Artist's Statement

I have been fascinated, seduced, terrified and compelled by transformation, creativity, and authentic self expression for many decades. I believe freedom for the human spirit and human psyche is our collective aspiration as well as our birthright, inherent in the evolution of consciousness.

Even as a girl, creating has always brought with it some moments of respite, some moments of joy, some moments of angst, some moments of peace. I begin with an inspired context, an insight, a concept, a simple sense, a poem, a memory, a quote, a dream. I design the basic composition, then I allow the painting to unfold itself through me. This takes a quieting of the intellect and a deep listening for the unknown.

I use paint, objects, fabric, paper, leaves, flowers, string, photos. All compose my palette.

The painting emerges, often with an unpremeditated symbol, which captures the process involved in the creation. In working through the process, which the painting presents, I wrestle with its demons, its confrontations, its perplexities and riddles, and when they are sorted through, the painting is complete. It is the conduit for its own essence. It stands on its own as a koan for the viewer. At this point I let the painting go, to bring whatever it will offer to another.

It is loved by another or not because of its resonance to their inner life. It will speak something entirely different and it will elicit something entirely personal for each viewer. They will see what I did not. To another, the painting has its own presence that will live through their eyes. It has its own color and meaning born of their life. It reflects back to oneself one's own truth.

This is the beauty of a painting.

Meditation Mandalas

Mandala is the Sanskrit word for Sacred Circle, and it has been respectfully created in many cultures for centuries. The mandala has the capacity to be created as a work of art in itself, as well as being utilized as a transformative creative tool. These mandalas are examples of using the sacred circle as daily meditations as well as a tool for transmuting patterns of limitation or issues of concern. The process of identifying an issue and distinguishing a symbol for that issue through meditation, and then rendering that symbol in mandala form, has proven to be a powerfully insightful and healing process. Dr. Basha has studied mandala creation with Dr. Judith Cornell, who is a brilliant artist and seminal thinker, and is widely recognized as having inspired awareness of the healing properties of the mandala to the West. White Bird Rising offers workshops and individual sessions with mandala work.

Collages

Collages, like mandalas, can be created as works of art in their own right as well as symbolic tools for revealing intuitive understanding to an individual, bringing innate wisdom into cognitive awareness. The process of intuitively choosing images and arranging them in a particular composition can shed light on many perplexing issues. Non-verbal symbols communicate valuable insight, as our own wisdom often lies deeper than our conscious thought. We are naturally drawn to images that represent the answers we seek. The question is always preceded by the answer that wants to be brought up to conscious awareness. White Bird Rising offers workshops and individual sessions with collage work.

Paintings

Ah, painting... There is a deep river in all of us, and I find the symbolic creative expression through painting a perfect vehicle to work through my own knots as well as my longings, and come to some authenticity and fulfillment. The painting is painted for me. It is from me, it is from my essence, it comes through me, and when it is done, it speaks from its own completeness. The creative process is all encompassing from all realms into this one and back. Humbled, grateful, painting is one way for Beauty to sing through me to others.