Many people ask me about the meaning or the inspiration behind my work. I don't usually have the end in mind when I start a painting. But I can say that there are three major themes or inspirations that run throughout all of my work.
• Overcoming perfectionism
• The hidden soul of humanity
• Expression of inner life and emotion
I discussed the topic of overcoming perfectionism in a previous blog that can be found HERE. For me each time I create a new piece it's another step on my journey to overcoming the need to be perfect in everything that I do. It's another opportunity to find the beauty of imperfection. None of us are perfect and it helps me discover how beautiful we all are in our messiness.
By creating works with so many layers I cover up and uncover so many pieces and parts, so many colors, so many strokes, as I go. This process of covering and uncovering, creating new, covering the old, is a metaphor for our own humanity, and how we show some parts of our life to the world and keep other parts hidden ... especially as we change and grow.
Always each piece is an expression of my own inner life and emotions. Through color, brush strokes, drips, and overall mood, I'm able to let out all of my own inner feelings, emotions, thoughts, desires, and anything else that I may not be able to express in any other way to the world.
Although I title every one of my paintings, I try very hard not to assign too much meaning to each painting, either in the title or in any specific representation within it. This is intentional, in that I feel strongly that the viewer of the work, and it's ultimate owner, should find their own meaning and get their own sense of what they take from the work. In my experience so often the viewer sees, feels, senses, and experiences so many things that are different from what I did when I created it. To me this is the Spirit working to use my work far beyond what I am able to impart to it. An example of this can be found in one of my previous blogs HERE.
I hope this gives you a little glimpse into the motivation behind my work. Now that you've read this blog I hope that she'll go look again at my gallery with fresh eyes. If you have any questions about any of my pieces or want to take a look at them in person, please feel free to contact me. I'd love to talk to you more about any specific piece.
Beneath the Surface 3
