The paintings, themselves, have led me to investigate their meanings by learning and researching about colour, vibrational healing, symbology and quantum theory. I can still only come close to explaining how the images mysteriously ‘happen’.
When people ask me "How are they done? Just by folding the paper? Like a Rorschach ink blot?" I have a slight chuckle because even though I can teach the technique, I don’t really know how I get the results that I do. Therein is the mystery. The best way I can teach ‘spiritpainting’ is to say to ‘let go’ of control. It is like meditating - if you try too hard nothing happens. It is by ‘letting go’ that allows the magic to happen. It allows the images to come through the portals from the unseen higher dimensions. I have developed a technique that inherently allows the Spiritual element to come through these portals in the form of symbolism; the language that unifies the ‘right brain’ with the 'left brain'.
My many years of experience as an Addiction/Trauma Counsellor has taught me that when we access both sides of the brain in a therapeutic activity, then healing is faster and more powerful. So anytime one explores through any form of Creative Expressionism, the opportunity for integrated healing is greater. The idea to use this method as an art form and as a form of Creative Expression came to me in 1997. Since then I have begun to understand the Universal truth of how we manifest our thoughts, consiously or unconsiously. Each creation is individual and each spiritpainting is unique, mysterious and, interestingly and it is impossible to forge a copy. Each and every time I unfold the paper, a Mystery unfolds when I create a Spiritpainting™ .
"Creative Acts have the power to transform by connecting to the Creative Powers within. Spiritpainting™ can help to break through ‘creative blocks’ and enhance our Spiritual connection - whatever they may be." Jen Jones - ‘Lightwolf’*
* I will explain that 'Lightwolf' is my 'Spirtname'. I sign many of my paintings with this name and I will tell you what it means to me. It came to me in 1998 by a series of non-coincidences. the first incident was when a whitish- golden- light- coloured wolf met me on the road one dark night and we locked stares for a few minutes after I stopped the car. I was driving home on Highway 7 from working late at my office in Toronto. I had been asking my Creator for my spirtname and I had recently read in an animal symbols book by Ted Andrews that this is what happens when you discover your 'power animal'. I had recently done a painting with the wolf symbol and when I looked it up in the 'medicine cards' book that I had it said that the wolf is the symbol for 'Pathfinder' and teacher. I also drew the wolf card that day form the Medicine cards pack. These non-coincidences led me to begin using the name. It fullfills what I believed to be my higher purpose in this incarnation, which involves being a 'teacher of enlightenment'. This is a tall order, you say? I have many many helpers, as you will see when you look into the Spiritpainting galleries. Around this time I also had a vision of being surrounded by a wolf pack in a wolf den. Maybe that makes me a part of the Wolf Clan. Maybe. I glean many spiritual practices from the Medicine Wheel teachings, as a previous soul mate was on that path, and had Native Blood and I am very grateful for his teachings. I do not have any Native blood but my medicine woman said I have 'Native Heart". I later received a precious gift from my Native Medicine woman of an eagle feather, which is a great honour as I use it in service when facilitating womens healing circles.
ARTIST RESUME:
EDUCATION: High School Art Immersion, Fisher Park High School, Life Drawing, Printmaking and Batik, Ottawa School of Art, Visual and Creative Arts Honours Dip., St. Lawrence College, Kingston, Ont. Human Services Counsellor Honours Dip., George Brown College, Toronto, Ont.
CERTIFICATIONS: Trauma Specialist Certification, CTS. Association of Traumatic Stress Specialists USA
SPECIALIZED TRAINING: Psychodrama, Toronto Centre for Psychodrama and Sociometry, Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR), Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and Thought Field Therapy, Therapeutic Spiral International, Transactional Analysis, (TA) ITAA, Hellinger Family Constellations
EMPLOYMENT: Clinical Supervisor at an Addiction Treatment Centre in Ottawa Ontario
OTHER INTERESTS AND PRACTICES: Creative Expressionism: hand drumming, guitar, keyboard, rollerblading, ice-skating, skiing, Visual art: painting, batik, figure drawing, animal and nature drawing, pen and ink, portraits.
