Becoming
The Cosmic Dragon mediates between night and day, acknowledges good and evil, and facilitates transcendence of opposites within human nature. Its universe is infinite. It is always fully awake. This dragon is crowned with spirals and feathers, an acknowledgement of never-ending energy. The fertility fish swims in its spiraled breath. The twins ride the twisting form while a sacred blinding happens causing an inability to distinguish the One from the Other. They are shadow figures, the embodiment of whatever one tends to deny or repress. Suddenly, a youth is released from the jaws of this Cosmic energy. He must find his balance and land with grace and wholeness. A butterfly maiden and spirited bird watches his descent. Two women prepare for this becoming. Sprouting plants, sunflowers, ivy, laurel trees, and roses are the life force coming into being. The shaman tree is being carefully groomed for the youth’s intuitional and visionary potential. The dragon’s body writhes with creation symbols denoting the young man’s arrival. A river passes by while the monkey messenger risks dropping his power over life and death. The rose alone, at the feet of this Cosmic Dragon, marks a path of knowledge, wisdom, and acceptance of benevolent love for this world. The youth must come to realize one can have the experience of eternity right here and now in all things. The labyrinth lies before him and the path of his soul can be found in the well of his own being. Jody Bare

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Lino-cut print on sky blue chiffon silk. Navy textile ink print. ($84)

Linocut print on mulberry paper.

Linocut print on 100% silk scarf.

Print: 12" x12", paper: 15" x 15"

Original hand printed by artist. Black & White print $75

Second version of Blessed. First one sold. (12" x 12")

Scarves may have slight texture due to the metallic inks; however, they are permanent. "Bubbles" is a one block print of white gold.  Color may vary slightly due to light on metallic inks. Hand wash by holding fringe and let drip dry, combing out fringe with fingers. Do not rub, iron on wrong side, wool setting, also can be dry-cleaned. Please call if any questions: 831-425-8430.

Linocut print on mulberry paper.

Linocut print on 100% silk scarf.

Lino-cut print on mulberry paper. ( 4" x 8 1/4")

Lino-cut print on Beaded White Chiffon silk. (9" x 56")

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Linocut print on 100% silk scarf.

Doodles III- red & green (8" x 4")

Doodles II: Lino-cut prints. (7″ x  5″) Read the rest of this entry »

Click to blow up image.

Click to blow up image.  Commission one in your desired color!

A patron wanted a print so I printed a few and they sold well!

The block is a foreshadow of many story blocks to come.

Linocut overprint on mulberry paper: (12" x 5") Click to enlarge first dragon! 

Flight II lino-cut print on mulberry paper. (8 1/2" x 8 1/2")

Linocut print on mulberry paper.

Linocut print on 100% silk scarf.

A child is born from the void. The Babylonian pyramid rises like a mountain from the earth. The spirals contained within the pyramid are nurturing waters giving life to all humans. The umbilical cord dissolves into these waters and then leaks out. Four figures appear: The baboon breaths life and instinct into the child; the pig demands ignorance resulting in a forgotten past; the monster dreams of the “prime material,” the original total unconscious in which the individual ego can rise and mature. Last, the earthly snake suffers and mediates between worlds. This snake is coiled three and one-half times to encourage transcendence. The Tree of Life or World Axis envelopes the vase which is filled with five boons:  The first gift is a feather which will be weighed and then relay judgment from this human heart at journey’s end. The spiral spreads life-giving waters and the ankh renders power of life and death while the lotus spreads divine energy and grace. Finally, the rose spreads divine love. These boons are for a very long journey, because the window interfaces with the beyond and concurs that this human will struggle with its journey. Continuing, ‘the mountain mother,’ the eyes, are the knowledge of time and intuition of eternity coming together. These eyes are also Buddha Consciousness, from whom all living things appear and to whom all return in death.  All of this is contained in this mountain pyramid. Hovering, the bird, a spirit vessel, carries the soul; however, the transfer point is elusive. Presently, a golden sun reveals energy that disengages from consciousness and time. This masculine side reaches out and gives power to the moon, a feminine power that reengages the field of time and powers the tides of life within the sea and the womb.  Today, the child is born to the earth, to be bound for a time and to take its journey in time, in search of the “Gateway to Emptiness.”                       Jody Bare

My mediums are printmaking and textiles. I use linoleum blocks exclusively, silk fabric most often, a magnifying glass for detailed cuts, a padded table for printing, and an iron to set the inks. I prefer Jacquard or Speedball textile ink and a special cloth pad to hand print my original designs. A special technique that I have developed is a type of overprinting: I print the same block twice to create more contrast and color plus use a combination of metallic inks with regular ink resulting in a dynamic textured appearance. Often I brush out parts of the block to alter the print. I register all my prints by hand and my positive-negative images are loose with a hand crafted appearance. My designs are usually inspired from nature, ethnic symbols, classic archetypes, or geometric figures.

'Good Fortune' is an example of an overprint. (10" x  7")  Art is unmounted and not framed.  Mailed with protected sleeve and cardboard backing.  Please call if any questions: 831-425-8430.

Lino-cut print on sky blue chiffon silk. (10" x 60")

I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;

I fled Him, down the arches of the years;

I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways of my own mind;

and in the mist of tears

I hid from Him, and under running laughter.

Up vistaed hopes I sped; and shot, precipitated,

adown Titanic glooms of chasmed fears,

from those strong Feet that followed, followed after.

But with unhurrying chase, and unperturbèd pace,

deliberate speed, majestic instancy, they beat--and a Voice beat

more instant than the Feet--

"All things betray thee, who betrayest me."…

Scarves may have slight texture due to the metallic inks; however, they are permanent. "Hummingbird Fiesta" is a one block print of purple on various colored scarves. (10" x 60") Color may vary slightly due to light on metallic inks. Hand wash, and let drip dry, do not rub, iron on wrong side, wool setting, also can be dry-cleaned. Please call if any questions: 831-425-8430.

Linocut print on mulberry paper. Hand printed & hand carved linoleum block by artist.

Linocut print on 100% chiffon black silk scarf. Detail!

Two in balanced accord, stand guarding the interface where earth and heaven unite.  They are Mist dragons: water, moon, and illusive, spiritual, prima materia, monstrous and serpent-like.  These dragons of man and nature are engaged in the field of time. They give freely of their vitality and can alleviate sickness and misfortune. Mist dragons represent blind forces of primitive chaos and give birth to worlds. They swallow youthfulness while death and resurrection happen. Their cosmic energy seeks the eternal pearl which contains wisdom, enlightenment and eternity. They are within the trinity of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  When Mist dragons swallow these pearls, they face the edge, the interface between what can be known and what is unknowable.  The dragons guard this space until there is a complete letting go of the human sense of what one was before birth. This moves one forward into death in order to forget and thus remember. Mist dragons represent all that is impossible to name, but somehow we intuitively recognize that ‘everything’ is there. Ultimately the interface opens up and one is speechless.       Jody Bare

Moving through shallow waters, I wade over to a newborn island.  Suddenly finding myself completely alone, I am filled with sweetness and strange images.  Through the ocean mist a deer-like creature is pawing at a majestic sunflower.  I am so taken that I descend into a state of balanced calmness.  I stand in pleasurable ‘stillness of mind and spirit.’  I gaze skyward feeling the power of this blessed place.   It seems that a divine purpose is here to be revealed, and a speechless joy surges as the ocean surrounds me in pounding surf.  I grow mindful of kindly eyes searching within me.  A rare tranquility overcomes me while I am emptied of my earthly troubles and falsehoods.  I am seized by the beast’s white beauty and feel safe in its goodness and mystic guardianship.                                    Jody Bare 

Green Ivy: Lino cut print on chiffon silk black crepe.

Prints are unframed and not matted.

Please call 831-425-8430 if you have any questions. Jody Bare

Lino-cut print on mulberry paper. Speedball gold ink overprinted with blue.

Lino-cut print is on mulberry paper.

"Nautilus" is an overprint of black and turquoise.

(6" x 4 1/2") It is a two block print. Check the look with just one block.  

Click to enlarge first pic.

Click to enlarge the whole piece. Lino-cut print on bleached mulberry paper. (12" x 5") Not matted, not framed, mailed in an acid free sleeve backed or tubed.

A cosmic union of opposites gives birth to the phenomenal world.  This dreamy, innocence gives heart to the center.  Two interlock by which heaven is brought to earth.  They are the center and the center is everywhere. The dancers work in harmony giving flight to their souls. A man and a woman open their hearts and spontaneous perfection wells up. Dancing in the surf, they become the absolute center. Their rhythm points to this center where a gateway to an infinite field of the divine appears.  They do not repent the past, they do not hash over the future, they are in the present and that is why they are untouchable.  The cranes mirror this union.  The waters are stirred by these fiery spirits, while the phoenix and his dragon partner rise up finding the world fully awake.                                           Jody Bare

This garden is a place of origin that regenerates and time starts anew. The first garden holds all elements of consciousness: thought, emotion, intuition, and sensation.  Primeval waters flow from the tree to the well and then pour forth from the maiden.  The maiden is ‘untouched’ by worldly bonds; she is pure, uncorrupted, and limitless. Essential waters circulate through her and are brought forth into the four corners of the universe.  When all four are held in balance, life is brought forth for a limited time.  These waters are also the beginning and the end of all existence, the ever moving matrix that nurtures while preserving itself.  The garden is a living creature and receives much of its power from the back and forth nature of the sun and moon.  Power is then stored in the deepest waters of the well.  It is from these watery depths that all life emerges.  The maiden of the ‘Original Garden’ is eternally connected to the well, embodying the regenerative power contained within this circle of life.                             Jody Bare

Here we find a couple as two indispensable halves and the tree of life, the center of an absolute beginning. Its trunk sprouts from the primordial waters from which all things arise and to which they return. At its base, the turtle is aware of the tree’s sacredness. Two serpents coil around this world tree. With beauty, the cow-headed serpent emits female energy while capturing the mate she loves. The lion-headed serpent roars as a supreme guardian, bringing masculine energy to the scene and personal access to the sacred vital forces of the tree. Emboldened, the couple must destroy these coils of manifestations and illusions the twisting figures contain. Protective spirit holders fly above their chosen human. The pelican-like bird holds purity and mother-love. The spiral-dove is a shape-changer containing needed energy. The sun and moon share their radiance equally. Sunflowers, roses, grasses and a lotus grow on the hilly bank. Mother Earth spreads her beauty behind the babbling creek. The three spiral pyramids hold the souls of the couple’s future children while waiting to be released.  Cowry shells are scattered in the sand emanating their desire to have these children. The couple is blessed; they catch the fertility fish and their fate is sealed. The pathfinder monkey holds high the power of life and death and chooses love, another gateway for this couple’s entrance.                                                                      Jody Bare

The three search the mystery of the Grail where man finds union with the divine.  There is a spiritual goal of inner wholeness and self-fulfillment here.  The cup is in full view, but hidden from the seekers due to their preoccupation with each other.  Suddenly, the woman becomes aware of a sword rising from the waters.  The mere sight grants her extended life.  It is a beacon drawing everyone near.  The man of noble birth walks beside his dog as the humble, ordinary man fixes his gaze on the radiant young woman.  Is she the sacred vessel? Does this cauldron end the search for rebirth, inspiration, and courtly love?  Can the three find the Vessel of Wisdom that causes joy to permeate their souls?  Along this path they catch a glimpse of a single image of wholeness, the Grail; however, the quest is never truly over. The three walk right by the eternal cup they are seeking but not seeing.             Jody Bare

The Buddha meditates to see all things clearly, while the maiden and the two-headed dragon of death and resurrection hold all life energies. Grounded, the dragon rider practices his Tai Chi in order to ride the sacred cow’s head and burst the illusion of beauty and time.  His mate dances with him; while a young girl holds the cross of life and death and a child follows in her footsteps. Bearing the lotus of divine grace, a man puts an end to all individualized existence. The sunflower radiates a growing strength, while the turtle comes on the tide reminding everyone of their material existence. Many are destined to cross the waterfall of concentric spirals, completing an earthly migration. This waterfall flows into a spiraling stream that is impregnated with life. These eight human figures convey boundless strength while looking for a fruitful path. The pathfinder monkey stands under the bow tree trying to see the Buddha, but the Buddha is beyond the concept of beyond. This will be an elusive path towards self realization. Centered, a giant woman, a maiden, and two angels spread out a magic cloth hoping to find a map of this path. Soaring above, the Eastern dragon-head holds the pearl of enlightenment up to the thousand-pedaled lotus moon. All of this permeates and sustains the universe of time. This pearl is a realization of one’s identity, and present in all things. The moon’s hand touches the sun, spiraling energy directly onto the earth, revolving into a life force. On her own, the butterfly maiden continues to communicate between this heavenly awareness and earthly ignorance, while the earthbound peacock promises hope for an immortal soul.                        Jody Bare

Lino-cut print on mulberry paper, hand painted gold.

The redwood tree looms overhead joining the cosmic realm with terrestrial life. It is the embodiment of the world axis. The pathfinder monkey shrieks as he balances the ankh, a power of life over death. Above the mountain, the whirling sun disk reaches out to a laddered moon. Birds and a butterfly flutter about enjoying the serenity of the shining sun and moon. These majestic animals contain knowledge of a higher state of being, if only the couple will take the time to contemplate their flight. The sunflower radiates back the earth’s power of regeneration while the grasses and fauna grace the hillside. Despite this idyllic scene, the young woman is balking as if a cold wind blows across her face. She has no desire to enter the trail even as her lover encourages her to take heart and join the journey westward. The young girl rides a lion, the perfect good. She is fearless knowing her mount is the supreme guardian. She follows her brother who finds himself astride a dragon, an omen of the fallen state of mankind. Three feathers don the dragon’s crown while holding the power of judgment. If the couple’s hearts remain light as a feather then their children’s hearts will follow. They find the stream spiritually nourishing. A glimpse of a turtle and frog swimming among the fertile fish, offers these travelers good fortune and the promise of one more child. The pyramid contains the child’s soul, spiraling around, and ready for release at the end of this long journey.                                                                                                                                Jody Bare

PS: Black & White "Redwood Journey" backed lino-cut print on mulberry paper priced at $75. 

Lino-cut print on light sky blue chiffon silk. (10" x 58")

Lino-cut print on lime-green chiffon silk. (10" x 58")

Lino-cut print on mulberry paper. Overprint with turquoise, green & gold. (6" x 10")

Lino-cut print on Black Crepe De Chine Scarf. (11" x 58")

Dancing in the spiral of consciousness, three friends bridge the gap between the known and the unknown.  In the stillness of the night, the moon governs the waters while soft power is generated in the field of time.  Is this not heaven on earth?  Cannot the moon’s light have the power to transform invisible forces? Will they be centered in sensuality and pleasure? Joyfully they dance through the shallow banks feeling the earthly tides while the sea and sky are home to all other earthly creatures that ascend and descend into this sacred place.                    Jody Bare

100% cotton casing. Design by Jody Bare. Produced by Shopvida. Vida went out of business so these are the last (20" x 20") pillows. Inserts provided.

Hand carved and hand printed by Jody:  (4 1/2" x 11 1/2")

 Click to enlarge first pic.

A soul rests within the Gathering Tree. It acts as a vital bridge between the intellect, body and spirit. This is the absolute beginning, or cosmic axis, a path toward the center where order is mastered and emptiness found. The unicorn spears its purity into the trunk of the tree; the young man to the left blesses the rising phoenix. The two men to the right sacrifice their bodies to release their bondage to the earth, and the woman prays that she is receiving a regenerative transformation. Gathering to taste the ambrosia of the gods, all partake. The sun and the moon shine on the primordial tree, while the river flows time. Time and eternity, movement and rest are found in the Tree of Life.  All gather to understand that life is the fruit of one’s own doing and the conquest over the chattering mind at the changeless center.             Jody Bare

Black & White print: $75

(12" x 12")  Not matted, not framed, mailed in a protected sleeve. One-of-a-kind

 Click to enlarge. Lino-cut print on mulberry paper.  (10" x 3")

Lino-cut print on Black Chiffon silk.

This adolescent spirit is boundless. As her horse dives into the waters, the youth delves after the mystery in a heroine quest. Her mare bounds with unbridled feminine sexuality. Holding the divine lotus, she permeates and sustains the universe of time, and suddenly there is a realization of her identity and a presence in all things.  Moving quickly behind her, the dragon becomes a blind force of primitive chaos. It can swallow up this young woman. Protecting her, the carp swims quickly in swirling waters toward the poisonous crustacean.  Rushing forward, the white pregnant mystic fish blesses the youth’s journey.  As she bounds toward the holly tree and the rabbit-eared dog, she confronts her fertility.  Behind her are ten spiral pyramids, all holding potential souls.  The pyramids are threshold forms that interface time and eternity, figments of life in time.  The sun and moon confront each other with equal radiance.  The moth guards eternity, while the crane beckons the young woman with long life.  Waving from the top of the hill, the monkey stands holding the key of life.  He is her pathfinder, but the adolescent does not see him and willfully follows her physical desires. She will find the quest long and arduous. Hopefully someday, she will become aware of her pathfinder and complete her journey with swiftness of spirit.          Jody Bare

Black & White print: $75

The man’s future is pitiless, irrational and hard.  His strength is noble as he rises with the rhythm of the serpent. The unicorn, perfect and beyond description, is waiting for the man’s transformation. To go back would be to go against the order of things and get sucked into a downward vortex. The maiden is looking for purification and is attracted to this small, fierce unicorn. Behind her, the pathfinder offers her a peach, but the maiden is aloof to this gesture of seeds for the future. There is earthly and heavenly love possible here, but the chaos of the river obscures her needs.  Through the body of a fragile tree there is a return to the center where life and death are joined and the paths of the living will converge.  There is wisdom in those who inhabit this wilderness realm. An essential sea circulates through the natural garden causing the phoenix to rise, while overcoming their world and returning to the place of all origins.              Jody Bare

Black & White print: $75

100% cotton casing. Insert provided. Vida produced, Jody Bare designs : (16" x 16") Shop Vida went out of business. Only have masks available. Sad, it was a creative outlet. Last pillows available!