

Origin Story

Sculpture in Progress, Milagros Suriano-Rivera
What if your life were a canvas and your experience are the strokes and marks that create the masterpiece of you?
What if every loss becomes a prayer dot, every tear is added as a blessing, every challenge and celebration becomes a layer that informs who you are becoming?
As the creator you get to choose how you capture, arrange each element of your life as well as the form in which it will be expressed. As time goes on you look back and realize that you have an exhibit of beautiful and not so beautiful stories in front of you. They are displayed in the way you move and show up in the world.
What does that look like for you?
Why “Being About It”? I’ll tell you…
My creative journey started out of sheer survival and from a place of creating to live. From creating jewelry out of cardboard and magazine pages to feed my family as a single mother, attending festivals to pay for a dream trip to Ireland, quitting my corporate job because my heart wasn’t in it and it wasn’t what I was about. All I wanted to do was to create, and anyone who is an artist know how challenging it is.
Over the years my Beloved husband listened to me talk about my dreams of being a full time artist and wanting to truly live a creative life and my dreams and ideas about my art business being self-sustaining. Sometimes I would struggle with all that was required of me to pull this big transformation off. I would say to my hubby, “I am not asking for permission, I am asking for support”, his response was always “Don’t talk about it, be about it”!
I took that to heart. It was motivational. It was the truth! Every artist has to BE about it – and by ‘it’ I mean their art, their creativity, their self expression! That is the place where the magic comes from!
Being About It is NOT about exhibiting talent, prestige, training, skill, or experience as an Artist by the collective’s definition.
Being About it is…embracing creativity as a daily spiritual practice and knowing that even when I miss the mark, that too is part of the journey.
Being About It is … learning self-compassion by authoring my own definition for what my art should or shouldn’t be , but what it is.
Being About it is… It is to me about exhibiting my beingness and experiences as context for a body of work that expresses my creative journey, identity, and choice to bare the matter of me through my creative expressions in the context of my life as an organic, textured, imperfect, and evolving human experience, no matter the form that expression takes.
This exhibit is not only a personal challenge to BE ABOUT IT and show up anyway, but is an invitation for others to see art as a living representation of its creator.
My hope is that this exhibit will inspire, impress, and impact others to bring awareness to what they are BE-ing About and how they exhibit what they are being called to cause and create in the world.
~ Milagros Suriano-Rivera

Wearable Art in Progress, Milagros Suriano-Rivera

Shiloh Sophia McCloud and Milagros Suriano-Rivera
at Musea Intentional Creativity Museum
Sonoma, California
Origin Story

Sculpture in Progress, Milagros Suriano-Rivera
What if your life were a canvas and your experience are the strokes and marks that create the masterpiece of you?
What if every loss becomes a prayer dot, every tear is added as a blessing, every challenge and celebration becomes a layer that informs who you are becoming?
As the creator you get to choose how you capture, arrange each element of your life as well as the form in which it will be expressed. As time goes on you look back and realize that you have an exhibit of beautiful and not so beautiful stories in front of you. They are displayed in the way you move and show up in the world.
What does that look like for you?
Why “Being About It”? I’ll tell you…
My creative journey started out of sheer survival and from a place of creating to live. From creating jewelry out of cardboard and magazine pages to feed my family as a single mother, attending festivals to pay for a dream trip to Ireland, quitting my corporate job because my heart wasn’t in it and it wasn’t what I was about. All I wanted to do was to create, and anyone who is an artist know how challenging it is.
Over the years my Beloved husband listened to me talk about my dreams of being a full time artist and wanting to truly live a creative life and my dreams and ideas about my art business being self-sustaining. Sometimes I would struggle with all that was required of me to pull this big transformation off. I would say to my hubby, “I am not asking for permission, I am asking for support”, his response was always “Don’t talk about it, be about it”!
I took that to heart. It was motivational. It was the truth! Every artist has to BE about it – and by ‘it’ I mean their art, their creativity, their self expression! That is the place where the magic comes from!
Being About It is NOT about exhibiting talent, prestige, training, skill, or experience as an Artist by the collective’s definition.
Being About it is…embracing creativity as a daily spiritual practice and knowing that even when I miss the mark, that too is part of the journey.
Being About It is … learning self-compassion by authoring my own definition for what my art should or shouldn’t be , but what it is.
Being About it is… It is to me about exhibiting my beingness and experiences as context for a body of work that expresses my creative journey, identity, and choice to bare the matter of me through my creative expressions in the context of my life as an organic, textured, imperfect, and evolving human experience, no matter the form that expression takes.
This exhibit is not only a personal challenge to BE ABOUT IT and show up anyway, but is an invitation for others to see art as a living representation of its creator.
My hope is that this exhibit will inspire, impress, and impact others to bring awareness to what they are BE-ing About and how they exhibit what they are being called to cause and create in the world.
~ Milagros Suriano-Rivera

Wearable Art in Progress, Milagros Suriano-Rivera

Shiloh Sophia McCloud and Milagros Suriano-Rivera
at Musea Intentional Creativity Museum
Sonoma, California
Exhibit Media
Presentation
Museum Show
Meet The Artist
An Interview with Rita Hernandez
Exhibit Media
Presentation
Museum Show
Meet The Artist
An Interview with Rita Hernandez
Gallery
We invite you to explore the images and stories of the BEING About It! Solo Exhibit, a reflection of Milagros’ Artists’ Journey over 25 years of creating and practicing Intentional Creativity.
**Click the image to see it in a light box with a dark background.**
We each have the ability to heal ourselves. Through creativity we can transform our wounds and the stories we carry inside us in the form of pain or trauma. When we pay attention to what we feel and where we feel it, we can then begin to heal it by choosing to transform it into a thing of beauty.
This Muse holds the spark to what lights us up. Creating from a place of invitation is one way to access your soulfire and the embers of possibility. Muse Fuse dances around the fire with those parts of you that are called to join in the dance of creativity!
This intuitive painting was created in celebration of women as a collective. We are all connected and or energy, wisdom, and medicine is even more powerful when we hold, support, and witness each other. Each woman has her signature, but we choose to actively and lovingly be in sync as a collective we can change the world.
She Who Is Healed Enough is about the exploration of Unknown Self, Uncreated Self, Created Self, and Crafted self. All these aspects of me inform my Co-curated self as context for my Body of Work. This was a journey of six months as a process to muse, define, and bring form to my Body of Work and the offerings that I want to bring my Beloveds as a result of my claiming my Sacred Assignment to catalyze transformation in other women who are seeking to change their frameworks and how they show up in the world.
Kundalini is the archetype of the Alchemist on the Alchemical Compass landing in the realm of the South. She is keeper of “La Chispa Sagrada” – the sacred fire that burns in your heart whenever you get turned on by an idea, dream, or possibility. Like the flame of the Phoenix, we too must embrace the fires of transformation.
Malika is my Mystic Legend. Queen of the Seven Feminine Powers. This painting represents a Rite of Passage where I explore, examine, and embody my relationship to the feminine by embodying the Archetypes of Painter, Priestess, Prophetess, Poetess, Provocateur, Peacemaker, and Psychic. As women we hold all these gifts and it is in our ability to access and honor all aspects of ourselves so that we can truly see our majesty and claim our sovereignty and self-agency.
The Cloak of Sisterhood was created live while in Red Thread Circle with two of my dearest sisters. The Beings at top represent the two sisters plus my cousin – all who have been such an integral part of my spiritual and creative journey. The Beings at bottom are my African and Taino ancestors that counsel and witness me on this sacred creative path I have chosen.
Creating the future you see for yourself is possible one paint stroke at a time. Heart Wisdom is about knowing what you know, feeling what you feel, and loving what you love. This muse was created as my archetype of The Visionary. She teaches us that when we see with our heart first, then have our heart inform our mind, we integrate our left and right brain so that we can activate our most authentic inner voice.
Each of us carries a personal codex that runs through our DNA that is like a fingerprint and unique to each of us. Sometimes we can envision our ideas, desires, and a future we just can’t find language for. When we gain access to the realm of the Artist, your muse will help you create language for that which is lighting up your heart and soul. The Artist Muse will interpret those code, scars, and marks and gives you the language for that which you are transforming and the reality you are claiming healing for.
What if you could paint your own Legend? This painting was the core painting for my certification as a Color of Woman Teacher of Intentional Creativity. This painting tells the story of my journey to my inner landscape to meet my Muse and embody the archetype of Legend at the center of the Alchemical Compass. There I picked roses from my garden of possibilities, greeted by the dove of light, and was reminded that I must embrace my shadow self. My ally is the dragonfly, a symbol of strength, beauty, and agility.
This Muse is my Artifact. She is my inner Curandera and Madama de la Conciencia Curada. She who creates healing through creativity. What if you could go on an inward journey of self excavation and reclamation? Traveling through known and unknown inner terrains where you will encounter your allies, find your safe place, and discover your personal symbol of healing? Well I did, she is who I discovered.
Painting to the light of a midnight moon is so magical and powerful. This Muse is a Midnite Muse. She reminds us that we are made of cooling sacks of stars and are one with the Universe. She holds the key to inner wisdom and the red thread of connection to all. Knowing our cosmic address helps us maintain our center and better navigate our lives and inner landscapes. It’s easy to find your way back home when she is guiding you.
Painting to the light of a midnight moon is so magical and powerful. This Muse is a Midnite Muse. She reminds us that we are made of cooling sacks of stars and are one with the Universe. She holds the key to inner wisdom and the red thread of connection to all. Knowing our cosmic address helps us maintain our center and better navigate our lives and inner landscapes. It’s easy to find your way back home when she is guiding you.
Held By Mother Tree is an abstract self portrait of the me as I sat against a Mother Redwood Tree in the Redwoods of Santa Ana, California on the eve of my graduation from my Color of Woman Training Journey. I leaned into her in gratitude for her witnessing, beauty, and nurturing. I offered her my tears of thanks and she reciprocated with a love I never felt before. Letting me know that she will always support me on my new journey.
When women remember that they are Queens and let their crowns shine the world benefits. Claiming your Queendom and reconnecting to your Queendom is how we heal our sense of self-worth, confidence, and inner knowing! From this gnosis, women can CHOOSE to claim themselves to be their own Shero and champion!
This started as a prayer in response to witnessing George Floyd’s dying moments. As I witnessed that unforgettable moment, my soul tightened within my body and a feeling I had never experienced before came over me. It was a call to action! So, I did what I have come to trust and know – I brought it to the easel. I stood in front of my substrate and committed my fear, anger, disbelief, and prayers for humanity as my intention. I wiped my tears with my hands, then blessed the paper with my tear-filled hands as I prayed for reconciliation. as I saw the faces of my beloved, my children, my grandchildren, my brother, my Ancestors and even my own with my heart’s eye. The canvas had now become my altar.
This was my first intuitive painting. Created by writing my intention to let what wanted to come through on the canvas, I added layers of color randomly. As I stepped back, I noticed one black mark that looked like an eye and that was the foundation for the essence that was wanting to come through the veil of the unseen. A true reminder that what lies beneath a painting is sometimes more powerful than what is visible to the eye.
One of my practices is to have tea with my Muse daily. This painting was created as a practice in gratitude as I held the feeling of my cup overflowing. Having a gratitude practice is truly powerful and allows me to be present to abundance in my life and the ability to let it ripple out into the world one cup at a time. My cuppa is always filled with gratitude. What is your cup filled with?
An abstract study of the feminine figure. Inspired from a photo of a live model this painting is about the beauty of our nakedness and the gift of our vulnerability.
Beauty IS in the eye of the beholder. Our beauty is not defined by the width of our nose, length of our jaw, or the shape of our eyes. It is defined by our heart and what we project out into the world.
My Art Ancestor Caron McCloud taught us that Mattering Matters. Being garbed in love is about choosing to be awake to the fact that we matter and are matter. This awareness is what allows me to walk in the world with a deeper sense of connection to creation and Creator. This mixed media painting is supported by encodings that are unique to me in the cosmic language of symbol, while honoring the love I received from my Art Ancestor “Mama Cloud” by collaging on fabric from a blouse that belonged to her.
PURCHASE PRINT HERE
I Am
I Am (Reversed)
I always felt bad about not knowing my lineage story. This painting is about me claiming who I am as a Latina Woman of Color. Being of Puerto Rican descent, this painting celebrates my sisterhood with Black, Indigenous, and Women of Color. When I turned it over I was amazed that my ancestors showed up to remind me that being aware of and acknowledging them and who I am because they were, is all I need to honor my lineage!
Your Content Goes Here
This abstract piece was created in pure flow and delight. When the Beings appeared it was obvious that the conversation is mystical, magical, and captivating. You can sit with this one for hours just listening for what they are saying to you.
We all have our own “inner counsel”. We call them our ancestors. The Witness is a medicine painting created as a process using Intentional Creativity as a way of working to create an altar to call in, connect, and honor your ancestors for witnessing and supporting you.
When we bring our heart, mind, body, and field into coherence, we can transform the voice of the critic and the muse into our integrated and authentic source of wisdom and expression. In this painting, the insight that revealed itself was the revelation that my palette is the portal to accessing my consciousness and my creative voice is represented by the Being who is coming though it. As I added paint, then sewed in elements to represent my ability to hold joy and sorrow, wonder and knowing, what revealed itself was that I am the tapestry.
ORDER PRINT HERE

Milagrito is a Priestess who walks between the worlds of her Afrikan and Taino Ancestors. Embracing her duality is key to how she walks in this world. Created during an ancestral connection journey, Milagrito was a welcome surprise reassuring me that I am who I am because of my beautiful ancestry and I don’t have to be either – I can be both/and! Wisdom is carried from the cave of her heart by Ancestors from both lands by way of the Red Road.
Created as an answer to the call to stand for the Trees, this Paperclay sculpture shows how trees nurture, provide, and support other creations. Art as advocacy is art that can make a change. This piece contributed to the planting of a forest in partnership with TreeSisters International.
Created as an answer to the call to stand for the Trees, thisCreated as an answer to the call to stand for the Trees featured in the Musea TreeSisters Art Exhibit, this Paper clay sculpture is a whimsical and playful Forest Muse created on a piece of driftwood from the California coast. Art as advocacy is art that can make a change. This piece contributed to the planting of a forest in partnership between Musea Intentional Creativity Museum and TreeSisters International.
This image of the feminine is so powerful. This Paperclay and collage sculpture reminds me that we each carry potentials within us that are aching to be birthed.
Simply sculpted onto an upcycled glass bottle, yet Grace is in her simplicity. When one creates from love, grace is inevitable. Garbed in blue and gold strokes of love, carried on wings of love.
Whimsical mini sculpture was created intuitively in paper clay including the red mask which was sculpted separately.
Tiny and whimsical. The oversized nose was intentionally sculpted in Paperclay and attached to this tiny muse that is riddled with tiny portals which lead to wonderful realms of possibility and potential.
A tiny reminder to seek beyond ourselves and within ourselves with curiosity and wonder.
Inquiry opens the doorway to that which wants to be revealed. What inquiries are you present to at this moment?
This playful mini muse was created intuitively with blue medicine mask sculpted then attached separately.
This mini sculpture and red mask were clayfully created with love and the energy of the masks we wear in the world.
Mini altar muse made from Paperclay and hand painted.
This altar muse was made as homage to the homeless in our world. A prayer for them that they can find stable shelter and no longer be homeless.
This sweet darling reminds us to listen. What if we listen to the beautiful systems of intelligence in our physical bodies? What if you asked your heart what it wants you to know? Then we really listened… What might your heart tell you?
Square pendant painted on watercolor paper and encased in resin.
Square pendant painted on watercolor paper and encased in resin.
Square pendant painted on watercolor paper and encased in resin.
Square bracelet painted on watercolor paper and encased in resin. Finished with silver jewelry findings.
Circular pendant painted on watercolor paper and encased in resin.
Circular pendant painted on watercolor paper and encased in resin.
Circular pendant painted on watercolor paper and encased in resin. Finished with a bead wrapped in wire.
Circular pendant painted on watercolor paper and encased in resin.
Earring and necklace set painted on watercolor paper and encased in resin. Finished with silver jewelry findings. Length: 18 inches.
Earring and necklace set painted on watercolor paper and encased in resin. Finished with silver jewelry findings. Length: 18 inches.
Blue and white earring and necklace set, painted on watercolor paper and encased in resin. Finished with silver jewelry findings. Length: 18 inches.
Earring and necklace set painted on watercolor paper and encased in resin. Finished with silver jewelry findings. Length: 18 inches.
Gallery
We invite you to explore the images and stories of the BEING About It! Solo Exhibit, a reflection of Milagros’ Artists’ Journey over 25 years of creating and practicing Intentional Creativity.
**Click the image to see the story on the reverse side**

Healer
We each have the ability to heal ourselves. Through creativity we can transform our wounds and the stories we carry inside us in the form of pain or trauma. When we pay attention to what we feel and where we feel it, we can then begin to heal it by choosing to transform it into a thing of beauty.

Muse Fuse
This Muse holds the spark to what lights us up. Creating from a place of invitation is one way to access your soulfire and the embers of possibility. Muse Fuse dances around the fire with those parts of you that are called to join in the dance of creativity!

Feminine Frequency
This intuitive painting was created in celebration of women as a collective. We are all connected and or energy, wisdom, and medicine is even more powerful when we hold, support, and witness each other. Each woman has her signature, but we choose to actively and lovingly be in sync as a collective we can change the world.

She Who is Healed Enough
She Who Is Healed Enough is about the exploration of Unknown Self, Uncreated Self, Created Self, and Crafted self. All these aspects of me inform my Co-curated self as context for my Body of Work. This was a journey of six months as a process to muse, define, and bring form to my Body of Work and the offerings that I want to bring my Beloveds as a result of my claiming my Sacred Assignment to catalyze transformation in other women who are seeking to change their frameworks and how they show up in the world.

Kundalini: Keeper of My Soul Fire
Kundalini is the archetype of the Alchemist on the Alchemical Compass landing in the realm of the South. She is keeper of “La Chispa Sagrada” – the sacred fire that burns in your heart whenever you get turned on by an idea, dream, or possibility. Like the flame of the Phoenix, we too must embrace the fires of transformation.

Malika: Queen of the Seven Feminine Powers
Malika is my Mystic Legend. Queen of the Seven Feminine Powers. This painting represents a Rite of Passage where I explore, examine, and embody my relationship to the feminine by embodying the Archetypes of Painter, Priestess, Prophetess, Poetess, Provocateur, Peacemaker, and Psychic. As women we hold all these gifts and it is in our ability to access and honor all aspects of ourselves so that we can truly see our majesty and claim our sovereignty and self-agency.

The Cloak of Sisterhood
The Cloak of Sisterhood was created live while in Red Thread Circle with two of my dearest sisters. The Beings at top represent the two sisters plus my cousin – all who have been such an integral part of my spiritual and creative journey. The Beings at bottom are my African and Taino ancestors that counsel and witness me on this sacred creative path I have chosen.

She Who Follows the Brush to the Future
Creating the future you see for yourself is possible one paint stroke at a time. Heart Wisdom is about knowing what you know, feeling what you feel, and loving what you love. This muse was created as my archetype of The Visionary. She teaches us that when we see with our heart first, then have our heart inform our mind, we integrate our left and right brain so that we can activate our most authentic inner voice.

She Who Interprets My Soul Language
Each of us carries a personal codex that runs through our DNA that is like a fingerprint and unique to each of us. Sometimes we can envision our ideas, desires, and a future we just can’t find language for. When we gain access to the realm of the Artist, your muse will help you create language for that which is lighting up your heart and soul. The Artist Muse will interpret those code, scars, and marks and gives you the language for that which you are transforming and the reality you are claiming healing for.

Pandora Morning Glory
What if you could paint your own Legend? This painting was the core painting for my certification as a Color of Woman Teacher of Intentional Creativity. This painting tells the story of my journey to my inner landscape to meet my Muse and embody the archetype of Legend at the center of the Alchemical Compass. There I picked roses from my garden of possibilities, greeted by the dove of light, and was reminded that I must embrace my shadow self. My ally is the dragonfly, a symbol of strength, beauty, and agility.

La Madama De La Conciencia Curada
This Muse is my Artifact. She is my inner Curandera and Madama de la Conciencia Curada. She who creates healing through creativity. What if you could go on an inward journey of self excavation and reclamation? Traveling through known and unknown inner terrains where you will encounter your allies, find your safe place, and discover your personal symbol of healing? Well I did, she is who I discovered.

Midnite Muse
Painting to the light of a midnight moon is so magical and powerful. This Muse is a Midnite Muse. She reminds us that we are made of cooling sacks of stars and are one with the Universe. She holds the key to inner wisdom and the red thread of connection to all. Knowing our cosmic address helps us maintain our center and better navigate our lives and inner landscapes. It’s easy to find your way back home when she is guiding you.

Nebula: Cosmic Oracle and Storyteller
She is the Muse who creates the Wisdom in the Constellation of You. She sets your cosmic address so that you know who lives here! Each star is a part of you that wants to shine bright! Held by the energy of the Sacred Feminine, armed with her Magic Paintbrush, and infused with the wisdom of her Ancestors! She is Oracle!

Held by Mother Tree
Held By Mother Tree is an abstract self portrait of the me as I sat against a Mother Redwood Tree in the Redwoods of Santa Ana, California on the eve of my graduation from my Color of Woman Training Journey. I leaned into her in gratitude for her witnessing, beauty, and nurturing. I offered her my tears of thanks and she reciprocated with a love I never felt before. Letting me know that she will always support me on my new journey.

She Who is Queen of Her Own Domain
When women remember that they are Queens and let their crowns shine the world benefits. Claiming your Queendom and reconnecting to your Queendom is how we heal our sense of self-worth, confidence, and inner knowing! From this gnosis, women can CHOOSE to claim themselves to be their own Shero and champion!

She Who Cries for Equality and Justice
This started as a prayer in response to witnessing George Floyd’s dying moments. As I witnessed that unforgettable moment, my soul tightened within my body and a feeling I had never experienced before came over me. It was a call to action! So, I did what I have come to trust and know – I brought it to the easel. I stood in front of my substrate and committed my fear, anger, disbelief, and prayers for humanity as my intention. I wiped my tears with my hands, then blessed the paper with my tear-filled hands as I prayed for reconciliation. as I saw the faces of my beloved, my children, my grandchildren, my brother, my Ancestors and even my own with my heart’s eye. The canvas had now become my altar.

What Lies Beneath
This was my first intuitive painting. Created by writing my intention to let what wanted to come through on the canvas, I added layers of color randomly. As I stepped back, I noticed one black mark that looked like an eye and that was the foundation for the essence that was wanting to come through the veil of the unseen. A true reminder that what lies beneath a painting is sometimes more powerful than what is visible to the eye.

Cuppa Full of Gratitude
One of my practices is to have tea with my Muse daily. This painting was created as a practice in gratitude as I held the feeling of my cup overflowing. Having a gratitude practice is truly powerful and allows me to be present to abundance in my life and the ability to let it ripple out into the world one cup at a time. My cuppa is always filled with gratitude. What is your cup filled with?

Naked
An abstract study of the feminine figure. Inspired from a photo of a live model this painting is about the beauty of our nakedness and the gift of our vulnerability.

Beauty
Beauty IS in the eye of the beholder. Our beauty is not defined by the width of our nose, length of our jaw, or the shape of our eyes. It is defined by our heart and what we project out into the world.

Garbed In Love
My Art Ancestor Caron McCloud taught us that Mattering Matters. Being garbed in love is about choosing to be awake to the fact that we matter and are matter. This awareness is what allows me to walk in the world with a deeper sense of connection to creation and Creator. This mixed media painting is supported by encodings that are unique to me in the cosmic language of symbol, while honoring the love I received from my Art Ancestor “Mama Cloud” by collaging on fabric from a blouse that belonged to her.
PURCHASE PRINT HERE

I Am
I always felt bad about not knowing my lineage story. This painting is about me claiming who I am as a Latina Woman of Color. Being of Puerto Rican descent, this painting celebrates my sisterhood with Black, Indigenous, and Women of Color. When I turned it over I was amazed that my ancestors showed up to remind me that being aware of and acknowledging them and who I am because they were, is all I need to honor my lineage!

I Am (Reversed)
I always felt bad about not knowing my lineage story. This painting is about me claiming who I am as a Latina Woman of Color. Being of Puerto Rican descent, this painting celebrates my sisterhood with Black, Indigenous, and Women of Color. When I turned it over I was amazed that my ancestors showed up to remind me that being aware of and acknowledging them and who I am because they were, is all I need to honor my lineage!

The Conversation
This abstract piece was created in pure flow and delight. When the Beings appeared it was obvious that the conversation is mystical, magical, and captivating. You can sit with this one for hours just listening for what they are saying to you.

The Witnesses
We all have our own “inner counsel”. We call them our ancestors. The Witness is a medicine painting created as a process using Intentional Creativity as a way of working to create an altar to call in, connect, and honor your ancestors for witnessing and supporting you.

The Tapestry of Consciousness
When we bring our heart, mind, body, and field into coherence, we can transform the voice of the critic and the muse into our integrated and authentic source of wisdom and expression. In this painting, the insight that revealed itself was the revelation that my palette is the portal to accessing my consciousness and my creative voice is represented by the Being who is coming though it. As I added paint, then sewed in elements to represent my ability to hold joy and sorrow, wonder and knowing, what revealed itself was that I am the tapestry.
ORDER PRINT HERE

Milagrito: She Who Carries Wisdom from Two Lands
Milagrito is a Priestess who walks between the worlds of her Afrikan and Taino Ancestors. Embracing her duality is key to how she walks in this world. Created during an ancestral connection journey, Milagrito was a welcome surprise reassuring me that I am who I am because of my beautiful ancestry and I don’t have to be either – I can be both/and! Wisdom is carried from the cave of her heart by Ancestors from both lands by way of the Red Road.

She Who Nurtures the Future
Created as an answer to the call to stand for the Trees, this Paperclay sculpture shows how trees nurture, provide, and support other creations. Art as advocacy is art that can make a change. This piece contributed to the planting of a forest in partnership with TreeSisters International

Forest Muse
Created as an answer to the call to stand for the Trees, thisCreated as an answer to the call to stand for the Trees featured in the Musea TreeSisters Art Exhibit, this Paper clay sculpture is a whimsical and playful Forest Muse created on a piece of driftwood from the California coast. Art as advocacy is art that can make a change. This piece contributed to the planting of a forest in partnership between Musea Intentional Creativity Museum and TreeSisters International

Pregnant With Possibility
This image of the feminine is so powerful. This pape rclay and collage sculpture reminds me that we each carry potentials within us that are aching to be birthed.

Grace
Simply sculpted onto an upcycled glass bottle, yet Grace is in her simplicity. When one creates from love, grace is inevitable. Garbed in blue and gold strokes of love, carried on wings of love.

Red Masked Muse
Whimsical mini sculpture was created intuitively in paper clay including the red mask which was sculpted separately.

Portal Keeper
Tiny and whimsical. The oversized nose was intentionally sculpted in Paperclay and attached to this tiny muse that is riddled with tiny portals which lead to wonderful realms of possibility and potential.

Seeker
A tiny reminder to seek beyond ourselves and within ourselves with curiosity and wonder.

Holding Inquiry
Inquiry opens the doorway to that which wants to be revealed. What inquiries are you present to at this moment?

Blue Masked Muse
This playful mini muse was created intuitively with blue medicine mask sculpted then attached separately.

Red Masked Muse (Pendant)
This mini sculpture and red mask were clayfully created with love and the energy of the masks we wear in the world.

Priestess
Mini altar muse made from Paperclay and hand painted.

Shelter
This altar muse was made as homage to the homeless in our world. A prayer for them that they can find stable shelter and no longer be homeless.

Listening
This sweet darling reminds us to listen. What if we listen to the beautiful systems of intelligence in our physical bodies? What if you asked your heart what it wants you to know? Then we really listened… What might your heart tell you?

Dancer
Square pendant painted on watercolor paper and encased in resin.

Teal Love
Square pendant painted on watercolor paper and encased in resin.

Red, Yellow, White
Square pendant painted on watercolor paper and encased in resin.

Blue and White Tiled Bracelet
Square bracelet painted on watercolor paper and encased in resin. Finished with silver jewelry findings.

The Women
Circular pendant painted on watercolor paper and encased in resin.

She
Circular pendant painted on watercolor paper and encased in resin.

They Gather
Circular pendant painted on watercolor paper and encased in resin. Finished with a bead wrapped in wire.

Wise Woman
Circular pendant painted on watercolor paper and encased in resin.

Statement Set
Earring and necklace set painted on watercolor paper and encased in resin. Finished with silver jewelry findings. Length: 18 inches.

Confetti Statement Set
Earring and necklace set painted on watercolor paper and encased in resin. Finished with silver jewelry findings. Length: 18 inches.

Statement Set
Blue and white earring and necklace set, painted on watercolor paper and encased in resin. Finished with silver jewelry findings. Length: 18 inches.

Statement Set
Earring and necklace set painted on watercolor paper and encased in resin. Finished with silver jewelry findings. Length: 18 inches.
Become a Milagros Suriano-Rivera Art Collector – Visit the Exhibit Art Sales Catalaogue
We also invite you to purchase select prints from the MUSEA Gallery Store. Purchases here support our Museum programing as well as the artist.
VISIT THE MUSEA GALLERY STORE
Become a Milagros Suriano-Rivera Art Collector – Visit the Exhibit Art Sales Catalaogue
We also invite you to purchase select prints from the MUSEA Gallery Store. Purchases here support our Museum programing as well as the artist.
VISIT THE MUSEA GALLERY STORE
Artist Bio

Milagros Suriano-Rivera – Multimedia Artist and Intentional Creativity Teacher
Milagros Suriano-Rivera is a mixed media artist, Color of Woman Intentional Creativity® Teacher, Musea Co-curator, and the Vice President of Programing for the Intentional Creativity Foundation, the not-for-profit which funds the Intentional Creativity Museum. She has become a beloved presence and ambassador for Intentional Creativity as Host of the #CreativeConversations series.
A multimedia artist for most of her life, Milagros creates in paint, mixed-media, paper clay, and paper jewelry. Realizing that her corporate job was not serving her or the dream of becoming a working artist, Milagros made the conscious choice to join Musea Museum for Intentional Creativity as a consultant. Since then, she has been showing up in true authenticity, holding space, witnessing, leading community circles, supporting our student body, as well as being a voice of inspiration for our BIWOC community.
Milagros is a wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, and a creative catalyst for healing. She embraces the Intentional Creativity® methodology and integrates it’s teachings into her everyday life has by using her hands to move brush, create imaginary screens and portals that she co-creating with the Universe…to bring the life that she’s dared to imagine into form.
This way of BE-ing allows her to authentically hold space with and for the community while healing her personal story around her identity as a woman of color. She loves collaborating with the universe and creating medicine through creative acts. Whether she is painting, sculpting, rolling paper beads, leading circles, or witnessing our beautiful community, she knows these are all acts of Love! Creativity literally fed her and her family and she came to truly understand the meaning of “a slack hand causes poverty meant, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.” Proverbs 10:4.
Artist Bio

Milagros Suriano-Rivera – Multimedia Artist and Intentional Creativity Teacher
Milagros Suriano-Rivera is a mixed media artist, Color of Woman Intentional Creativity® Teacher, Musea Co-curator, and the Vice President of Programing for the Intentional Creativity Foundation, the not-for-profit which funds the Intentional Creativity Museum. She has become a beloved presence and ambassador for Intentional Creativity as Host of the #CreativeConversations series.
A multimedia artist for most of her life, Milagros creates in paint, mixed-media, paper clay, and paper jewelry. Realizing that her corporate job was not serving her or the dream of becoming a working artist, Milagros made the conscious choice to join Musea Museum for Intentional Creativity as a consultant. Since then, she has been showing up in true authenticity, holding space, witnessing, leading community circles, supporting our student body, as well as being a voice of inspiration for our BIWOC community.
Milagros is a wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, and a creative catalyst for healing. She embraces the Intentional Creativity® methodology and integrates it’s teachings into her everyday life has by using her hands to move brush, create imaginary screens and portals that she co-creating with the Universe…to bring the life that she’s dared to imagine into form.
This way of BE-ing allows her to authentically hold space with and for the community while healing her personal story around her identity as a woman of color. She loves collaborating with the universe and creating medicine through creative acts. Whether she is painting, sculpting, rolling paper beads, leading circles, or witnessing our beautiful community, she knows these are all acts of Love! Creativity literally fed her and her family and she came to truly understand the meaning of “a slack hand causes poverty meant, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.” Proverbs 10:4.
My art is influenced by many talented artists; however, it wasn’t until I found the teachings of Shiloh Sophia McCloud regarding the use of creativity and intention to catalyze and awaken oneself that I realized that my creative voice matters. When I reflect on my creative journey in the context of my life, I know that creativity is about embracing my shadow, creating my own light, and the ability to dance between the worlds so that I may create a potential for healing for myself and others. My hope is to inspire and impact others so that they can reclaim their personal power and self expression through creativity. That is what I am here to cause and create.
If ‘To Be or Not To Be? is the question, then Intentional Creativity is the CHOICE that gives you access to the answer
– Milagros Suriano-Rivera

My art is influenced by many talented artists; however, it wasn’t until I found the teachings of Shiloh Sophia McCloud regarding the use of creativity and intention to catalyze and awaken oneself that I realized that my creative voice matters. When I reflect on my creative journey in the context of my life, I know that creativity is about embracing my shadow, creating my own light, and the ability to dance between the worlds so that I may create a potential for healing for myself and others. My hope is to inspire and impact others so that they can reclaim their personal power and self expression through creativity. That is what I am here to cause and create.
If ‘To Be or Not To Be? is the question, then Intentional Creativity is the CHOICE that gives you access to the answer

– Milagros Suriano-Rivera

Thank you for witnessing the exhibit.
We invite you to leave your comments and reflections below!
Exhibit Page Design and Concept
Amber Gould, Curatorial Director
Sumaiyah Wysdom Yates, Lead Exhibit Technologist and Designer
Kelly Bonsall, Design CoCurator
Milagros Suriano-Rivera, Design CoCurator
Jessica Richmond, Design CoCurator
Exhibit Virtual Presentation
Sumaiyah Wysdom Yates, Lead Exhibit Technologist and Designer
Collaborative Curation
Shiloh Sophia, Curator
Promotion and Communications
Maia Lemann, Sarah Mardell and Amber Gould
We as a community strive to be intentional in our relationship with life, to honor the flora, the fauna, the fungi, the water, the air, the minerals, stories, cultures, traditions and sacred places of the Many Lands in which we find our sense of place and practice Intentional Creativity. We acknowledge with humility and gratitude our interconnection, our place in the cycle, and our sacred responsibility of reciprocation, love, and respect towards our precious and beautiful home, the Earth and all beings.

Thank you for witnessing the exhibit.
We invite you to leave your comments and reflections below!
Exhibit Page Design and Concept
Amber Gould, Curatorial Director
Sumaiyah Wysdom Yates, Lead Exhibit Technologist and Designer
Kelly Bonsall, Design CoCurator
Milagros Suriano-Rivera, Design CoCurator
Jessica Richmond, Design CoCurator
Exhibit Virtual Presentation
Sumaiyah Wysdom Yates, Lead Exhibit Technologist and Designer
Collaborative Curation
Shiloh Sophia, Curator
Promotion and Communications
Maia Lemann, Sarah Mardell and Amber Gould
We as a community strive to be intentional in our relationship with life, to honor the flora, the fauna, the fungi, the water, the air, the minerals, stories, cultures, traditions and sacred places of the Many Lands in which we find our sense of place and practice Intentional Creativity. We acknowledge with humility and gratitude our interconnection, our place in the cycle, and our sacred responsibility of reciprocation, love, and respect towards our precious and beautiful home, the Earth and all beings.
I am so grateful for your witness and allowing me to share my soul and story with you. Even now I have chills at the fact that I had an exhibit and that my story and creations have touched and impacted so many of you. Ever grateful for you encouragement, acceptance, and allowing me into your souls.
I have loved you and your work from day one! And you have always been so accessible and supportive and sharing of who you are and what you have learned. Thank you for being you and sharing yourself in all the ways! Congratulations on this show, it is really beautiful, and so are you.
Wow, Millie!!! You and your Art are truly a gift, to this community and the world. Beautiful, Inspirational, Magical! I have so many favorites… we must talk.
I know I don’t have to tell you to keep teaching, learning, sharing, evolving… with your beautiful heart and wonderful talent there are no limits.
Sending much love n big hugs from your Birthday Sis🥰
Thank you for show up for yourself.
Thank you for being you.
Thank you for sharing your light with the world and the magnificence of your creative soul.
You are my inspiration….
Bravo!! Bravo!! mi querida hermana…you have brought me clarity and tears to my eyes.
Each painting transcribe the presence of your soul, I enjoyed every piece of color and its expression. I could feel the texture of each of your sculptures, I could hear their silent stories….wow…gorgeous…
Congratulations beautiful goddess!
This exhibit was inspirational and awesome. The talent dedication and constancy with which Milagros shows up in IC Musea and in the World is reflected in her beautiful multimedia artworks. Loved this exhibit. Congratulations Milagros