 "When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid." Audre Lorde
To be honest, I'm afraid of a lot of things. I'm afraid of being seen. I'm afraid of not being seen. But mostly, I'm afraid of not stepping into my power. Today I am extremely grateful for my 3-week Organic Painting Residency at Arquetopia in Puebla, Mexico. The experience reminded me of a promise I made to myself nearly 15 years ago when I walked away from a relationship that ended in physical abuse and a job at a law firm that sucked all the life out of me: To be a happy, successful, extremely well-fed artist, and to do it on my own terms. My paintings, my workshops, it's all rooted in transformation because that's how it all started for me. The Canvas Is Your Mirror organic pigments on canvas 40 x 60 in.  I thought I came to Puebla to get away from my art. Then I thought I came to Puebla to feel closer to my dad. Now I realize I came to Mexico to get closer to myself.
 What is a heart opening?
Heart opening can happen through posture, breath, and meditation – and affects not just the physical structure of the chest (layers of tissue, bone and muscle) where the heart resides, but the energetic and emotional capacity, namely: love, compassion, acceptance, gratitude.  Look past the reflection:
You will start to see less of What you are & more of What you can be. N.T. Cloever  Beatriz de la Fuente equates the Aztec (Mexica) ideal of toltecayol with the creation of things that reach the perfect equilibrium between the dual, opposed elements that could be found throughout the universe", toltecayol, she explains, is "the dialogue between the head and the heart," and "the person who has a dialogue with his or her own heart was known as a toltecatl, today called an 'artist.'" Carolyn Dean, The Trouble with (The Term) Art
Forever Is Now acrylic & mixed media on canvas 30 x 48 in.  I know it seems counterintuitive, but I decided to attend an artist residency to get away from my art.
 My work is a celebration. Once, I identified myself as a victim. Broken, deficient, lacking. Today I am empowered, grateful, anew. Through my work, I attempt to illustrate the redemptive power of choice.
The Grand Chorus acrylic & mixed media on canvas 36 x 48 in.  The Pacific Northwest has many faces: beautiful coastlines, verdant landscapes, rainy weather, and spectacular mountains.
For my latest commission painting, I distilled some of my favorite colors and textures of the region including: a map of the Pacific Coast Highway and exposing the canvas to the rain. Burnished acrylic & mixed media painting on canvas 30 x 40 in. |
