I am honoured to have some of my works shown amongst the other inspiring creations — one of them my latest, Mycelial Kingdom. Prints will be on sale there.  Also, there will be informal talks by all the artists during the upcoming Saturdays — talking about digital collage of sacred architecture, ceramics making fig tea (!) and more. Check out the details on Facebook and over at Fleurbain.

Unseen and microscopic, this part of the fungi organism spreads as a branching network underground, making up what could be the largest organism in the world, according to mycologist Paul Stamets in his book Mycelium Running.

Mushrooms are incredible organisms; vital for the decomposition of living matter and capable of bioremediation or the cleaning up of toxic contaminants in our environment.

This illustration depicts the life cycle of fungi as a continuum of germination, sprouting and formation of the so-called “fruiting body,” the natural forms of the fungi are incorporated into a few of the notable architectural landmarks of Montréal (Église Saint-Édouard and Basilique-cathédrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde), all inspired by the beautiful, mushroom cap-like cupolas of cathédrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde.

More on mycelium via Wikipedia:

Mycelium (plural mycelia) is the vegetative part of a fungus, consisting of a mass of branching, thread-like hyphae. [..] It is through the mycelium that a fungus absorbs nutrients from its environment. [..] Mycelium is vital in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems for its role in the decomposition of plant material. It contributes to the organic fraction of soil, and its growth releases carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere. The mycelium of mycorrhizal fungi increases the efficiency of water and nutrient absorption of most plants and confers resistance to some plant pathogens. Mycelium is an important food source for many soil invertebrates.

I love this place — it has interesting items from local artists and handmade re-usable menstrual pads (these make a HUGE reduction in the amount of disposables that go to the landfill. Read my TreeHugger post on this, “Bleed with Pride: Make-It-Yourself Reusuable Menstrual Pads”).

Anyways, off my re-usable pad soapbox. Here’s more photos of the packaging, handmade by yours truly

Check out the Concordia Co-op Bookstore here online and at 2150 Bishop Street, Montreal.

Another digital collage, part of a page done for a ‘zine I put together for Expozine 2011. You can see the rest of the PDF here.

The quote on this page reads:

The collective psyche points toward and guides us through the transition period we now face. New images are arising, reframing the future. Images have healing properties. They speak to us in our sleeping and waking dreams, forging shared stories relevant to everyone in the process as well as the Cosmos itself.

We cannot separate our psycho-physical symptoms from the collective environment. There is a missing dimension in our worldview and mindscapes. We sense it, even though the market and media have attempted to drain all depth from our experience. Emergent events are not merely responses to economic and climatic conditions or social engineering, but eruptions of the collective unconscious.

– Iona Miller

Basically, this passage sums up what I feel is happening as we hurtle along the river of time — not as individuals, but as beings that are inextricably connected on the most subtle levels of existence, and where the true function of art lays: to suggest new visions, new worlds of possibility.

So what exactly is “emergence”? It describes a concept from systems theory that within complex systems, the sum is more than its parts; the integrity of this entirety arises from the intricate multiplicity of seemingly simple inter-relationships between its parts, which are not always easily quantifiable.

Wikipedia quotes Jeffrey Goldstein in the School of Business at Adelphi University as saying that emergence can be seen as “the arising of novel and coherent structures, patterns and properties during the process of self-organization in complex systems.” Biologist Peter Corning details emergence further:

The common characteristics are: (1) radical novelty (features not previously observed in systems); (2) coherence or correlation (meaning integrated wholes that maintain themselves over some period of time); (3) A global or macro “level” (i.e. there is some property of “wholeness”); (4) it is the product of a dynamical process (it evolves); and (5) it is “ostensive” (it can be perceived).

So what does it mean? It means that we’re all in this boat together — and that things are not what they appear to be.

The title “Know Hope” comes from a particular specimen of spray-painted graffiti that I passed by everyday in Montreal, and it now has become my motto. Cobbling together some of my own writing alongside quotes from some of my favourite writers and thinkers, I’ve illustrated (most of) it with my illustrations and digital collages, with the theme being “evolution.”

I appreciated all the wonderful responses this ‘lil zine garnered at Expozine. There was much quiet reading and reflection as people picked it up and thumbed through it — lingering on some pages, nodding or contemplating. It truly gave me much pleasure to share it — even exchanging crystals with one young woman for one copy of the zine instead of cash. That was awesome.

If you would like to pick up a hardcopy, it’s currently available for sale at the Concordia Coop Bookstore in Montréal (along with my handmade cards and prints), and will be available via my Etsy store soon.

Anyways, please enjoy — I hope to continue with future evolutions / editions of this zine and I welcome any feedback you all might have.

http://issuu.com/collectivepsyche/docs/know-hope-evolution

Next up: some of my art will be in the “Small Works Exhibition” at Fleurbain, a gallery in downtown Montréal that also doubles as a herbal dispensary, offering workshops on DIY beauty, painting, etc. — a wonderful concept for the city. There will be a vernissage/opening on Saturday, December 10. If you’re in the area, please drop by!

Check out the Facebook event here — hope to see you there.

Named after my mother-in-law’s initial reaction (“Oh! It’s an anemone!”), this illustration depicts a girl whose dress is indistinct from the body of a jellyfish, while her hair transforms into a school of fish. No, it’s not a mutant — this drawing is inspired by my fascination with patterns and the ever-changing flows that exist in nature, of which humans are neither above nor outside of. We are wholly a part of nature’s miraculous continuum.

Print available on Etsy.

Inspired by a quote from one of my books on Ayurveda, the ancient system of Indian medicine, nutrition and well-being:

Evolution is the manifestation of latent potentials… another way of saying this is that consciousness exists in all forms of life. It is the very basis of creation, the power of evolution. Life, creation and evolution are the stages in the unfoldment of consciousness. There is nothing in existence that is unfeeling, nothing that is profane or unspiritual, nothing without a unique value in the cosmos. Life is relational, interdependent, interconnective, a system of mutual nourishment and care, not only physically, but also psychologically and spiritually. [..]

Life forms are stations for the reception and transmission of forces, through which all are nourished. [..]

The earth, like a giant receptor or radio-station, inhales and exhales stellar and cosmic forces, the absorbed essence of which grows and unfolds as life. These forces are not all material, but include subtle energies of an occult or spiritual nature. Plants transmit the vital-emotional impulses, the life-force that is hidden in light. That is the gift, the grace, the power of plants…They offer us not only their nutritive value but the very light and love from the stars, from the cosmos whose messengers they are. They bring to us the universal light so that we can enter the universal life.

– Dr. Vasant Lad, Dr. David Frawley, Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine

Print available on Etsy.

As you’ve seen with my architecturally-themed illustrations, my focus is on where “Architecture Meets Art.” I also welcome commissions for fantastical drawings of that special place you have in mind. Send me a message via onecollectivepsyche [at] gmail [dot] com, along with a brief description of why this particular spot is so unique to you, as well as any photos or videos you may have, and I will send you an estimate for price and time required to complete your custom project.

Thanks for visiting!