Artistic Awakening

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Guest Post by Claude Gruffy

I worked for a TV station for 32 years as a scenic artist. Back then, there were no computers and all sets were painted by hand. Before the new technology arrived and turned the world upside down, I had the chance to paint huge murals for soap operas, TV theaters, etc., for several years. I didn’t wonder why I had such a knack for painting large murals. I told myself that this talent came from my father, because he also had a certain talent for drawing.

One day, a group of workmates who are also artists decided to hold a group exhibition. The theme was to reproduce a work by a known or unknown painter. For this exhibition, I decided to paint a picture from the Renaissance period. I really liked this period. I went to a library and leafed through an art book on Renaissance painters, and my eye fell on an unknown painter. I was fascinated by this painting and decided to paint it for the exhibition. Here’s the final result.

On the day of our exhibition, the room was full of people, and one of them came up to me and told me he’d worked for me before. I didn’t know him. He told me he’d dreamt about me in a past life, during the Renaissance. He told me he used to help me roll large pictures I’d painted and then install them on walls, either in castles or churches. He was very sincere in what he said. I was flabbergasted by this revelation.

After the exhibition, when I returned home, I reflected on what this person had told me. Suddenly, I had an epiphany: maybe that’s why I find it so easy to paint large canvases for my work. Perhaps the painting of the unknown painter I had painted for the exhibition had come from me!

Sometimes, there are people who cross our paths to create an awakening in our lives and make us grow. After this experience, I became interested in reading books on reincarnation, dreams, and so on. My understanding and vision of life began to change.

I later met a painter who had a great talent for creativity and I was lucky enough to share a studio with him for two years. I had a desire to have a studio to paint in, and this artist manifested herself in my life. 

For our dreams to come true, we have to send our request out into the universe. That’s when miracles can happen. That’s how I realized my dream of having a studio.

There were many enriching exchanges with this artist on an artistic and spiritual level. It was two years of fulfillment and creative growth. After those two years, we left each other, and I continued my solo artistic process at home.

At first, when I started painting, I painted realistic landscapes, I was a good technician, but when I had this workshop with the artist, creativity manifested itself. My research into the spiritual world also opened up other dimensions and brought more luminosity to my work.

I’ve often asked myself, what is the purpose of my artistic approach? What can these paintings bring to the world? The answer came to me in a dream.

Dreams are extraordinary places to have experiences and get answers to our questions. One night, I dreamt I was painting a beautiful landscape with a river. I was filled with love and happiness in this dream. When I had finished the painting, I stepped back to admire my work, and suddenly the colors became luminous and sparkling and flowed out of the painting into the river. The river became sparkling.

I woke up in the morning and wrote down this dream. It took me a few days to understand what it meant. The message was very simple: when you paint with love, with joy, with happiness, then the painting becomes a power of energy. We know that the river flows into the river and then into the sea. I realized that my mission in this life is to create, to open people’s hearts, and to spread my creations all over the world so people can benefit from them.

I often visit art museums in my dreams, and this gives me inspiration for creativity. I once visited a huge museum where the paintings I was looking at were also very large. In the dream, I was looking at a painting that impressed me. 

The colors were a luminous blue. I was fascinated by it. When I woke up, I took out my drawing pad and made a sketch of the painting. Over the next week, I painted the picture and, when I had finished, I was satisfied with my work.

Another question I often asked myself was whether other people in my dreams could visit the same places. I received my answer a few months later. 

I went to a world spiritual seminar near my home in Montreal. There was an art room, and I had exhibited the painting inspired by my dream. Several artists from different countries were also exhibiting their work. A lot of people showed interest in this exhibition. 

A little lady visiting the hall was looking for me. She didn’t know me. She lived in the United States. She was desperate to talk to me. Finally, she found me and as soon as she saw me, she threw herself into my arms and started crying. I was surprised by her reaction. 

Once she’d recovered from her emotions, she told me she’d dreamt about this painting the day before, that she was standing beside this rowboat with an Inner Master, observing the luminous temple in the distance. I was deeply moved by this experience.

Life grants us many surprises, joys, and happiness when our hearts are open to love and the spiritual world. I wish you great adventures in art or otherwise.

* Please also see “Inspirational Art by Claude Gruffy” on this site.

Claude Gruffy is an artist, author, scenic painter, and lecturer. He has illustrated several books for various authors, and his oil and digital works have been sold in Canada, the United States, Europe, Africa, and other parts of the world. He has also been a guest on many television and radio programs. Claude has been practicing meditation for over thirty-five years, and has acquired extensive experience in the art of creative visualization.

Several galleries of spiritual artwork can be found on Claude’s website.