I was featured this week on Artsyshark.com. Very cool! lots of interest! Check it out!
http://www.artsyshark.com/2013/01/09/featured-artist-michelle-powell/

Also finished the first Astrology drawing. This month is Capricorn. I had a beautiful child to model with her pet goat. Hope you like it.

Soul Song Portraits

My latest endeavors are a unique blending of Spirit guidance, individual expression and fine art. The rich world of symbols and archetypes are accessed through the medium of astrology and other mystic traditions to create a personal visual journey portrait, birth chart. Soul Song Portraits began as I have journeyed into visionary artwork with a strong background in healing energy work and a desire to marry the two.

 

      The Illustrated Wheel here is Marie's Scorpio with symbols from her life, notes from the reading, her Totem animal, Moonstone ring and the OM.The portrait above is for Marie, beautiful Scorpio lady. It incorporates her sun, moon and ascendant symbols, the language of flowers, her love of Vedic chanting & Yoga and the elements predominant in her chart.  I am very excited about this new direction and pray it will serve light and life for the people who receive one.

New commisions

First female Clerk of the Court to be immortalized for the County of Orange and first female artist to be commisioned to paint a retiring Official! i think that is signifigant! Linda Timmons is her name and she is so proud she wore that wonderful red suit. She will definitely stand out from the crowd. This photo will be replaced by a better one when it hits my website. I just wanted to share!

Medic Encounter

We went to the library today. Its a small town cozy affair with people who know you and friendly new faces. We met a man who served in Afghanistan- was a medic for 14 years; a battlefield medic! He came home and cannot use all his experience to help in a VA hospital or for the local rescue squad. What is the matter with this picture? A highly trained military person cannot do what he's trained to do because he doesn't have a degree from a civillian college? That is criminal! What do we expect for these folks to do? It would be so simple to legislate accrediation or at least let them test out of a given professional degree. How dare we, as a collective, not grant them their proper due? The government ought to be ashamed of themselves!

New painitng is a book cover

Hello all! I have just completed a new painting for a civil war novel cover. "A War between the States" is a play on words because the protagonist is a woman impersonating a man as a soldier. It did happen far more than people realize! Kellie Doyle is the author and she spent over four years in the research and writing of this wonderful story. I am so pleased she loves the cover!

The next painting is a gunea rooster named Jessie, of all things! Should be fun.

Delphic games

USA NATIONAL DELPHIC COUNCIL
Linking Arts & Cultures

I am the new executive director for the USA National Delphic Council. We have a great vision for the role that the Delphic Games can play on the world stage. We would like you to be a part of helping us create America’s team.
The Delphic Games were first instituted in Greece along with the Olympics. The difference being that the Delphic is for the Arts: literature, oratory, drama, music, painting and sculpture. They had such a high priority in ancient times that even wars and conflicts had to stop during the time of the games.
One hundred years after the re-launch of the Olympic Games of the Modern Era, the International Delphic Council (IDC) took place in Berlin in 1994 to start off the Delphic Games of the Modern Era. The IDC arranges for the Delphic Games and the Junior Delphic Games to take place within a four-year period on a two year rotating basis.
This competition of spirit will vitalize and enlarge the cultural development, preserve the cultural heritage, strengthen the cultural diversity of people and serve understanding and reconciliation with a globalised world. The Delphic Games of the Modern Era are a forum for peaceful dialogue of all cultures. The continuous founding of additional national Delphic Councils in all continents is strengthening the cultural network and the chance of a peaceful world. ”
The USA National Delphic Council wants to develop America’s role and in order to do that we must foster awareness and support. We need volunteers and sponsors. Our list of priorities include: fundraising for our staff and administrative costs, an artistic and functional website, promotion and education. There is a photographic exhibition and presentation which features the highlights, success and beauty of the last games in Korea where 40 countries and 3,000 participants competed. This one day event will help us launch the games in our country with the long term goals of full USA participation in all categories and eventually hosting the international competitions. The presenters will come from Germany. We have a host family to house them and are looking for a venue for the show. The dates we have in mind are September 25th, October 2nd or 9th evening with time for set up and take down. The event will include light food and drink.
Next year’s games will be the Jr. Delphic’s cycle. Talented young people will be sponsored to participate in them. I invite you to look at the IDC website: http://www.blogger.com/www.delphic.org%20 or http://www.delphic.de/ .For more information and to volunteer email me at mpowellusandc@gmail.com.

Know your place

I am busy working with the Firnew Artist's Circle show for May. We are doing alot of work inspired by our friend Tucker Hill, who passed away suddenly this year. He was a kind and generous person and we will miss him and his beautiful work he would bring in for critique.

I think I will include some of the Italian landscapes as well as Virginian ones for this show. both places have become a part of my soul.

I'm also gearing up to take my portraits to the Farm Market in Culpeper again. I'll be doing Remembrance days in Culpeper at the end of April and some Medeival festivals over the summer. More on that as it happens