Recently my daughter shared Richard Brautigan's writing, Sombrero Fallout:
"I guess the last remaining question is: What about the sombrero? It's still there, lying in the street but its temperature had returned to -24 degrees and fortunately for America it stayed there. Millions of tourists have walked all around it but not one of them has seen it, though it is in plain sight. How can you miss a very cold white sombrero lying in the Main Street of a town? In other words: There is more to life than meets the eye"
This passage so spoke to me--this was my art. The quest for looking at what is in front of me and capturing the beauty of it all and appreciating that beauty is not a destination, it is a state of willingness to shift your vision and look squarely in front of you.
I painted this painting ("Everything in the Universe is a Pitcher Brimming with Wisdom & Beauty") in the midst of contemplating Brautigan's passage and enjoyed the play in colors and shapes and wasn't sure how I arrived at this composition but trusted my unconscious to guide me.
Upon completion, I stumbled upon the Rumi quote for the title--if felt like synchronicity. And my following artist statement will tell you why: it's naked me. Your comments are welcomed:
Being a sensitive person has served me well. As a kid from a family mired in trauma, I turned to drawing and writing to preserve my soul. And most importantly, I learned to notice what beauty I found around me—in the details.
Some of my favorite memories were about what filled my senses: twinkling Christmas lights I studied from my bedroom window, petunias and smoke from my neighbor’s Camel’s wafting into one summer scent, the gentle voice of the baseball announcer whispering from the radio hidden next to my pillow. These sweet, tiny moments were gold to me.
Learning early to have presence for these moments of wonder was a gift. It is the cornerstone of my art.
In my work, I continue to explore simplicity and beauty. Playing with colors and their relationships as they dance on the canvas. Making simple marks and shapes and abstracting and reimagining common objects, both natural and man made.
The works have many layers of paint/mixed media and often a myriad of found, up-cycled and vintage objects included… items that one would not think as particularly beautiful, but upon further glance offer artistry to the piece.
And that is the crux of my work—that on the surface, beauty may not be apparent, but at a as you shift your focus, beauty reigns. As in life—with struggles, traumas, it is not all black or white—all good or bad--amid the many shades of being, as we grow, as we understand, as find our voice and power, there is joy.