The Story of Quan Yin

One of my favourite paintings; the artwork shows a beautifully serene goddess holding two bottles in her hands. The etheric substance that flow in and out of her bottles is compassion. Compassion is an emotion that one cannot teach. One either has compassion within their heart, or they do not. Quan Yin is a goddess of compassion; she gives compassion to others so that once it has touched their heart, they know what it feels like to hold compassion within them. This painting is non-secular, which means it is suitable for any manner of home. My husband even has this painting at his doctors surgery and many patients have noticed her calm and peaceful face. She sends the message that 'all is well and as it should be'. It will add to your home a reminder to open your heart, connect to your true nature which is love and allow for nature's spirit to flow into you to heal your mind and body.

Quan Yin is part of The Spirit Collection available at the Hoo Gallery. Surprisingly, I painted the entire collection within a month or two. The story of Quan Yin is worth sharing. The truth is I did not know anything about Quan Yin when I painted her. Her spirit came to me and flowed out thru my brush, and I depicted her as holding two bottles. When I was painting her, I did not know her name or the message or meaning. Within a few weeks later, I happen to be watching a house tour of Larry Dossey M.D. In his living room, he points out a beautiful statue of a woman holding a bottle! I am shocked naturally! I love when these happy coincidences happen; this is my evidence of a greater unseen force operating all around us. For the first time in my life, I hear the name Quan Yin, as Dr Dossey explains what she represents and the symbolic meaning of the bottle.

Dr Dossey's home in Santa Fe, New Mexico is so creative, spiritual and beautiful; that it is well worth a watch. I will link the video here:

If you liked this blog post and you would like to be the first to hear from us, please subscribe to our blog below. We are also on Instagram, search for Hoo Gallery.

Gift in a Beat!

As a busy mama of four, one thing that I do not relish is shopping for the holiday season and especially the time taken away from spending it with my family. If I had anything positive to say about the 2020 Melbourne lockdown, it would be that I didn't need an excuse not to shop at the mall. When I walk into a mall, it is a visual overload, and I just go blank. So when it comes to planning for the coming season of giving...

I decided to bake baby bake!

But why bake?

1. I don't have to drag myself around the mall, trying not to feel overwhelmed (that is if the shops reopen)

2. I teach my kids that gifts need not come only from the wallet but also from the heart.

3. Thoughtfully curated or handmade gifts are infinitely more valuable.

4. I spend quality time with my kids AND teach them how to bake.

5. Cookies satisfy all types of people, those who have it all and nothing at all.

6. IT'S THE PERFECT HOMEMADE GIFT TO MAKE IN AN HOUR! Can't beat that!

Here is a good recipe that I have tried and tested:

Chocolate and Macadamia Cookies

makes 24

115g/4oz butter(direct from the fridge, cubed)

4oz of soft light brown sugar or substitute 3oz golden castor sugar

1 egg beaten

250g/9oz self raising flour

pinch of salt

125g/4.5 oz dark choc chips but I pretty much empty a whole packet of NESTLE choc chip packet just cos I'm a little greedy! Plus it tastes devine...

50g/1.75 oz macadamia nut but again this is entirely up to you, I like to add a little more...

Pre heat the oven to 190c/375F/gas mark 5 and line your baking tray with baking sheets. Chuck everything except the choc chips and nuts in a processor and blitz. Once its mixed, it should look like a dough not liquidy in any way. Now simply knead in the chop chip and nuts, so that its blended well with the cookie dough, this takes a matter of minutes. I like to roll the dough in glad wrap to create a sausage shape and I chill it until its quite hard (10-20 min). I unwrap the glad wrap then slice it about a centimeter apart. this way, you'll get nice and evenly sized cookies. Bake in a pre heated oven for 10-12 minutes or just until golden brown. Transfer to a wire wrack to cool.

Several years ago, I baked cookies for all the family that came to our rescue when I was sick. It was simply a thank you for all the kind folks who had cooked us meals and looked after my children while I was in hospital. The artworks on top of the boxes were each original handmade paintings by my daughter Dhishni, who was 8 at the time.

Anyone would simply delight in receiving a gift in a beat like this!

Finding your Tribe

I believe that the bond of love keeps certain individuals connected to us in perpetuity, even in times of isolation such as these. Covid-19, quarantine and self isolation may keep us away from our tribe on a physical sense but not in spirit. Why and how is this possible? and why do we never feel isolated from the people that are part of our own tribe? The answer lies in the most powerful energy in the universe, LOVE!

This painting is about love, loss and re-MEMBER-ing with those in your life that you love. Re-membering means reconnecting with those you know with love. For example, when a loved one passes away, and you lose that physical connection, what exactly keeps them bonded and alive in your heart? It is your love for them, isn't it? Have you had the experience when you think of a loved one who had passed away, with love in your heart, and you re-Member a happy moment that you shared? In that instance, it becomes a palpable experience in the dimension of your mind. It is as comforting as wrapping yourself in a warm blanket on a cold winters day.

Re-Membering a person that way is very powerful and it is as real as real can be; the happy moment is brought alive by being connected through the power of love.

Of course, as soon as you begin to grieve the loss once more, you delve right back into the mindset of feeling a loss. You begin to lose the re-Membering connection once more. The re-Membering connection could get lost forever with grief. Re-Membering with a tribe member could also be lost with anger, hate, envy, jealousy or any other negative emotion that we are all too familiar with as human-beings. One must always practise compassion and keep love in our hearts to keep and expand our re-Membering tribe members!

Over the years, as we experience life with our friends and family, we begin to develop a group and increase the "MEMBERS" of our tribe. We hope to make authentic connections and create experiences based on pure & unconditional love. Fo me, this painting serves as a guide and a reminder. I hope that it will open our hearts to love. I hope and pray that you feel and experience more and more of this pure & unconditional love with your tribe.

The above artwork that I want to share with you today, is offered in my shop as a limited edition fine art pigment ink print on 100% cotton rag archival paper. It is an original artwork by me, in which I used homemade paints of crushed earth and charcoal to create this artwork which I named The Tribe. You could purchase it here.

I believe that one does not need fancy tools or expensive art supplies to create art. I believe that the essential ingredient in creating art though is LOVE.

Below are examples of ways that I chose to style my prints of The Tribe. They are all pictures that were taken from real life settings in my home and the Hoo Gallery; Mount Eliza. I believe that this print is perfect for those who like to interior decorate with earthy tones or use a more subdued and peaceful colour palette. You may even like to hang this artwork with other earth toned artwork that I created using all natural materials such as 'Heart Wide Open' and 'True or False'. Basically, I am just so excited for you to love and appreciate this art work and its deeper meaning as much as I do. I hope that The Tribe serves as a reminder to appreciate and show gratitude to your own tribe in your life. I also pray that you open your heart and mind to receiving and re-membering with more and more tribe members in the years to come.

Bless you all, be safe, stay home and please re-Member to wear a mask when you are out.

Sending you all tonnes of love!