Novel Becomings

Step into the creative universe of Kaeti MacNeil, an award-winning artist whose work bridges painting, animation, and the mysteries of human consciousness. In this exclusive interview, Kaeti shares her journey—from crafting toys to creating the award-winning Carasoul: a Portrait in Nth Dimensions. Discover how her fascination with cosmology, cognitive science, and process philosophy shapes her art and invites viewers into unseen dimensions of the human experience. Whether you’re an art lover, a philosopher, or simply curious, this blog offers a glimpse into the mind of an artist redefining what it means to see and feel.

In this interview, we dive into the mind and heart of a playwright and self-proclaimed fool. Thomas Atwood embodies the spirit of the fool, whose mission is to lift spirits and spread laughter in a world that often feels heavy. Through his creative process and life experiences, including his involvement with the Faithful Fools Street Ministry and his passion for mystical traditions, Thomas shows us how humor, empathy, and storytelling can help heal and connect us. His epic play, Akashic Follies, blends history, music, and humor to explore the evolution of human consciousness, and in our conversation, he shares the journey that led him to create it.

Embark on a spiritual odyssey alongside the artistic duo, Paul Colbert and Becky Goodwin, as they intertwine their lives, love, and artistic gifts in a mesmerizing exploration of modern religious iconography. With a fusion of tradition and innovation, they delicately craft timeless expressions of faith, resonating profoundly in the fabric of our contemporary existence. United and driven by a profound devotion to both spirituality and art, Paul and Becky draw inspiration from the venerable tales and symbols of faith. With each stroke of their brushes, they infuse ancient narratives with a breath of fresh interpretation, infusing them with relevance and universal allure for today’s world.

God is the poet of the world, and inspiration flows from diverse sources and experiences. Sometimes, it arises from the simplest moments—a fleeting glance, a whispered conversation, or the rustle of leaves in the wind. Other times, it emerges from the depths of introspection, intense study, or profound challenges. Bruce Epperly, one of most prolific writers in the process tradition, shares his creative process. The poet of the universe needs companions to create and further God’s aim at beauty, truth, and goodness. Divine creativity is working in and through you to energize and inspire your gifts to respond to the world’s needs and do something beautiful for God.

With abstract art, the connection between art and feeling is intricately woven through the deliberate manipulation of visual elements such as color, form, and texture. In artist Elvi Bjorkquist’s paintings, we experience forms of feeling and forms of meaning that are freed from the constraints of literal representation. Her expressive use of color palettes, dynamic compositions, and gestural brushwork serves as a visceral conduit for the artist’s emotions, enabling a direct and intuitive communication of mood, energy, and sentiment. We invite you engage with Elvi’s artwork on a subjective level, interpreting and experiencing your own emotions in response to the abstract forms and expressions.

Cooking is an intricate and dynamic event that embodies the interconnectedness of all things. Each culinary process, from ingredient selection to preparation and consumption, is a series of interrelated events in which the “process” of cooking is a fundamental concept. Ingredients evolve and interact, engaging in a dance of transformations, as they shift from raw to cooked, solid to liquid, and separate to blended states. Jennifer Zechlin is an excellent cook and she shares her process approach to cooking in this month’s Novel Becomings.

Artist Andre Van Zijl says that he approaches “a blank surface, canvas, watercolor paper, or document with Beginner’s Mind. I don’t want to get in the way of what is waiting to be birthed through me. I am not an artist making art, or an author writing a book, I am a deep-sea diver coming up for air.” In this piece, the Cobb Institute’s Visual Artist Laureate discusses his creative process, his philosophy of art, and some recent works.

Architecture is a form of art. Sung Sohn created a dome using Superadobe which is a form of earth-bag architecture. The building process was a conversation between Sung and the dome that involved the becoming of a HwaBang. A dome is a relational structure. The ceiling and the walls work together to hold everything in place. Sung shared his architectural drawings so we could peek into his imagination and dream with him—a dream that became an actual occasion.

Some artists can make you feel the wind on your face and the sound of the leaves as they dance. Lesley Haflich is one such artist. She paints mostly natural settings that seem to come to life. They breathe and flow. Lesley worked as a commercial artist for most of her career. One day, with encouragement from her husband, she began to paint the beauty she saw in her part of the world. We invite you to appreciate the moving beauty in Lesley’s paintings.

Artist Georgette Unis seems to conjure trees and horizons onto her canvas. Only someone who is in relationship with the natural processes of land can partner with them and assist in their becomings. Nothing is painted in isolation from the world, because the artist understands the effects of sky, air and weather and she captures that and brings us into the relationship as well.