Angels everywhere! Letting go little by little. Scribbling with pastels or conte marks speak to a vulnerability I can’t shake and never want to shake. Play with the brush. Dry strokes over dryish painted layers, create an unpredictable backdrop…some parts blend a little. Some parts scrape over leaving two or more distinct colors. They don’t have to be conventionally beautiful together, as long as they feeeel true. Honestly, I love them when they’re a little off or even ugly, but they come together in a soul-pleasing way. Bonus if the grid of the canvas material gets in on the action!
I call these interactions of color and canvas “moments.” I look for moments when I paint. For me, if there aren’t moments where I can look at a piece and feel, then there’s more (or less) work yet to do.
And, I’m melting. The more angels I paint, the fewer questions I have. The fewer addictions I have… I loved the Red Velvet Oreos, but I didn’t need them. It’s a funny space… It’s a blank space and I’m learning what to do with it. I’m learning not to fill it with things that don’t satisfy me…things that can’t save me from being a painter, a feeler, a laundry doer, a grocery buyer, a mom-er of a teetering on teen, and a partner, and more. Not that I want to be saved from this stuff. I sometimes want to be saved from failing at them or hurting in some way. But life is moments…layers of one thing on top of another, even if there’s something ugly about it, right?! Ahhh, there’s more. I shall return, but for now, here are the newest angels:
Deeply loved, Angel #6, Sold
Grow, Angel #7, available
She dances (because she found a safe place), angel #8, Sold
Messy Hands Studio 