Sunday, November 2, 2008
The Art of Positive Thinking
You can find an article on the relationship between artistic creativity and positive thinking that I wrote last week on the meditation-singapore blog here, I thought it worth placing a link on the soul portrait blog as it has obvious artistic links!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Latest Masters Soul Portrait: Lady Portia
Artist’s Notes for the Soul Portrait and Energy Signature of
Lady Portia / the Four Gateways.
August 2008
One of the main themes associated with Lady Portia is the theme of ‘righteousness’ and it is the flame of righteousness that burns within a silver crucible in the centre of this portrait. The flame burns with a silver/violet flame. When we have dilemma’s or difficult decisions that we need to make in our lives and wish to clarify what is the ‘right’ thing to do, we can take this image of Lady Portia’s ‘inner flame of righteousness’ as an object of inner contemplation in order to help develop insight into what may be the best thing to do, and clear away any confusion or ‘darkness regarding the situation.
In the intermediate directions, on either side of the flame and crucible are two rose flowers and two sprigs, or branches of hawthorn. These are further objects of meditation regarding Portia’s theme of righteousness. Both the hawthorn and the rose bush bear flowers of great beauty, but have branches covered by thorns, which may cut and hurt us if we move carelessly. To my mind the beautiful flowers are representative of the great beauty that we can build and allow to blossom within our inner being, which in order to nurture & enjoy we need to carefully avoid the ‘thorns’ of negative &/or destructive actions that can ensnare & cause us pain, cutting ourselves off from the natural beauty of our inner being.
In my experience of her, Lady Portia seems to have a strong connection to the elemental, devic or nature kingdoms, & this is represented in the portrait by the four elemental or directional doorways on the four sides of the picture:
At the top of the picture there is the gateway to the north, to the powers of the earth element, night time and winter. This is represented by a cave & a night sky with stars & moon.
To the right of the picture (as you look at it) is the gateway to the east, the element of air, the light of dawn & the season of spring. This is represented by a dawn sun rising over a rolling grassy landscape.
At the bottom of the picture there is the gateway to the south, the element of fire, the light of noon-day, & the season of summer. These powers are represented by the mid-day sun, in between a gateway of two trees, one having green leaves, the other being a tree of fire & flame.
In the left of the picture there is a gateway to the west, the powers of the water element, the light of evening & the season of autumn. This is represented by a sun setting over a lake or ocean.
Together these four directional gateways offer an image of an ‘earth mandala’ which we may visualize around us at any time in order to attune ourself to the power of the land within which we live, & receive healing and balance from the power of the elements and the elemental devas of earth, water, air and fire..
Image and Text ©Toby Ouvry August 2008.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Soul Portraits – the process.
I recently received an email from a couple for whom I had just completed a soul portrait. My answer to them offers quite a full explanation of the process that I go through in order to create a soul portrait, and so I thought that it would be worthwhile posting it on the soul portrait blog so that others can gain some insight into the method that I have developed.
Here is the soul portrait:
Here is the question:
Toby,
Thanks for your kind words and the soul portrait which we think is
great. The accompanying words make all the difference. We are really interested to know more
about how you come up with the picture. Is it by feel, concentration, knowing us or something else. Can you explain? We will put it up and expect a few comments on it and feel we do not understand a soul portrait well enough to tell people about it....
Here is my answer:
With regard to the process of how I come up with a portrait, it might go something like this: imagine that everyone on an ‘essence’ or ‘soul’ level has a feeling tone or unique vibration which embodies the core of their being. It is very simple and beautiful but, despite its simplicity, it is unique. There is not another soul-vibration or feeling tone that is quite like it in the rest of the world.
So, when I sit down and start to focus on creating a soul portrait for someone or for a couple, the first things that I try and tune into is that essential feeling tone as a starting point for the picture. Once I feel I have absorbed the feeling tone, then I will represent that as a basic colour or shape in the central part of the composition. So, in the case of yourself and Melanie, there is, in the upper middle of the picture, a series of interlocking blues and greens. The blues are more Melanie's core soul vibration / feeling tone, and the green is more yours.
So, if you can then imagine that from a person’s core soul vibration/feeling tone a more complex and interlacing set of tones and vibrations start to develop and emerge, then this would be analogous to the way in which each individual's soul starts to express itself in terms of thought, feeling and physicality: in other words, the way in which the soul expresses itself as a more complex personality on a mental, emotional and physical level. This would be similar to the way in which a song writer might start with a single note, tone or word, and upon this base start to weave a complex pattern of sounds, notes and words that eventually becomes a completed song.
Bringing this back to the process that I engage in to do a soul portrait, once I have tuned into the core soul vibration of the person or couple that I am portraying, I then see what lines and colours seem to want to develop from the simple 'core' colours and lines that I have placed on the paper. I try simply to allow the soul vibration of the subject to guide my hand as I work and, quite naturally, a composition will emerge.
During the final part of the composition, it is often the case that rather than just abstract lines and patterns, tangible objects will emerge that may have some symbolic meaning or significance for the person whose soul I am portraying. So, for example in your case there are a pair of flowers, and a pair of hazelnuts, a star and a heart form, all of which have some part to play in describing the themes that are emerging in the 'artwork' of your relationship.
In conclusion for me as the artist, creating a soul portrait usually has three stages: firstly, tuning into the core soul vibration or feeling tone; secondly, allowing lines and colours to emerge or radiate from these core tones creating an image of the soul as it expresses itself as a personality; thirdly and finally, there may emerge one or more tangible 'objects' in the composition that symbolize or embody something about the soul(s) in question.
This is a simple, basic explanation of the process that I go through in order to come up with a final soul portrait image. If I know the people involved personally, then sometimes I think that may contribute to the way in which I compose the image. However, sometimes I am equally surprised at how different the soul portrait of a person that I know is from that which I might have imagined!
Here is the soul portrait:
Here is the question:
Toby,
Thanks for your kind words and the soul portrait which we think is
great. The accompanying words make all the difference. We are really interested to know more
about how you come up with the picture. Is it by feel, concentration, knowing us or something else. Can you explain? We will put it up and expect a few comments on it and feel we do not understand a soul portrait well enough to tell people about it....
Here is my answer:
With regard to the process of how I come up with a portrait, it might go something like this: imagine that everyone on an ‘essence’ or ‘soul’ level has a feeling tone or unique vibration which embodies the core of their being. It is very simple and beautiful but, despite its simplicity, it is unique. There is not another soul-vibration or feeling tone that is quite like it in the rest of the world.
So, when I sit down and start to focus on creating a soul portrait for someone or for a couple, the first things that I try and tune into is that essential feeling tone as a starting point for the picture. Once I feel I have absorbed the feeling tone, then I will represent that as a basic colour or shape in the central part of the composition. So, in the case of yourself and Melanie, there is, in the upper middle of the picture, a series of interlocking blues and greens. The blues are more Melanie's core soul vibration / feeling tone, and the green is more yours.
So, if you can then imagine that from a person’s core soul vibration/feeling tone a more complex and interlacing set of tones and vibrations start to develop and emerge, then this would be analogous to the way in which each individual's soul starts to express itself in terms of thought, feeling and physicality: in other words, the way in which the soul expresses itself as a more complex personality on a mental, emotional and physical level. This would be similar to the way in which a song writer might start with a single note, tone or word, and upon this base start to weave a complex pattern of sounds, notes and words that eventually becomes a completed song.
Bringing this back to the process that I engage in to do a soul portrait, once I have tuned into the core soul vibration of the person or couple that I am portraying, I then see what lines and colours seem to want to develop from the simple 'core' colours and lines that I have placed on the paper. I try simply to allow the soul vibration of the subject to guide my hand as I work and, quite naturally, a composition will emerge.
During the final part of the composition, it is often the case that rather than just abstract lines and patterns, tangible objects will emerge that may have some symbolic meaning or significance for the person whose soul I am portraying. So, for example in your case there are a pair of flowers, and a pair of hazelnuts, a star and a heart form, all of which have some part to play in describing the themes that are emerging in the 'artwork' of your relationship.
In conclusion for me as the artist, creating a soul portrait usually has three stages: firstly, tuning into the core soul vibration or feeling tone; secondly, allowing lines and colours to emerge or radiate from these core tones creating an image of the soul as it expresses itself as a personality; thirdly and finally, there may emerge one or more tangible 'objects' in the composition that symbolize or embody something about the soul(s) in question.
This is a simple, basic explanation of the process that I go through in order to come up with a final soul portrait image. If I know the people involved personally, then sometimes I think that may contribute to the way in which I compose the image. However, sometimes I am equally surprised at how different the soul portrait of a person that I know is from that which I might have imagined!
Friday, June 6, 2008
Slideshow of soul portraits from 2006-2008
Here are some more examples of soul portraits, this time from the period 2006-2007:
...and here are some from late 2007-early 2008:
...and here are some from late 2007-early 2008:
Slideshow of couple soul portraits created up to the end of 2007
Soul portraits of couples (married) or life partners has been a very interesting and stimulating body of work to build up as the compositions involve the interplay of the energy of two souls as they have combined and interracted together over time. The slideshow below shows some examples of couple soul portraits from the last few years...
Friday, May 16, 2008
Some early soul portraits from 2004 and 2005
When I first started doing soul portraits in 2004-2005, I tried using a variety of different styles and techniques. The slideshow below shows some examples of the results that came out...
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Postcards and prints of Toby's work for sale
This section of the blog is dedicated to images of soul portrait work that Toby has done that can be purchased in print or postcard format. If you are interested in buying individual or sets of the prints, you can obtain a pricelist and order from by emailing me: tobyouvry@gmail.com
Soul Portraits of the Planetary Masters
The set of images below are based around the archetypal energies of certain spiritual masters who were and are renowned for particular qualities. For example some of the images embody spiritual power, others divine love, the arts and beauty, science & the intellect, and so on.
Soul Portraits of the Seven Ray Archangels
The set of seven images below are based around meditations upon the Archangels of the seven great rays. The seven great rays are fundamental energies within creation, and are said to have an angelic hierarchy that overlights them, at the head of which are the fourteen ray archangels(a male and female Archangel for each ray).
Soul Portraits of Cosmic or Universal Themes
The set images immeditately below are based around meditations on universal or cosmic levels of energy, I enjoyed the process of trying to describe in the format of a flat page ideas that are really somewhat limitless!
Enery Signatures of the Seven Chakras
The seven images in the slideshow below are a free flowing attempt to render visual images that correspond to the seven chakras, or principal energy centres that reside within the human body.
Energy Signatures of the Twelve Astrological Signs and Schools of Life
Like the chakras, in the images of the astrological signs below, I have attempted a free flowing set of circularcompositions, based around the colours and symbols of each of the twelve signs.
These twelve images are avaliable only as a postcard set, price: €11
Energy Signatures of the Seven Ray Symbols
As well as having actual spiritual masters and angelic forces associated with the seven rays, they also have traditional symbols associated with them that I have depicted below, the contemplation or visualization of which can be used as right-brained or intuitive method for absorbing the higher qualities of that particular ray.
Soul Portraits of the Planetary Masters
The set of images below are based around the archetypal energies of certain spiritual masters who were and are renowned for particular qualities. For example some of the images embody spiritual power, others divine love, the arts and beauty, science & the intellect, and so on.
Soul Portraits of the Seven Ray Archangels
The set of seven images below are based around meditations upon the Archangels of the seven great rays. The seven great rays are fundamental energies within creation, and are said to have an angelic hierarchy that overlights them, at the head of which are the fourteen ray archangels(a male and female Archangel for each ray).
Soul Portraits of Cosmic or Universal Themes
The set images immeditately below are based around meditations on universal or cosmic levels of energy, I enjoyed the process of trying to describe in the format of a flat page ideas that are really somewhat limitless!
Enery Signatures of the Seven Chakras
The seven images in the slideshow below are a free flowing attempt to render visual images that correspond to the seven chakras, or principal energy centres that reside within the human body.
Energy Signatures of the Twelve Astrological Signs and Schools of Life
Like the chakras, in the images of the astrological signs below, I have attempted a free flowing set of circularcompositions, based around the colours and symbols of each of the twelve signs.
These twelve images are avaliable only as a postcard set, price: €11
Energy Signatures of the Seven Ray Symbols
As well as having actual spiritual masters and angelic forces associated with the seven rays, they also have traditional symbols associated with them that I have depicted below, the contemplation or visualization of which can be used as right-brained or intuitive method for absorbing the higher qualities of that particular ray.
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