Summer Blake
Within This Infinite Moment, 2021 Pen and watercolor on watercolor paper with black glitter paper mat How easy it is for us to fixate on the past, or get lost in neurotic efforts to control the unknowable future. In mindful awareness, we return fully to the present moment. This moment is endlessly vibrant, infinitely vast; it is ALL that IS. Can we embrace this moment in its fullness, can we surrender ourselves to it as utterly we would our most intimate lover? This piece symbolizes that ineffable beauty which is NOW. In opening our hearts to this moment, we open ourselves to all opportunity, to all possibility. We surrender to death in order to be radiantly reborn.
This piece came into being through a meditation on a sunflower. Prevalent throughout my meditation was a feeling of empathy with the sunflower’s abiding love for the sun. Although rooted to the earth, it raises itself ever higher, growing as tall as it can to be closer to the sun’s warmth and radiance. “Sunflower” is representative of how love can be the impetus for extraordinary growth. It also reminds us that perceived physical limitations can serve as the means to unique forms of self-expression.
Inspired by a passage relating to the astral dimension in Autobiography of a Yogi, “Thousand-Petal Lotus Brain” is an exploration into realms vast and far. This piece was created spontaneously. Rather than trying to engineer the structure of the piece from start to finish, the form emerged organically from moment to moment as I simply allowed the piece to take the direction it wanted to. “Thousand-Petal” is a study into the bridge between the conscious and subconscious mind. Surrendering to the creative urge gives us the opportunity to explore and bear witness to the mysterious depths of our subconscious.
Within This Infinite Moment, 2021 Pen and watercolor on watercolor paper with black glitter paper mat How easy it is for us to fixate on the past, or get lost in neurotic efforts to control the unknowable future. In mindful awareness, we return fully to the present moment. This moment is endlessly vibrant, infinitely vast; it is ALL that IS. Can we embrace this moment in its fullness, can we surrender ourselves to it as utterly we would our most intimate lover? This piece symbolizes that ineffable beauty which is NOW. In opening our hearts to this moment, we open ourselves to all opportunity, to all possibility. We surrender to death in order to be radiantly reborn.
Summer Blake is a visionary artist specializing in two-dimensional penwork. Her meticulous linework hones and refines her extraordinary visions; her vivid imagery often seems to glow or move as the viewer gazes at it, perceiving its multiple layers and dimensions.
The creation of Summer’s work itself is a meditative act, providing a crucial opportunity for self-reflection as she navigates change throughout her life. The resulting creation is a unique expression of the epiphanies, realizations, and wisdoms acquired during a singular moment in the life of the artist.
Summer's creative process is innately transformational in nature. Her artwork mirrors the process of spiritual alchemy, in which the self is broken down into its constituents, and limiting elements separated out and released. The subsequent reintegration of the pure, unadulterated self is expressive of liberation and wholeness.
Overall, her body of work is a continual exhortation to others to believe in their potential for transformation. Paradoxical as it may seem, a person’s movement toward a state of self-realization is often occasioned by hardship or immense suffering. Through life’s greatest challenges, we have the opportunity to transcend who we have been – uncertain, fearful, resistant to the flow of life’s river of change – and awaken to the nature of our own divinity. Summer’s work is an empathetic expression of the universal experience of challenge, and an affirmation of the beautiful wisdoms hidden within the lesson of pain.
As Summer grows, so too does her ability to express and resonate more deeply with her experience of consciousness. She is honored to be able to share her gift with others, and perpetually inspired to continue evolving her creative abilities.