Artist Nicola Fleure and Her Excellent Teaching on "The Shadow"
Channel: Carl Jung Depth Psychology Reading Group
Date: 19/05/2019

Dr. Carl Jung believed that in order to maintain mental hygiene and balance, human beings need to have conscious communication between their Conscious (Ego) and Unconscious (Self - God-Image - Greater Personality).  He and Dr. Sigmund Freud developed techniques for the study of dreams and visions, which Dr. Freud called "The Royal Road to the Unconscious," and this fact is well known about both scientists.

What is lesser known is that the necessary communication can also be enhanced through creative activities, typically found among artists, but which is also found among inventors, architects, singers, writers, chefs, and even parents who creatively raise their children.   Dr. Jung himself painted, wrote, worked as a stone mason, and built a home around himself known as Bollingen.  These things don't need to be done as one's main vocation--we all need to make a living--but by doing them, we maintain a healthy flow of communication with our Unconscious, which is the main part of us pushing toward our Wholeness and Happiness.

00:37--Skip shares his self-portrait from the Vietnam War.

04:26--Reference to _The Portrait of Dorian Gray_.

06:05--The portrait where Skip made a model look like _The Grinch Who Stole Christmas_.

07:31--"Knowing the Shadow"

08:17--"The High Priestess"

08:40--Nicola's comment on being able to create form in paintings.

09:14--Skip's painting was bringing his Shadow up--"Surrender"

09:50--The mood of euphoria emerged at Skip's art show on April 9, 2005.

10:57--Skip's experience at the Boston Museum of Art with a Jackson Pollock drip painting.

12:15--In Memoriam to Robert M. Christian, Jr., 2nd Lieutenant, USMC, who died in Vietnam on April 11, 1969.  He was like my big brother.

13:15--We begin to talk about Nicola's art.  The first piece is called "Elemental".

14:00--Nicola: "This is my way of trying to face my Shadow."

14:52--"I wanted to bring them all [elements of fire, water, earth & air] together to work out my inner pain.

16:05--Reference to the Myers-Briggs type Indicator (MBTI).  Nicola identifies herself as INFP.  Skip is INTP.

16:57--Nicola: "My way of understanding my relationship energy dynamics.... I didn't consciously paint this."

18:56--Next painting--"Variety"--This is the first painting Nicola had in an exhibition.

19:49--"Firecracker"--"I started to take ownership of my emotions.... a lot of suppressed light and rage."

21;38--"Totality"--"It was originally called 'Circus' ... everything wants to be expressed all at once."

23:29--Skip invited all of the Jungian Analysts in the Washington area, and Dr. Jean Shinoda Bolen attended his Exhibit on April 9, 2005.

23:54--"Miss Universe," Natalie Glebova, attended Skip's Greenwich Village Exhibition in October 2005.  

24:08--"Duality"--"Part of my Individuation process is getting away from non-duality." 

27:06--"Volcano"--"I felt completely misunderstood as an abstract artist."

27:50--Paintings in _The Red Book_ by C.G. Jung.

30:55--"Volcano" (cont'd)--"This was about being misunderstood as an abstract artist.... emotions wanting to explode."

32:10--"It's like I'm not there."

32:14--"Black Hole"--"Like a new galaxy emerging."

32:51--Reference to my interview with Vincent Kennedy: https://youtu.be/4lQhbACvObw 

34:17--"Matrix"--"This is me consciously being angry...trying to find form."

35:38--The idea of psychic energy comes between the Opposites.

36:50--"You can maybe detach yourself from the Matrix and watch the game going on....That would be a higher plane of spirituality, I think."

37:10--"Supernova"

38:18--"Milkyway"--"Me trying to a get a grip on form."

40:45--"Enantiodromia"--"One of my favorite words...it's fascinating that you can turn into an opposite."

43:35--"Starry Night"--Vincent Van Gogh is one of Skip's favorite artists.

44:50--"Alchemy"--"This one felt very shamanic....relationship between consciousness and matter, which is what alchemy is..."

47:19--"Abyss"--

49:12--"I just want to raise awareness of the Shadow, really."

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