I have some great news!
On Sunday I finally began my new "Goddess In All Of Us" series called "Earth Goddess."
I have been waiting all winter and spring for the rain to finally let up so that I could take my painted Goddesses outdoors and photograph them meshed in the wilds of mother earth. And so it has begun! I am pacing myself, so for now I have posted two images from the shoot on Sunday, and here they are:
Odaemin the Strawberry Woman
body art and photography by Chelsea Rose
Odaemin the Strawberry Woman
body art and photography by Chelsea Rose
It was hard work but I think we had lots of fun. Studio photography, like the first series was, is SO much easier and controlled while shooting in the woods is anything but! Firstly we had to lug all of our photography and camp equipment out into woods that were secluded enough for a safe, relatively private day. Then we had to contend with the fickle moods of the sun, who continued to switch from searing sun to nice gray even overcast clouds, not to mention the onslaught of swarming insects. But despite the hardships....It felt sooooo good to do the body painting out doors.
Look at all that dreamy green we got to hang out with!
My model was a fascinating person to speak with and the 5 hours i took to paint her went by fast with all the great conversations we had. She is mixed Ojibway Native American and helped me come up with the title for her group of images: "Odaemin the Strawberry Woman." Firstly Odaemin in native laguage means heart berry. "Ode’min Giizis (pronounced o’DAY-min GHEE-zus) is the sixth moon of the Anishinaabe calendar. It marks the beginning of summer, the longest day of the year, and the harvest of the strawberry in June. The root word of ode’min is “ode”. “Ode” signifies the heart in Anishinaabemowin (the Anishinaabe language). As the strawberry resembles the shape and colour of the human heart, it also represents the sweetest and kindest of emotions that bring people together to feast and exchange ideas." And in Ojibway( Anishinabek) culture it is said that Odaemin was the name for their first shaman. Fascinating no? I think this all relates so well to the time of the shoot along with the feel of the photos.
I will be posting more finished photos from the shoot next week...so stay tuned! Cant wait to see where this Earth Goddess series takes me next...to the coast? to the desert? to the rain forest? to the swamp? And what Goddess will be next to be conjured up out of the body paint and energy collaboration between myself, my model and mother earth?
In other news, I have been focusing a bit more energy on myself in these ways:
I got a new tattoo!
I designed it based on the dimensions of the Fibonacci or Golden spiral ( the spiral is representative of a ratio that is found in the growth cycle and life pattern of all living things. Philosophically it also stands as a symbol for the infinite as well as a portal that transcends boundaries of astral planes and multiple dimensions.) I embellished the sacred shape with spiraling leaves and a bud to create something akin to The Flower of Life.
I also did some dready maintenance by redyeing my dreads with Henna. This revitalized the health of my scalp and turned me once more into a ginger. I then had my friend Queen Bead help me sew all my faerie wool dreads back in and viola:
I also just recently had some blood work done and found out a few interesting things I had no idea about. I am anemic and allergic to gluten and yeast. So for the next three months i will be eating very differently from before. I have been a vegetarian(who ate fish) for 5 years..and i suppose its now time to start eating chicken again( as a way to get more iron.) And i love breads soooo much, but from now on i will have to stay away unless its some odd creation such as rice bread.
So thats what i have been up to.
Here is what is coming up on my agenda:
Today is Last Thursday Artwalk on Alberta street! So we will be down there with a full booth of art for the event( set up around 20th-24th street i think.) Hope to see you there!
For July I am having a solo show of my Goddess In All Of Us series at In Other Words feminist bookstore and library, right here in portland oregon. I dont have the opening date yet, but I will share once its chosen.
....other plans are formulating but are probably to vague to begin listing off, so thats it for now!
Phew...this is a lengthy entry isn’t it?
Hope your summer is shaping up wonderfully.
Love and Light,
-Chelsea Rose
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