17 X 12
On Paper
Pencil and Acrylic Paint
Photo by Robert Melee
The last person to finish their drawing was me on Painting Day was me. I was happy with it and felt like I was done when John instructed me to “now, add color”. I looked at him and asked “color”? which one, there are so many!”
John responded,
“There are no wrong answers only choices. Pick a color and get started. If you don’t like what you chose you can always change your mind and go back and start over.”
I chose yellow and began. When I was finished I asked John what he thought the painting meant. He said it looked like old ideas are fading away and new ones were beginning to blossom. He also said that It looked like my roots were strong they just needed somewhere to be planted. Painting Day then came to a close and I thanked everyone for helping dad.
I didn’t realize it then but this was the beginning of my Art Journey. During the day I gave care to my father and every night I worked on Art.
17 X 14
On Paper
Acrylic Paint
Photo by Robert Melee
Over the phone John and I discussed Painting # 1 and the next lesson was to be able to fill the entire page with color. So I did. I began at the bottom right hand corner of the paper and began to doodle upon completion of the doodle I added color. A lot of color, Every color I had. The first color that I chose was phthalo blue and I placed it on the canvas.
While painting I asked God about Choices, how we make them and what happens when we choose what isn’t right for us. Where one can see harmony in the painting as far as congruency with patterns and shape there is a notable…"smmmehhh" as John calls it. This too me can be contributed to lapses in self when making good choices. One thing can start one way as simple as a dot of green and end up a big colorful mess. Such is the life of cancer.
Video of the Making of Choices
17 X 14
On Paper
Acrylic Paint
Photo by Robert Melee
During the day I would take care of my Dad and at night I would recieve art lesson via the telephone via Lohn Lohse. This lesson was called "Now fill the entire space with color" The painting prior had no back ground color besides the paper. John instructed me to fill the entire space with as many colors as i could and this is what I made.
I called this piece Ideas because while i was making it I was praying to God to help me come up with an Idea to save my dad.
"Please God Give Some Me Ideas on How to Save My Dad. Please God End His suffering. Please God Cure Him or Take Him."
Video of the making of IDEAS
17 X 14
Paper
Acrylic Paint
Photo by Robert Melee
I traced my hand and the only rules that I made for this painting was " Don't Draw a Turkey"
While working on this piece prayed to God - Please God give me the power in my left hand to heal my father from cancer. Please end this one way or another. Take him or set him free. Please grant me the strength to endure this and help my dad.
The part I found most interesting during the creation of this piece was when I was drawing the lines from the finger out. They were supposed to be straight but when I started painting the blue from the ring finger the brush just went noooope we're gonna go left.
17 X 14
On Paper
Acrylic Paint
Photo by Robert Melee
Dad had the right side of his lip sewn together as part of the surgery to remove a tumor from the right side of his face on cheek. This was done to prevent his mouth from opening all the way so his cheek where they had put the patch harvested from skin from his forearm would heal with out being stretched. He also had a feeding tube in his stomach to prevent any food from hitting the patch or causing unnecessary bacteria to form in his mouth.
The night's preceding the creation of this piece I watched as the stitching and skin began to dissolve and be eaten away until his lower lip opened like door on a hinge only connected on the left side of his mouth.
In the painting the circle in the middle of the piece represents my Dads' head. The sharp triangle jetting out to the left represents his lip popping out.
All the white line represent me asking God to Please send all of your power and love from every corner of everywhere in the direction of my father. Please, help him, Please No more. Please end this one way or another. Please save him or set him free!!!
10 X 12
On Canvas Board
Acrylic Paint, Sand, Screws, Hook Screws, String
Photo by Robert Melee
John instructed me to grab a bunch of random things the garage, glue them to the canvas board, paint it all white and then make your painting on top of it.
I asked, "Why would I do that?" He said, "because its fun"
I went into the the garage and looked around. I grabbed hook screws, nails, sand, and wood glue. I glued it all to the canvas in the same pattern as the first painting from painting day and proceeded to add the colors with my brush.
John was right, It was fun!!!
A quick art lesson on what it is like like to paint on materials other than paper just because its fun.
10 X 12
Canvas Board
Acrylic Paint
Photo by Robert Melee
Please God keep me focused and help me save my dad. Please end his suffering one way or another.
12 X 10
On Canvas Board
Sand, String, thumb tacks
Photo by Robert Melee
Mixed Media
Top Left is the beach made of sand, Bottom right is the ocean made of string and moon is made of thumbtacks on the top right.
Photo by Robert Melee
Mixed Media
I wanted to make cross for my dad. I broke tiles, crushed sea shells and bordered with dried leaves on a larger tile, glazed and sprayed with gold metallic paint.
12 X 6
Acrylic Paint on wood wrapped by Paper Towel
Photo by Robert Melee
I was in my kitchen and on the counter I saw a a white paper towel with three circles pressed into it by the protein shakers that were drying there. I wondered if I could make a painting out of the design.
I brought the paperwork downstairs to my painting area, wrapped it around a piece of wood from the garage and worked with acrylic paints. The design and colors reminded me of something familiar. I looked up and there was an Icon of Jesus that I like.
12 X 10
Mixed Media - String, Mirror, Gaskets, Acrylic Paint
This piece marks the first time I was asked to make something for someone else. That someone else is my cousin Nicholas Vasilakis.
24 X 30
Acrylic Paint
Photo by Robert Melee
This painting was the first time I attempted to go bigger and filler a larger canvas. The pieces prior were on paper and canvas board. This piece is 18x24.
I starred at the canvas and wondered what it would become and how I would fill this larger space.
My dad came downstairs to see what I was working on. He said all you paintings seem to start off like they are on fire. Try and put the fire out. I asked him which color he thought I should use? He said, Black...use Black to put the fire out. At his recommendation I proceeded to add black to the painting. From there I added the colors.
As I placed colors in the black outlines I asked God to help me contain this fire before it gets out of control. Please help me stop the cancer contain the fire and save my dad. Please set him free on way or another.
I was trying to trap or quell or put out the fire behind a wall of stained glass. It looks like it is shattered but actually its the opposite. Its being built.
24 X 30
Acrylic Paint
Photo by Robert Melee
The title for this painting was the battle cry for Dad's fight with cancer. Every morning when I woke him up to i said to him enthusiastically, "Come On Dad! "With Every Breathe We Fight"
This is my interpretation of the last 45 minutes in ICU at Jersey Shore Medical Center when the decision was made to "pull the plug" It shows the final fight of Dad vs Cancer and the release of his spirit, soul and ending of suffering.
The smaller figures to left over the painted quote are my family and friends that were there in the room. The taller figures next to them are my brother, me and mom. To their right, the round mound over the date is my dad.
the Orange, Yellow, Red bursts and explosions in the body of the painting represent the breathing battle and the dark orange explosion at the top with the trails represents Dad's victory over cancer.
His Soul Blazed as it left his body like a phoenix reborn from the ashes headed into the everything of everything in all directions at the same time.
He fought with every breathe he had left that night we cheered him on the entire way to victory.
The concept for this painting is photograph I have from a fireworks display at Trade Show in Florida in 2000.
36 X 48
Acrylic Painting
Photo by Robert Melee
I created this piece on Dad's 40 day memorial. Blessed Life depicts the departure and final moments at the end of his souls' transition period from earth to heaven.
36 X 48
Acrylic Painting
Photo by Robert Melee
I created this piece for protection. I felt that I had gone through an intense tug of was battle with God over the life of my dad that may have left me in a weakened state. I asked for protection from St. George and I felt the presence of St. Michael as well. I saw St. Michael in a shadow in the mirror behind me guarding me as I painted.
36 X 48
Acrylic Painting
Photo by Robert Melee
I named the painting believe because I felt that I needed to believe in myself, that I would recover and heal from the loss of my dad. I didn't understand what direction I supposed to go in from there.
Was the whole point of my life just to do this one good thing to help my family?
There had to be more of to me than all the jobs I've worked, expereinces and relationships I've had. What am I going to do? Who am I now? Am I really an artist?
36 X 48
Acrylic Painting
Healing Hands – By Peter Christopher Nicolaou
Illustrations Created at CoSM During Visionary Art Intensive
All this anxiety, the shaking, biting and picking, could it be that I just needed to give my feverishly idle hands something to do?
“What… you mean… we are free to finally create!?!?!” exclaimed my hands.
“Yes” my minds’ eye responded in an inquisitive tone and then asked my hands “what ever will you create?”
My Hands confidently responded…..Whatever you see, whatever you need, whatever you desire and whatever you pray for.
My minds’ eye shut for a moment and then upon opening displayed a vortex of indigo light that transmitted my hands directly to the future, showcasing what will become us when we work together.
In complete in unwavering embracement and belief my hands excitedly began search and hug my mind. “What are you searching for?” asked my eye. You have shown me where I can be when we work together but…. But what? Asked, my eye. Where to begin? as my hands continued to poke spontaneously around my mind.
“You already have begun and its already happening as we speak” replied, my eye but since you have shown genuine interest in un idling and now creating. I shall tell you what you will create and these will be your rules from now on.
Blinking once in indigo smoke…… I must create the world as I see it.
Blinking again, in indigo rain……….You can only create what I want.
And most importantly with an even brighter indigo flame……..I need more help to create what I want.
My hands in complete amazement of the indigo color, forms and clear direction, without hesitation, agreed to the terms of creation and posed only a few honest questions back to my eye.
Help? From where and from who?
A beam of bright white lightening then appeared in my mind and my hands reached immediately to grab it as if by instinct. All the light then proceeded to guide my hands down from my mind to an area that resonated and vibrated with the sounds of bright blue booming thunder. There upon a small wooden box stood a figured that resembled a powerful warrior. The warrior peered at my hands and after a few moments recognized that he had seen my hands before and in mid tone said “hello”, I am your throat. The room began to shake with bright blue swirls all around at just the sound resonating from the simple word…hello.
“I can help you on your quest to create” said, my throat. I can integrate your minds’ vision with my word and create sounds unheard of by most. I can also ask anyone for help at any time that you so require it. For without sound how can we ask for more help and present to others what we want?
I give your vision a voice and I have so for ages upon ages. Do you remember or has time stretched on so long that you just couldn’t hear me? No matter, all of it every last bit of it will be revealed to you as you go.
In awe of what my throat said to my hands my hands then lovingly reached into the bright blue swirling cloud of smoke and gave my throat a warm embrace and said thank you. I will accept your help.
With a great inhalation my throat drew in all the sound and blue swirling smoke and healthily exhaled my hands on another beam of bright white lightening.
As the sound and the brightness dissipated my hands began drifting down like a feather illuminated with a bright green flame that danced then engulfed my hands and then danced again. A pulse began to beat a song the hands used to remember but due to the heat of the eternal green dancing flame my hands did not reflect on it. Instead my hands were overcome with an immense feeling of love for everything and exactly the same time an immense feeling of pain.
My hands then asked the pulsing beating bright green flame, “who are you?” In an instant the intense flame dimmed just enough to reveal an energy form that proclaimed… “I am your heart”. My hands then asked, “why are you in so much pain?” My heart then reemitted back into the glorious flame and said, “the same reason you are but you don’t remember.” We have created before, we have created a lot but we have also destroyed everything that we have created. I have created in the wrong places with the wrong intentions and I wish to create again. I feel stronger now than I have in very long time….it’s almost familiar but I am not sure what it meant. I pray for less pain and today with you my hands the pain is less. My heart then asked my hands if my hands could create love along with everything else my hands wanted to create.
I want to feel what it is to create love and maintain it for a lifetime. Can you help me asked my heart? Yes, my hands replied, We can work together and create the world as I see it, a world made of love and all you have to do is be my only heart.
“The pain you feel is only love masked as something else and this too shall pass.”
My hands then reached out into the bright green dancing blaze and hugged my heart. Together with my throat and my hands we will create the world as I see it, made of a lifetime of love to ease your pain. I have asked for help and received it from my throat and my mind and I shall give help to my heart because my heart asked for it.
The battle was long, difficult and testing my heart my said to my hands. You were so well equipped then as I see you are gaining strength now. I will create the world as I see it and the world I see is made of love.
“What happened to me ask my hands?”, soon all will be revealed to you my hands, be patient.
Trusting the true words of the pulse of my heart my hands reach to touch the flame again but it vanished and in its place was the great white ball of lightening. My hands gripped the ball and slowly descended in a healthy breathe downward. My hands reached the end of the light and it faded into blackness.
A globe of yellow then arose from the horizon of the darkness like a beacon to follow. I moved towards it and immediately the yellow globe flashed. I then saw in my minds’ eye the introduction to my solar plexus. The introduction appeared as the memory of an Ego driven battle that had insured once in the distant past of another age and then again very recently. It was obvious to my hands that both battles left my solar plexus very traumatized. There is nothing here right now except space, pain and the overwhelming feeling of Please Fill Me with All that Is Everything.
My Solar plexus only filled with shame had lost its voice and could not ask for help. My Hands and my minds’ eye agreed that they should trust their gut and take me with them for I can be useful when I regain my inner strength. My minds’ eye, my hands, my throat and my heart then gathered around my solar plexus and hugged me as tight as internally possible rotating in every direction. Then we all said to my solar plexus, “We will create a world as I see it. This world is made of an everlasting lifetime of love to ease your pain, regain your inner strength and fill you with all that is everything.”
My minds’ eye, my hands, my throat, my heart and my solar plexus where then instantly engulfed by a bright orange ball surrounded and entangled by sharp spikes in every direction. The Orange spiked ball could not be contained for conversation or questioning, it only uttered a few phrases. “I am your passion, I will be your driving force, I will always keep you up and promise you that everything you love will love you. Use me wisely. ” The orange spiked ball surrounding all of us….disappeared.
My Minds’ eye, hands, throat, heart and solar plexus then climbed down each vertebra of my spine until they reached my base. They found the footing is being repaved and being prepared for something. There are many tools at work in my base all sparkling in the shades of the color red.
“What are you doing” I asked the sparkling red tools. “I am recreating myself”, they all simply replied in one voice. During the last journey I encountered a battle that I was not ready for and everything I built at that time was crushed into grains of sand.
“By whom” I asked.
By you, the tools responded.
But here is the best part. I can reuse the grains of sand as lessons to create a new foundation for myself. My tools will bind all the lessons together and give you to proper footing and support on which to take your next steps confidently and provide a cushion for you in case you fall again.
My sparkling red tools then continued on to say, “I’ve been listening to the story from the word create and from that word I have begun. I will support and help you always.”
My hands at that moment began to ascend slowly at first back up through each level thanking and hugging my red base, my orange passion, my yellow solar plexus, my green heart, my blue throat and my indigo mind’s eye for all the help and then in another flash of great white lighting my hands are now at my crown on the very top of my head.
At this moment in my crown, my minds eyes shuts and I am blind. I fall to my knees and extend my hands to surrender. With my minds’ eye still shut I begin to see again as if for the first time….. An ultra violet luminescent glow….so bright it burns away the darkness of my blind. Within the Ultra violet glow there is large pedaled lotus flower in full blossom and through it is a portrait of my father surrounded by 12 candles.
My Father has a message for me as I kneel.
Keep your eyes closed my son.
Deep inhale in through your nostrils,
Fill your lungs with oxygen,
Draw your belly button in towards your spine and sit up tall and get your feet of the table.
Inhale………..exhale
Create this vision you in your ultra violet self
You are smiling
Today is greatest day of your life
Today you realized that everything is possible
Today is the day you make the commitment to live out your dreams
Today is your creation day
On this day you created in your ultra violet self a large peddled lotus flower called your FOS (Light)
Your FOS is the size of your smiling vision of yourself in your mind and you are happy and relaxed.
Your FOS feels warm as it embraces you.
Your FOS looks bright as it shines on your face
Your FOS is your guide today on your creation day and has a message for you before you begin your journey.
In hale exhale and keep breathing…….
Stay Focused
Control the controllable
Obstacles are part of the plan
You are only human
You have no fear
Your anxiety is building because you are another step closer to getting what you want
You created this environment, No one told you to do it. You just did it. You wanted a leap of faith, you have already taken it.
You are faith-filled and Hope-Full
You are greater than you think you are.
You have the proof and the proof is in your actions, not just your words.
Everyone that you meet loves you
Everyone that meets you, you will love
You will help and they will help
You are Positive
You are motivational
You have Ideas that make yourself and everyone you come across better
You are successful
You learn and apply everything you are exposed to, to help yourself and others
You are not selfish; you just want more for yourself.
You can make every situation work for you as a lesson.
How amazing has this journey been my son, look how far you’ve come – understand it because it’s great and the best is yet to come.
Out of anything in the world that you will see, your happiness comes from the love you have for the world and everything in it.
The one thing that love that defines your true “happiness is”…..the true love and happiness you create for yourself.
You will stand in this this joyous place that you in vision with confidence and with strength.
You have great balance within you and this balance keeps you calm in this place.
Your next steps in this place will be taken in any direction you wish to go in and everything is going to be ok.
My son, I have loved you longer than you can possibly imagine.
In my final moments on this earth you were beside me at the right hand of your father. We fought that last battle together and you are now ready and deserving of the gift I gave you. I am very proud on this day, your creation day, to be your father and call you my son Peter.
I am now your FOS and We will create a world as I see it. This world is made of an everlasting lifetime of love to ease your pain, regain your inner strength and fill you with all that is everything.
Now wipe away your tears, open your eyes and show the world who you are and what you believe in.