details at http://www.theweissgallery.com/ or call at 403 262 1880.

new portrait

Here is the second portrait that I have completed from this last season.  It is oil on board and 26x46".  The preliminary study for this piece was featured in the blog from April.  I've included a few in progress images to reveal some of the technique I used to create the finished artwork.

return

Well hello;After a long break from writing I have two portraits to show you.  Both have been done in the months since my last post. Until I am fully back into the habit of writing, here are some pictures showing some of the process of making the pieces.  Shown are a small variety of in progress shots which depict the very early stages of building the paintings.  I begin with a grid and the basic charcoal drawing on the gessoed board.  Next I do a substantial grey painting of the image which gives me the underlying structure on which to develop the finished artwork.  It is a very long process but for the time being I experience that any skipped steps seems to disrupt my creative flow and the integrity of the finished surface.The Tree and the Boy, oil on board 18X24":

Please check back tomorrow for photos of the second piece,janine

Hello friends;I have just completed the study for one of my next portraits.The size is 26x46" the study is both charcoal and graphite on paper and the painting will be oil on board.  I am very inspired by the image, especially the combination of a portrait and a still life element.I do the studies to work out composition and to get familiar with the image.  I don't take the pieces to a very high degree of finish because it is not neccessary for these purposes but I do find them very helpful in becoming attuned to the energy of the portrait.  Each time I do one though, I do think to myself how I must make the time to do more finished drawings as I absolutely love the feel of drawing.Until the panel is ready to begin painting (my brother Jarvis at Jarvis Hall Fine Frames makes beautiful gessoed panels) I am working on the study  for another portrait which is of a boy around the same age in an outdoor setting.Thanks for your interest,Janine

springtime

Hello dear and patient reader;I spent the winter season painting on a single portrait.  It was a perfect way to spend the long dark months as the piece was full of rich color and had a summer setting. Particularly satisfying to paint was the contrast of flesh and fabric. As you see the entire bottom half is a sea of satin and velvet dresses.  Having the setting be outdoors and having such an expanse behind the figures kept  the memory of  fresh air and sunshine  in my experience as I worked in the basement throughout the relentless cold of our winter here in Calgary.

I have real fondness for the hands.

The work is 30x33" and it is oil on canvas. Here are a few details.I have begun work on the next projects and there are three to update you on in upcoming posts.Until next time,Janine 

The New Year

Hello dear reader;I trust you are having a good beginning to your new year. Things are going very well here.  After my exhibition last month I enjoyed a quiet Christmas and have been back in my studio for just over a week now.  My focus this month is on portraiture as I have commissions to complete. This work is going well and I'm enjoying it very much. I have two major works besides the portraits awaiting my attention and they will follow the theme of the works I have shown you here over the past few months. One is the male counterpart to Mary(shown above) and the other is a major work of "Eve" I have many insights to digest resulting from 2008 and I expect some transformation the next paintings.  I'm paying particular attention to color and texture but I will speak more as the works progress.Finally, a most sincere thanks to all who were able to come and experience my work in December.  And a most sincere thanks to The Weiss Gallery for their beautiful exhibition space and their extraordinary attention to my work.They are currently showing a group show with color as a theme "Chroma".  Here is the link to the informationhttp://theweissgallery.com/dynamic/exhibit.asp?Exhibit=CurrentUntil next time,janine

my artist's statement

Hello  dear reader;My paintings and some drawings have been on display at The Weiss Gallery in Calgary for just over a week now. Many thanks to all of you who have been there to see them.For this week I am publishing a recent statement I wrote to describe how I feel about my own art practice and what it is that I feel that I"m doing.  If you are interested to read I hope that it will enhance your experience of my work.Meaning and purpose has come to my art practice through the pursuit of spiritual experience, truth and understanding. Study and understanding of prayer, meditation, Reiki, tarot, astrology and the teachings of masters have infused my creative imagination and world view with a richness and depth of images, a model for practice and process and a profound sense of purpose. At this moment in my development as an artist I can identify the wisdom these studies have begun to reveal and the potential they inspire in my work.Meditation has shown me that at the center of the human being lies a ground of vast space and existence where we experience connection to the divine, our true selves and the true nature of reality. In cultivating the stillness of meditation one prepares for access to timeless existence and the wisdom there. The images and words emerging from the stillness express teachings and truths that provide an eternity of creative inspiration. Meditation has become an integral part of my creative process both at my easel and away from it.Prayer has grounded within me evidence that the divine exists and this has deeply inspired my devotion to making art. I have learned that ultimately the human being is not a solitary entity. Our (human) true nature is eternally unified with a conscious transcendent source experienced in the center of our being. The creative urge emanating from this divine center carries meaning which matters greatly to the enlightenment of humanity. I feel that my authentic creativity is truly beyond my full comprehension and essentially depends on my faith and willingness to surrender my control to the divine flow felt within. In this way my studio work becomes a spiritual practice and the experience of painting- a potential mystical experience.Reiki is one of many healing modalities that appear as the laying on of hands. The practice is to surrender the body and mind as a channel for a divine flow of energy. It passes through the practitioner into an intended location (a body, place or thing) where it has its affect. With Reiki I have experienced and understood the channelling and transference of source energy into matter and this has profoundly transformed my views on the potential of painting. I understand that artwork holds the energy of its creation in a very literal way and this has inspired a deep sense of reverence and responsibility in me. The artwork, as a crystal or gem used by healers, infused with energy eternally, has the capacity to affect the space around it including all viewers. I now understand that the affect of painting on the human is experiential in all ways-physically, emotionally, and intuitively and mentally- and has the actual capacity to heal.The study of astrology and tarot has revealed to me that there are true and eternal symbolic language systems we are able learn and to communicate with the ultimate source of existence in profound clarity. Understanding this has transformed my understanding of imagery both in my imagination and in my artwork. Now I question my role as the originator of imagery and consider the possibility that I am recipient of imagery interpreting messages from a transcendent source. Either way to understand the eternal depth, richness and potential sacredness of visual language has been to realize the great potential of painting as a transcendent mode of communication.The above realizations describe my current understanding of the potential of art and have saturated my practice with focus and meaning. I understand my responsibility as being ever mindful of the potential. My one desire is to consciously connect to the deepest most authentic and divine place within me, to align my creativity with that and to bring into physicality (paint) what comes from there.Janine HallFall 2008

Symbolic Landscapes

Hello Dear reader;Starting tomorrow my work will be on display at The Weiss Gallery in Calgary.  One aspect of my paintings that I haven't talked about here at all is my small landscapes.  There will be represented there and because they are an ongoing love of mine I wish to introduce them to you. Generally they are small to medium sized and all so far are oil on board.The symbolic landscapes allow me to paint purely from the state of meditation. They are done in perfect stillness to evoke the expansive experience of silence.Paul Tuttle, teacher of the Course in Miracles, explains the function of silence:If any of you dare to become still and you experience the Silence, you discover something: That although the awareness that you are is empty of driving purpose, of willfulness, of the need to assert itself, awareness is still present, you haven’t disappeared.When the ego disappears, you, as conscious awareness, the presence of Mind that experiences Reality, is there. The ego that you thought was you, once it is absent, uncovers the actuality of you, the foreverness of you, the inviolability of you, the eternality of you, because you are still present. And in abiding in that place of Silence, conscious—in other words, attentive—there will always be the spontaneous influx of illumination, clarification, understanding. That which is nothing more than your right Mind begins to register with you when you’re not there making so much static, so much noise, that you can’t hear It. And you come back into your right Mind and you remember God and you remember who you Are, and you remember who your brothers and sisters Are.Paul TuttleNov.2 2008The paintings simply embody balance, peace and stillness using imagery symbolic of the human experience.Images of earth (the ground,grass and trees) embody the physical experience of lifeImages of air (sky)embody the mental experience of lifeImages of water (the ocean and mist) embody the emotional experience of lifeImages of fire (fire,sparks) embody the spiritual-feeling- experience of lifeImages of the stars,planets and auras embody non- human consciousness in life. The Sun embodies the Yang aspect of Divinity, the Moon is the Yin and the stars embody our awakened companions in non human form.Combinations of these elements represent particular energies of integration. Mist , a combination of water and air, expresses an integration of mental with emotional experience. The burning tree represents the point at which spirit is registered in the physical experience-the inner flame.A excerpt from a favorite prayer of mine inspires the harmony of these elements into human life:I give myself this day to the virtues of the starlit heavens, the brightness of the sun, the whiteness of the moon, the flashing of lightening, the restlessness of wind, the stability of earth, and the deepness of the sea. (I believe it is the words of St. Symeon- http://www.livingrosaries.org/symeon.htm)Thank you for your attention dear reader and may you enjoy the landscap of your experience today,Sincerely,Janine

Return of the Prodigal Child

Hello dear patient reader;So I have finshed this painting and settled on the final title: Return of the Prodigal Child (oil on board 36x40").  It has captured perfectly my intention and so I'm satisfied and it is covered in varnish.I haven't been so active on this blog but very active at my easel. At the end of November I will have these paintings and drawings that I have been showing you on this blog on display at The Weiss Gallery in Calgary. Also there will be some portrait works from the last two years. The Weiss Gallery is at 1021 6th Street SW in Calgary and the display will be up from November 27th until December 23rd.  I hope you will come so that you can see all of these works in the flesh.Until then watch here as I am about ready to publish writing here and on my site  that will assist you in understanding what I am doing with my work and in each of the paintings. I promise that  it will be available before you see the paintings in the gallery.So enjoy the new painting!in gratitude for your attention,janine

COMPASS complete

At long last...

Hello dear  reader,Welcome if you are new to reading and if you have been following along over the last few months, thank you for your patience.  At long last I've finished the major painting I've been working on called "COMPASS".  It has been a rich experience that has shifted my creative energy significantly.  When I began the piece months ago, compelled to bring into form a vision in my mind's eye, I underestimated both the time it would take and the depth of the experience.  See, it was a simple enough vision, expressing a spiritual concept that is (I think) fundamental to our-humanity's-evolution, yet I was unaware of how relevent the concept was to be for me while actually bringing forth the image. Given the image I was making my integrity called me to honour the guidance of my own intuition, felt essentially in my heart. As a result he finished work contains elements that I never clearly envisioned at the start when I began with a clear composition containing basically two figures and a desk.   I became very conscious of the creative flow, and very aware  of when I was painting guided by intellect and then guided by intuition, a fascinating discernment which I'm sure I'll speak more about because the experience speaks directly to what I believe humans and art are. For the moment though,  the end result of this painting is perfectly aligned with the original concept from months ago and the experience has impressed upon me its truth.The painting will be at The Weiss Gallery where I will have many of my paintings on display at the end of November. Once I have a good picture of the whole painting I will put it up with a more detailed discussion of it. I must also introduce you to the landscapes that will be there.  For now enjoy the details of COMPASS.Finally, The Weiss Gallery will open a show of paintings by Daniel Barkley on October 30th- I haven't seen the paintings yet in person but they look beautiful and very interesting. Here's the link to the gallery:http://www.theweissgallery.comUntil next time dear reader,Janine

Message From the Blind King

Hello again dear reader:The season has most definitely turned in Calgary and I once again have three sweaters while I’m painting in the basement. In the basement there are no windows where I paint and it is chilly and silent. There is something very magical about the isolation though and something symbolic about going down underground to do my creative work and re-emerging to engage in the rest of my life. For those of you that may know astrology the symbolic correlation of my natal Pluto (in Virgo in the fourth house 6 degrees off my IC) to my soul enhances the metaphor, describing a soul that has incarnated naturally retreating to the depths of personal space and experience-like painting in my basement perhaps? Remind me sometime, though, to tell you about the one small creative companion I have down there-So this week was busy and very satisfying. I think that last week I suggested that I had been discovering some exciting creative experiences. The week has culminated in me having done one of the most satisfying paintings ever that has inspired expansion in what I believe is possible in paint. For some time now I have been aware of an emerging theme in my creative work that has direct correlation to my spiritual practice and study. It had been for some time that I didn’t understand the relationship of my painting practice to my deep desire for spiritual development and experience. I knew somehow that the two were related in my life, but experientially painting was less satisfying than the meditation, prayer and study that I engaged in. Over the past year I have witnessed the two disciplines in my life merging as I have realized that many of the spiritual truths I have studied are perfectly adaptable to being expressed in paint with meaning and purpose and that the practice of painting itself for me is an opportunity for great conscious meditation and connection with the divine. As painting becomes more spiritually satisfying I am gaining the courage to follow the creative urges that I would have questioned before. So, then, I believe I am beginning to experience the prime purpose of a creative life which is to experience connection with the divine and to bring that experience to an audience.Technically what I have discovered this week is a way to use color and texture of the paint to describe matter and spirit and the relationship of them to each other. While painting on “Compass” as I was painting the mundane objects on the desk I stopped to follow an urge to paint a face. I let myself be completely free and present to the image emerging and in the resulting work is a perfect combination of color, luminosity and texture for my purposes. It is 8X12" oil on board titled Message From the Blind King-the title has no particular meaning for me but does suggest another theme emerging of  sound, silence and messaging and that is for discussion another time when your patience is fresh.  There is an energetic presence here which I have perceived as missing from my work, although as I look around at the most recent things I have done I see that there is indeed evidence of these elements emerging if I really look.So, back to the studio, back to "Compass" and to the portrait commission I have just begun. I have much to accomplish in the coming months and years. I return to the studio very inspired and I look forward to writing again next week.Grateful as always for your time and attention dear reader,Janine

creative discoveries

Welcome dear reader:Today’s full moon in Pisces finds me deeply engaged in the painting “Compass” I set the Return of the Prodigal aside as it is nearing completion and needed to rest while I turned my attention back to the other. The two works have a very similar feel to me and so moving back and forth from one to the other is natural. The very small space I work in is very crowded right now with drawings and incomplete paintings but it feels very alive.So “Compass” has my present attention and I am very intrigued by what it is becoming. I explained early in the summer how this painting began so I won’t bore you with retelling that. The vision though, as it was in the beginning, remains strong in my imagination and little by little, as it manifests on the board, I am making some exciting creative discoveries. Here is man who appears to be experiencing anxiety as he sits at a desk littered with piles of paper, notes, books, communications, coffee, alcohol and pills. His “heart”, suffering the pain from wounds of three swords(a symbol from Tarot), is being tugged by an entity he has no apparent awareness of. While he believes that the stress he is experiencing is from the spread of information before him and the communication with his laptop, the true cause of his anxiety comes from his inability to recognize the tug on his heart. The relief from the anxiety lies in his following the guidance offered by his spirit companion that is felt deep through his heart center. As I described earlier in the summer the vision had come to offer a solution to a querent’s unhappiness at work. I recognized immediately the relevance not only to that individual but to so many of us in this culture. The relief of believing in the presence of true guidance felt in our hearts has significant healing potential. And although our conscious selves may not be prepared to accept the idea, the thought that there might be a conscious presence very close to us doing the pulling offers a deliverance from fear and emotional pain. So there it is- the two truths that this image is built upon: 1- that one true source of our modern anxiety may be in our inability to recognize and follow guidance felt in our hearts moment to moment and -2- that that there is a true conscious presence doing the guiding and in the acceptance of this lies the abandonment of fear. As in all spiritual ideas- simple but not easy.Technically with the paint I am discovering textures and colors that are surprisingly satisfying and relevant to the (apparent)content. These discoveries speak to the fact that although I think I have planned the piece and believe that I know what it will look like, my ideas or visions are just a structure, framework or starting point for the transcendent capacity of the work. As I have chosen to surrender to the tactile experience of working in the intuitive flow the work is richer and more colourful than I had planned and I feel that I am capturing something of the juxtaposition of matter to the etheric realm from where symbols and dreams emanate. This describes a central tenant of my philosophy and creative ideas; that there is a realm beyond that which we humans generally perceive. It is as real if not more than our current perceived physical environment and that we interact with it on a moment to moment basis whether we are consciously aware of it or not. A striking recent realization has been that as I strongly believe the physical realm of matter and the etheric is built of the same stuff that painting is a completely relevant medium as it describes perfectly my belief in the sameness of everything. In my paintings whether I create a human or angel they are both made of paint. This is a deeply satisfying experience and really new creative territory for me.So, back to painting...Very sincere thanks dear reader for your time and interest once again,JaninePS:  On Thursday September 18th in Calgary an exhibition of my colleague Robert Pierce will open at ARTFIRM in Calgary.  He does very beautiful paintings and I'm sure he will be at the opening 6-8pm.http://www.artfirm.ca/artists/artist_gallery.php?ArtistID=10