Points of Light

I've been working on oil paintings on panel for my upcoming solo gallery show at Articulated Gallery in San Francisco opening September 1st. Below are a few IN-PROGRESS shots. Something different I'm doing this time around is painting on panel, rather than canvas, and framing all the pieces.

The concept was to be Mediums, Witches, and Healers, yet my Spirit Guides had other plans...

I don't tend to think like an "artist" in the sense that I don't have a process of thinking I go into to create works of art, and I don't keep a sketchbook. My paintings are given to me in image form, clairvoyantly, complete and with details and colors...and from there I look through my paint swatch book to find the colors I see in my mind's eye and try to capture the facial features and light in a drawing or self-portrait photo. I also find when I try to "think" my way through a painting that it ends up a disaster! I have to relax into that place of trust and moment of now and I feel my Guides telling me to just keep my brush going and they'll figure it all out...and when I'm able to stay in that connection, I am simply watching the paintings paint themselves. I am the channel.

So I had an intention for the concept of this show and even a beginning...but it lacked the connection as I was trying to control too much and focus on the end point. The works in progress here are the ones which were determined to be painted after Spirit got my attention, bringing my mind-mess painting to a halt! Throughout this process I've been reminding myself that the focus, while still on Mediumship (things seen and unseen) is on the "Points of Light", and that is what I'm calling this Gallery Show...

I rarely listen to music painting, but this time around I've been listening endlessly to the new Ephel Duath album! We got the drum tracks and some of the bass back. I'm endlessly dreaming of playing these songs live. And I've also been breaking from those songs to listen to Jason Walton's (bass player of Agalloch) project Self Spiller and their cd "Worms in the Keys." He gave Davide and I a copy when we recently saw Agalloch at Great American Music Hall.

Back from the Inner Between

I am working hard on a new large piece for an exciting group show coming to Articulated Gallery in November. The super talented supernatural jewelry designer JL Schnabel of Blood Milk is curating this show. I am ever so excited to see what results of the artists she's collected for this Spirit Board show. When she invited me to paint a Ouija Board themed painting, I knew this was the perfect time, as it's October! (And a super haunted one it's already been. I expect to feel quite a buzz at this show.), especially since I've been working on my Tarot deck for the last few months. Divination all around!

And, since I pushed myself so hard, painting 15 hour days and surviving on a body-abusive (but delicious) diet of cappuccinos, I started seeing a phenomenal Chiropractor who also uses Cranial-Sacral, nutrition, muscle testing..I think my husband finally found the magic naturopath for me! Especially after my fist visit, detoxing hard, I tried to get a little balancing energy from a gemstone nap..when the stones started to chuckle at me and told me "nope! this time you can't rely on outside fix: time to get it right on the inside." I knew we were on the right track!

I was born with the mark of a Shaman, or some say the plight of an artist: sickly child; asthma, allergies ( I could barely eat a thing), battling life and death over and over, hearing that Angel of Death laughing in my face. Doctors could never quite help-some along the way contributed, but mostly they pumped me full of meds that destroyed my immune system. Born a Scorpio seems so apt, and it's no wonder I can communicate with Spirits who've passed over, and an occasional earthbound ghost. More importantly, my illness and these spirits were just trying to get me to remember who I am, and my illness and these hauntings directed me on my path (not without great suffering).

Even though feeling exhausted is one of the most frustrating feelings for me, it's exciting to feel my body working. Each day I know what organ is being cleaned out because I am called to feel the emotion associated with it. As the thoughts and feelings erupt, I am carefully listening, observing, learning. This re-balancing is slowing me wayyy down, which is difficult for me, but I know it's needed after a lifetime of living with dis-ease. As I breakthrough to new levels of healing, I feel I'll breakthrough to new levels of creativity, clairvoyance, feeling..it's endless!
My intuition has led me to naturopathy over the years, and I am so excited to work with a doctor who's listening to what my body is saying right now in the present (instead of using me as a lab rat for experiments, which has been most of my AMA experience). That's a healer!

SR2 Gallery & Sacred Rose Tattoo are Pleased to Present "The Major Arcana: Work by Karyn Crisis"

Opening Reception: Saturday, October 1st, 2011 6pm – 9pm
Artist Bio:
Karyn began oil painting in 2006, after leaving her touring band of 13 years, Crisis. She has been obsessed with the idea of "inner demon/darkness" as a power source, and with facing it as a process of self-acceptance en route to enlightenment; the inner demon and its role as teacher and guide to empowerment via self-knowledge, forgiveness, and unity for a higher good.

Karyn sees light in dark places.

She has chosen to express, through her art, this dark side, the power within it, and the controversial beauty therein. She uses archetypes in her paintings and drawings, whose power and beauty have universally been both admired and feared, and whose images have been molded into harmless, quiet, passive or evil symbols, despite their terrifying and benevolent truths: Angels, Witches, and Mythological Women. Karyn also incorporates her first-hand experience with these beings as a Medium, Clairvoyant, and Seer.
http://www.karyncrisis.net/

The exhibition runs October 1st, 2011 – November 1st, 2011
Gallery Hours: Monday – Sunday 12pm – 8pm
www.KarynCrisis.net

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SR2 GALLERY
SACRED ROSE TATTOO
1728 University Ave
Berkeley, California 94703
510.883.1083
www.sacredrosetattoo.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJQ7bCdN0Vk