Warrior Pose included in “Sustah Girl Workout Book” published by Onli Studios
This book features illustrated activities and fitness practices along with healthy choices for sisters of all ages and stages. Most of the art was created by talented female artists . It includes “Fit Tips” and “Fun Facts”, procedures and actual steps to a healthier outcome. The Ten Week Plan and the spaces for personal journalling offer the owner of the book a unique personalization of the exciting book. Warrior Pose was chosen to illustrate yoga practice.
It is available as either hard copy or downloadable through Onli Studios.
Earth, Water, Fire – Contemplative Photography – Solo Exhibit at Aryaloka Buddhist Center – Oct. 5 – Nov. 14, 2012
The images in this show are gathered around the theme of the elements, Earth, Water and Fire.
My photography is integrated into the larger context of years of meditative practice as a Shambhala Buddhist. The teachings on art and meditation of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, founder of Shambhala Buddhism; a poet and interdisciplinary artist in his own right, are at the core of my practice as an artist and teacher.
These images are part of a larger inquiry into the nature of the Five Great Elements (Earth, Water, Fire, Wind and Space), as part of my study of Vajrayana Buddhist philosophy. The entire manifested universe is composed of these elements. They form a mandala of energetic qualities that manifest on the coarse, subtle and secret levels in all aspects of life; physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Understanding their nature we can more skillfully work with the world as it is for the benefit of all.
Fire Extract chosen as Cover Image for Richard Nelson Large Ensemble CD, “Pursuit”
It was wonderful to work with Richard Nelson on his latest album, “Pursuit.” Richard chose an image from my Fire Extracts series for the cover of “Pursuit”. This series of extracted compositions was created by photographing details of one of my media media paintings. I was interested in exploring the world within the larger composition as distinct perceptions within a related whole.
Richard’s music too, explores the complexities of composition; moving freely between tight riffs and free jazz improvisation, creating distinct aural perceptions that engage the listener in a rich tapestry of sound, at times spare yet never simple. Enjoy a journey of surprises through his music, featuring Richard’s electric guitar and original compositions. Richard teaches music composition at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. To hear more of his work go to: Richard Nelson Music
Maine’s Gradient Queen shares gifts of color through meditative knitting
by Aislinn Sarnacki for the Bangor Daily News – Friday, March 11, 2011
A brush with death and a breathtaking sunset steered Rebekah Younger on the path to become the Gradient Queen of the knitting world and the founder of Younger Knits, a clothing company she runs from her home in Woolwich.
“Color is energy, fresh moments of seeing in the world,” Younger said. “I offer that back to people through clothing.”
Younger
spent her childhood in Cleveland and received Fine Arts training at Beloit College in Wisconsin. After college, she purchased a do-it-yourself framing company, The Great Frame Up, in Chicago and devoted her life to being an entrepreneur for the next nine years.
She learned she had Hodgkin’s disease, a cancer of lymph tissues, at age 30 in 1985. As she fought the disease into remission, she realized that it was time to focus on her art.
“I’m definitely working on my nine lives here,” she said, smiling.
Younger learned to knit when she was 7 years old, but considered painting on canvas to be her artistic medium. Sometimes it took her months to complete a painting, but she would knit into the wee hours of the morning, excited to see the end product. Eventually, a fellow artist said to her, “Why don’t you put your artwork into your sweaters? You’ll get more art done.”
California’s warm colors led her to the Pacific Coast where she worked as a production knitter and sample maker. Younger Knits was born in 1988, but production was slow.
A particularly glorious sky as the sun set over the Pacific Ocean in 1990 at Point Reyes, Calif., inspired Younger to jump into the Art to Wear moment. She knitted the sky’s bands of peach, orange, lavender and violet into a kimono with 17 shades of silk yarn in a Fair Isle pattern. The majestic kimono, titled “Point Reyes Afterglow,” was exhibited at the Textile Art Centre in Chicago.
After spending more than 100 hours switching yarns and tying up the kimono’s loose ends, an idea hatched: Younger could knit the yarn, dye the knit a gradient of colors, unravel the yarn and knit it into a garment. The method not only worked, Younger also became known for it.
Read more at the Bangor Daily News
Published Flash of Perception – A Collection of my Work is Now in Print from Blurb.com
This 152 page full-color book is designed not just as a catalogue of work completed over the past three years, but as an experiential artwork as a whole. It explores awakened perception, by guiding the reader on a journey through the energetic riches of the phenomenal world. Each page is “eye-opening”, encouraging the viewer to linger and reflect on the full size images filled with vibrant saturated color. From the coolness of blue water to the intensity of fire red and the openness of light filled space, there is much here to feast on and feed the soul. The world indeed is filled with magic, if we but take the time to look. I created this book so that it might enrich the viewer and possibly affect how they see the world. After viewing the book from start to finish, it is my hope that one might use it as a visual resource for renewal and contemplation, coming back again and again to different energetic images for rejuvenation.
One friend commented upon viewing the book, “Your book is very good, not only as a feat in itself – all the work and time and publishing, but it seems to be more than just another art book. It has a lot to teach about the magical power of our perceptions and their energy.”
Born out of my graduate study in contemplative photography, perception and Buddhist philosophy, I share in spare writing some of the meaningful moments of my own journey of discovery and how it has affected my perception of the world. Mostly though I let the images speak for themselves. You can see a partial preview of the book online and order copies here at blurb.com
“Released” on Cover of Goddard’s Alumni Magazine
The Goddard College Alumni Magazine, Clockworks, featured my photograph, “Released” on the cover of its Fall 2009 issue.
My work is often about capturing moments of clear seeing. There is magic in the phenomenal world and a certain sacredness that is accessible when the world is experienced anew, unfiltered by our conceptual ideas about what we are seeing. To wake up to the world as it is can feed the soul. My images are intended to encourage the viewer to slow down and contemplate the wonder of our world.
This image records the morning light through our front door onto the hand of my sculpture, “Avalokiteshvara, Bodhisattva of Compassion”, a life-size porcelain and mixed media figure of a Buddhist monk.
“Avie” for short, was created in 1990-91 as part of a powerful journey of self-reflection. Through his creation I began to explore the story of the Dalai Lama and developed an interest in Tibetan Buddhism. Through the intuitive process of creation, this figure became a teacher to me. Slowly over time his symbolism has been revealed to me as I follow the path of Vajrayana Buddhism. He is but one example of what I have come to trust as the ability of the creative process to access deeper levels of knowing, so that the work itself becomes revelatory for the maker as well as the viewer. The rainbow light on his hand caught my eye, calling me to record the moment of magic with my digital camera.
This picture of “Avalokiteshvara” was taken during a Shambhala Art Festival at the Brunswick Shambhala Meditation Center in Maine in the Spring of 2007. I was working on a group exhibit of artists from our community. The silk wall hanging behind the figure is also my creation. You may recognize the image as “Scarlet Tulip” in my Flowers collection. The actual tulips I arranged for the opening night. I have been studying ikebana for several years, though I am still very much a novice.