Hello there my fellow shelter in placers! How are you? When was the last hug you’ve had? When was your last contact with another physical being? Living alone, mine was on a walk a couple of nights ago here in Portland, OR. The neighborhood cats are pretty friendly here. I had 2 cats about 10 minutes apart come running up to me for some attention. Respecting their space, I did not pet them, but I did squat down to meet them. Cats of course love to rub up against you, I allowed them and I tell you it was so nice to be touched by another living being! I was joyously grateful and felt such love for these two complete strangers and wished them a very happy life.
So what does this all have to do with art? Well just like the joy I felt with my night walk cat contacts, I had similar feelings of love and appreciation with the creation of one of my latest pieces titled “Shelter in Place”.
A new style I’ve been playing with lately is to feel free to paint over things, to keep what I like and see what reveals itself. This piece was originally a canvas panel that I would throw down my leftover paint from my palette onto.
As I was painting over the big red circle with orange and red paint something happened and I reached for one of my marking tools to make a series of vertical dashes. That was when the painting took over and I was along for the ride. I felt so alive, thankful, present and connected to something deeper and true within me. Yes! Moments like this are what bring me back again and again to painting.
Studying the piece, a building arose that appeared overheated and stressed, almost collapsing, more bending over to represent our current societal constructs being challenged and possibly threatened. The big blue circle revealed itself as the descending coronavirus/Covid-19 upon our collective global society bringing undeniable change. The virus also presents itself as a large eye acting as a witness and as a directive giving us this opportunity to view what is really going on at home and around the world. We are being asked to reassess our basic day to day life, our consumerism, big financial institutions, corporate bailouts, financial inequalities, unsustainable capitalism, greed, global warming, you name it...look at it all. “Don’t have time? Well, I’ll give you some time.” - says Covid.
Once the building and Covid-eye revealed themselves I thought, this a little out of my normal style of painting. It was a little ominous and gloomy actually! Viewing these feelings inside I began to see two separate images on either side of the building representing directions we could move towards. At the bottom center in the path of the collapsing high-rise is a strong white structure with sturdy white stone pillars representing global financial institutions, corporate bailouts, financial inequalities, unsustainable capitalism, greed, global warming, etc. On the other end, from the base of the collapsing high-rise a new seed pod has opened and a beautiful flower is now emerging from this calamity. The flower symbolizes new growth, new direction, new hope, new creative and loving ideas, developing collective local and global communities, an awakening. I know! So much to consider! May we remember recent events and be that beautiful new flower.
May you be well, happy and healthy. Hugs coming soon!