“The art I create fulfills a powerful desire to express visually what’s not easily spoken. I am moved by a passion for color, a love of symbols, and a deep interest in matters of the Spirit. Blending these elements keeps the rhythms of my roots alive by acknowledging the gifts of my ancestors, angels, and spirit guides. The power of art, beyond its visual image, is developed over time – born of the spirit, of roots, and the celebration of survival.<\/span><\/p>\n“I welcome you to journey through this site for a taste of my world of art as meditation, a great source of joy and peace I share with you. May your spirit be lifted and inspired! Thank you for visiting.” \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Adriene Cruz\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.adrienecruz.com\/mystichand-cruz.jpg\")
<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nLife should be Beauty, Magic and Joy<\/span>
\nSmile, love, laugh and laugh some more<\/span>
\nOur birthright is to know joy and experience pleasure<\/span>
\nA spirit fueled with joy is charged and ready to go about the work we\u2019re here to do.<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nIt\u2019s true we won\u2019t always be happy or even feel good.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe challenge is managing to remember our birthright when the burdens get us down. Transform grief to beauty and dream something wonderful.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nIn my life, the experience of love and beauty has been the best medicine for elevating a beat down spirit. As in the beauty of \u2026\u00a0<\/span>
\nA smile\u00a0<\/span>
\nGood music Dancing, dancing, dancing<\/span>
\nTravel to new and familiar places<\/span>
\nForgiveness<\/span>
\nUnderstanding<\/span>
\nThe love a support of family and friends<\/span>
\nChildren laughing<\/span>
\nKind words<\/span>
\nWorking out<\/span>
\nMy happy dog<\/span>
\nFaith infused with courage<\/span>
\nSelfless giving<\/span>
\nLove, love, love<\/span>
\nFlowers, trees, sunsets, walks by the river, a moonlit sky, and all the wonders of nature\u2019s abundance \u2026<\/span>
\nThe beauty of finding magic in everyday life<\/span>
\nTo have magic in our lives is to remember it\u2019s real, profound and sacred. Enjoy!\u00a0<\/span>For generations, the women in Adriene Cruz’ family have been sewing and designing clothing. A native of Harlem, New York, Adriene attended the High School of Art and Design, then the School of Visual Arts graduating with a BFA. In those years Adriene worked in wood sculpture, often with fiber elements, and gradually the fibers, especially tapestry crochet, became her primary focus, linking her art more directly to those traditions in her family.<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nIn 1983, Cruz moved to Portland, Oregon, where a quilting course at the Oregon School of Arts and Crafts reinvigorated her artwork. Since then, she has been creating brilliantly colored and adorned quilts, piecing together richly patterned materials in rhythmic arrangements that are stately as well as exuberant, structured as well as improvisational, deeply moving on a spiritual level as well as simply enjoyable for their sheer beauty.<\/span><\/p>\nThe resonant depths of these works arise from many factors: the relationship of the materials to Adriene\u2019s ancestry; the warmth and comfort; the powers and symbolic qualities of cowrie shells, mirrors, and talismans; the artist’s ability to connect viewers to the rhythms, shapes, and patterns of abundant life<\/span><\/p>\nAdriene’s gifted use of color and design has also garnered attention for public art in the Portland community. She has created street banners and painted murals, and created the installation art for the Killingsworth Light Rail Station using glass concrete and steel. In addition to museum exhibits nationwide, Adriene has been featured in numerous books and publications.<\/span><\/p>\nCONTACT INFORMATION: Adriene may be reached by\u00a0email<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Be About Beauty \u00a0 be about beauty as strong as a flower is yet as soft too as an open petal receiving the mist of a midnight raindrop, be about beauty no matter life’s dirt be about beauty \u00a0 \u2014Kalamu ya Salaam creative quilt by Adrienne Cruz (http:\/\/www.adrienecruz.com) \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 “The art […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","_s2mail":"yes"},"categories":[6],"tags":[4,12,11],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176437582"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=176437582"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176437582\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":176437583,"href":"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176437582\/revisions\/176437583"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=176437582"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=176437582"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=176437582"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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