Kathy Stanley — Contemporary Art Curator Magazine

May 3

May 3 Kathy Stanley

Biography

Kathy Stanley, M.A. is a Jamaican-born artist living on the US West Coast. An intuitive artist and ecopsychology educator, her visionary art acrylic paintings center around images that celebrate the earth, the rising feminine spirit and invoke wholeness, joy and aliveness. Her art has been seen in solo and group exhibits in Portland and Seattle, in online international virtual exhibitions and in House and Garden Magazine, The World of Interiors Magazine and Conde Nast Traveller Magazine. Kathy holds a Master’s degree in Women’s Spirituality with Specializations in Spiritual Guidance and Creative Expression. She has taught classes in ecopsychology and spiritual ecology at the undergraduate level for the past seven years and currently teaches in the School of Undergraduate Studies at the California Institute of Integral Studies.

Artist Statement

I paint because it allows me to go deep within to a place of stillness where the chatter of the mind falls away and I sink into an inner space that is rich and full and satisfying. My paintings are created as a reflection of exploring the deep ecology notion of the ‘ecological self’: the self that recognizes its inherent interconnectedness with the more than human world. My experience is that painting is a healing tonic and a journey towards wholeness and inner aliveness. Each painting leads me on a soul journey to connect, through paint and intuitive creativity, more deeply with nature and the ecological self. I believe that nature, plus art, equal resilience and joy!

What first prompted you to think of becoming an artist?

I am delighted and honoured now to call myself an artist however when I started painting, I didn’t consciously set out to become an artist. I started an exercise called process painting back in the 1990s where I would paint as a meditative exercise, not to necessarily produce a work of art, but rather to work on the creative process through painting, as a healing, meditative journey and allow an expression of flow through the paint and canvas. Through my experiences with process painting and during my graduate studies in women’s spirituality, I began to see how archetypal images of the sacred feminine were emerging on the canvas. Through my studies with several artists, I have continued to dive deeper into painting as a journey towards the discovery of what we call the ecological self in deep ecology: the self that recognizes its inherent interconnectedness with the more than human world. My experience is that painting is a healing tonic and a journey towards wholeness and inner aliveness.

What kind of an artist do you ultimately see yourself?

I see myself as an intuitive artist and a visionary artist.

What are you hoping to communicate to the viewer through your work?

Joy, peaceful connection with soul, connection with the natural world, mystical and uplifting messages/images that speak to unity, wholeness, aliveness and healing.

Can you explain the process of creating your work?

It starts with ritual and ceremony and sometimes intention to bring through supporting images for a particular issue. For example, my painting “Queendom Come” was a painting created to invoke healing between mothers and daughters and women everywhere. I sometimes start these days with a particular outline, maybe of a landscape, but then I allow the unfolding of the painting process to direct the outcome. I let go of my preconceived ideas of ‘how it should look.’

What is your favourite part of the creative process?

I love the surprises that show up on the canvas when I let go of my preconceived ideas of ‘how it should look.’ The surprises tell me much more than my mind ever could at the beginning of the creative process.

Can you give us an insight into current projects and inspiration, or what we can look forward to from you in the near future?

I plan to be in some additional virtual exhibitions later this year. Any upcoming events will be announced on my website at SacredArtJourneys.com.

Website https://www.sacredartjourneys.com/

Instagram @kstanleyart

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SacredWomenWisdom