LATEST NEWS

Artist helps dreams get flowing

By MARY A. JACOBS / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News

Maybe wishing upon a star isn't just the stuff of Disney movies. Artist Dawn Gaskill believes that by meditating on symbols that spark the imagination, people can transform their lives. Following the principles of feng shui, she creates what she calls "art that makes your dreams come true." Dawn Gaskill visits the meditation room of a Dallas friend. Ms. Gaskill designed the space, incorporating her artwork. The artist's work will be featured this weekend at the Dallas Museum of Art's "Holiday Shopping Spree." Shoppers will be able to purchase prints, journals and other items featuring her paintings representing the nine aspects of feng shui's ba gua, or "aspirations," such as love, health, creativity and prosperity. "These are based on an energy system that the ancient sages observed," she said. "The belief is that chi, or energy, can flow through an environment in an auspicious way, or it can get blocked." Ms. Gaskill says her inspiration comes while she meditates; she chants the aspiration while creating each piece of art. She has practiced yoga for 16 years and studied the ancient symbolic images of various spiritual traditions. A former Dallas resident, Ms. Gaskill left a corporate job to pursue her art full time in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. She helps clients create "intentional spaces" – places for meditating on one's "highest desires." Intentional spaces might include one of her paintings as well as candles, crystals or objects of personal significance. "If you can consciously work with ... [the aspiration] for five minutes a day, you can completely transform that area of your life," she said. "I've had amazing things happen for people who have done this." One person, she said, wanted to change her client base in order to build a supportive team of advisers for her business. Ms. Gaskill created an image for her using a horse, the ba gua symbol for "helpful people and travel." The woman placed the image on her desk, on the cover of her journal and on her computer screen as wallpaper. "All these people started showing up that supported her," said Ms. Gaskill. "Her client base shifted completely, to what she wanted to do."