<![CDATA[Soul Artist Journal - art & soul audio blog]]>

<![CDATA[Soul Artist Journal - art & soul audio blog]]>Tue, 07 Apr 2026 21:12:09 -0600Weebly<![CDATA[Heirlooms of inner space]]>Sun, 09 Nov 2025 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.soulartistjournal.com/art--soul-audio-blog/heirlooms-of-inner-spaceANCESTRY • IMAGINATION • CONTRADICTION

THE ART OF TAMERA BEDFORD
Author: Erin Watkins

Tamera Bedford’s digital mandalas and multimedia collages are not just works of art.
They are heirlooms of inner space: living archives of attention.

Layer by layer, she reveals how memory, presence and imagination can be shaped into something that lasts. Her work honors the sacred act of seeing through—through history, through opposites, through inherited patterns and cultural overlays.
It mirrors how we hold contradiction: light and shadow, ancestry and becoming, memory and imagination.

In her work, I see how art can hold what language cannot.
It makes room for the unnamed, the unresolved, the deeply felt.
It honors complexity without demanding clarity.
It exposes the yearnings of the unconscious--
and holds space for revelation and profound connection.

]]><![CDATA[Ekphrastic Writing Contest]]>Sun, 09 Feb 2025 15:00:15 GMThttps://www.soulartistjournal.com/art--soul-audio-blog/ekphrastic-writing-contestWRITING CONTEST

LING, Marlow Brooks

Author: R.R. Shakti

Take several deep breaths as you observe this calligraphy painting by Marlow Brooks. Look at the artwork closely and note its details, colors, textures, shapes, and composition. Let your eyes wander over every part of it, taking in as much as possible without immediately forming opinions or words. Let this practice be a meditation. Focus on your breath and allow yourself to be fully present with the artwork. Let go of external distractions.

Then, engage with emotion. Allow yourself to feel any natural responses the art provokes. What mood does it create? What does the artwork do to you? How does your body respond to it? How do you feel? What arises to your memory? Your imagination? Does it remind you of a specific concept or story?

Now, take a few moments to express your responses and reflections in writing. Write in the form of “first thought, best thought,” a stream-of-consciousness style to capture the immediacy of your experience. Don’t worry about form or structure. Describe what you see, what you feel, and any thoughts the artwork conjures. Allow your insights to provide the details.

Once you have captured the initial impressions, explore the deeper meanings. Consider the context of the artwork: its historical, social, or personal background. How do these elements influence your perception and interpretation? Consider why you wrote what you did. Does your writing provide an invitation into deeper understanding and self-awareness? Allow yourself time to reflect. You may revisit your writing later, revising to more accurately capture your thoughts and emotional responses.

This is a practice of Ekphrastic poetry and your submission could win you a copy of Marlow Brooks’ book of art and poetry: The Way Through. Your entry may also be featured in an upcoming issue of Soul Artist Journal.

The Way Through

Calling for Ekphrastic Writing Submissions

Submit your Ekphrastic Writing inspired by the painting LING, by Marlow Brooks for a chance to win a copy of her art and poetry book: The Way Through. Your entry may also be featured in an upcoming issue of Soul Artist Journal.

DEADLINE IS May 15, 2025.
Winner & Submissions will be released on April 13, 2025.

Thank you!

The term "ekphrastic" comes from the Greek word ekphrasis which means "description." It is derived from the prefix ek- which denotes "out" and phrasis which refers to "expression." Ekphrastic writing is an outward expression of your inspiration, a practice of writing what you see and experience with rich detail.

Ekphrastic poetry engages a work of visual art–a painting, sculpture, or photograph–and uses vivid language to describe, interpret, or explore the emotions and ideas evoked by that piece. As a meditation practice, Ekphrastic writing provides a deeper experience of the artwork and fosters a profound connection to your own creative intuition. It encourages you slow down, observe with mindfulness and discover new dimensions of authentic self-expression.

READ NEXT

The Oregon Trail

Ekphrastic writing by Margaux Candlin, inspired by the artwork: “Everything In Its Place” by Heide Presse

In 2024, the Steamboat Art Museum’s annual, “Painted Words” competition centered on an exhibition by Heidi Presse titled “We Set Our Faces Westward... One Woman's Journey 1839–1848.”Through her art, Presse vividly portrays the daily lives of the early American settlers, from farming in Iowa to enduring the long, arduous wagon journey west…

]]><![CDATA[The Oregon Trail | Ekphrastic Poetry]]>Fri, 07 Feb 2025 04:25:45 GMThttps://www.soulartistjournal.com/art--soul-audio-blog/ekphrastic-writing-the-oregon-trailPOETRY • ART • OBSERVATION

Everything In Its Place, Heide Presse

Author: Margeaux Candlin

“Ekphrastic writing delves into the world of visual art, translating and expanding on its themes through verbal expression. It creates a bridge between mediums, using words to deepen our engagement with art and uncover new dimensions of meaning.” (MasterClass, n.d.).

I first encountered ekphrastic writing—or ekphrastic poetry—through the Steamboat Art Museum’s (S.A.M.) annual “Painted Words” competition. This event invites participants of all ages to write about a piece of art displayed in the gallery, culminating in a contest that celebrates creativity and interpretation.

In 2024, the Painted Words competition centered on an exhibition by Heidi Presse titled “We Set Our Faces Westward...One Woman's Journey 1839–1848.” This powerful collection draws inspiration from the journal of Keturah Belknap, a young woman who migrated from Ohio to Iowa as a newlywed in 1839 and later, in 1848, traveled to Oregon while pregnant and caring for her three-year-old child. Despite facing immense hardships—including the loss of three children—Belknap’s journey epitomizes the resilience of westward pioneers. Through her art, Presse vividly portrays the daily lives of these settlers, from farming in Iowa to enduring the long, arduous wagon journey west (Presse, 2023).

The Oregon Trail

Ekphrastic writing by Margaux Candlin,
inspired by the artwork: “Everything In Its Place” by Heide Presse

Preparation

Children laugh as they chase one another.
Quick footsteps kick up clouds of dust.
Ranch Hands hammer repairs on a nearby fence.
Sharp knives whistle as wheat is swiftly cut.

I prepare our wagon with order and forethought.
In the first trunk:
A season of clothes, weaved from wool and flax.
In the second:
Linen bags, stuffed with grains, flour, rice, coffee, and beans.

During

In the fourth of our six month journey we are skin and bones.
Supplies dwindle.
We ration what’s left.
Our garments are too thin.
The fires we burn are no match for cold nights and heavy rains.

Illness looms.
Hannah, at two years old, is inconsolable.
Our medicines are of no use.
She fusses, cries, shivers, and sweats.
I cry as well.
Fever leads to demise.

Arrival

My being yearns for the home we left and the children we lost.
I cannot eat or sleep.
I cook, wash, and fetch water in a daze.
Grief swallows my soul.
Our journey was not worth my broken heart and the promise of gold.

Insights from the Practice
Ekphrastic writing offers an opportunity for reflection and connection. Imagining myself as a traveler on the Oregon Trail through Heidi Presse’s art allowed me to step into the shoes of those pioneers. While I could never fully comprehend their reality, this exercise deepened my appreciation for their resilience and sacrifice, broadening my perspective on history and humanity.

While the Oregon Trail marked a significant chapter of American history, it also brought devastating consequences for Native Americans displaced to reservations. Moreover, the settlers who traversed the trail faced numerous hardships—illness, injury and scarcity of resources among them. These challenges reveal the transient nature of external circumstances and underscore the importance of cultivating inner resilience.

Human nature often leads us to believe: “If I lived in a different place, my life would improve,” or “If I achieved this, I would be happy.” Yoga, however, encourages us to observe our experiences with equanimity, recognizing that external conditions are ever-changing and do not define our inner state. By fostering awareness and empathy, we can better understand the experiences of others and ourselves.

Ekphrastic Writing is a practice of connection, observation & creative expression.
Choose a piece of art that resonates with you. Observe it closely. Reflect on its themes, emotions, and stories. Then express your observations and interpretations in writing. This process fosters a deeper connection to the art and enhances your creative thinking.

This article was edited from the original post at weavingartandyoga.com, 12/15/24

References:

MasterClass. (n.d.). Ekphrastic poetry: Definition, examples, and prompts. Retrieved from https://www.masterclass.com/articles/ekphrastic-poetry
Presse, H. (Sept, 2023). Journeys: We set our faces westward... One woman's journey 1839–1848. Retrieved from https://www.heidepresse.com/blog/189343/journeys
Steamboat Art Museum. (2025). The Painted Words: An ekphrastic Writing Competition. Retrieved from https://steamboatartmuseum.org/the-painted-words/

MEET MARGEAUX

Margeaux Candlin is passionate about creating health in the mind and body through yoga, meditation, and nutrition. Margeaux lives in Edwards, Colorado. Her favorite outdoor activities include skiing and hiking. She has been practicing yoga since 2000 when she moved to Boulder, Colorado to attend CU from Minneapolis, MN

www.weavingartandyoga.com/

]]><![CDATA[Open Conversations]]>Wed, 15 Jan 2025 23:31:46 GMThttps://www.soulartistjournal.com/art--soul-audio-blog/open-conversationsAuthor & Artist: Lindi Cranston

The following works are an exploration, a returning to self. The necessity of breaking from constructs and cages and systems that move one farther from SELF, is an arduous journey. So the return is sweet and requires gentle permission. The permission to express what IS becomes the slow growing freedom to connect the self to the rest of what IS.

Many of these works are born out of a practice that envelopes play, flow, and a setting aside of the consciousness and expectation. Many can stand as they are or can also be considered “unfinished”. They are explorations of mark making with lingering possibility for more development. I have opened conversations with the works and they tell me what they want. Some want to be left, some want to be revisited, some have a story to finish. I seek to let them tell their stories from a center that is me…and the knowing of what connects me to all things.

I remain unattached to a plan for each work as my practice is built on a new way of life. One which does not seek a specific end, but finds liberation in allowing what is to be.

While most of what is here is abstract, I seek to use the freedom gleaned from this abstract practice to inform my representational work. I believe that my growth as a figurative painter depends on this foundational play…the spark of authentic creative energy flows through me from all things.

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