The Victory of Bliss

The Victory of Bliss, mixed media and gold pigment in canvas, 48” x 24”

What do you do when you wake up feeling exhausted? What do you do when life feels like a heavy burden to bear? A veil of confusion descends and your vision dims, so you can’t see your hand in front of your face?

Be with it. Don’t try to hide from it. Numbing it, distracting from it, vacuuming the house to feel useful—these won’t heal you. Sit with those heavy, uncomfortable emotions and remember that, just like the waves on the sea, the cycles of the moon, light and dark, all states are temporary; even the deepest feelings are in motion.

Don’t identify with it. Don’t make it your identity. Sit with it, snuggle up to it, ask it questions, hold it lovingly. Be present with it.

What does my darkness signal to me? Perhaps I am running faster than I have strength for. Perhaps I have overextended in some areas of my life. Without question, I am temporarily disconnected from the magic and wonder of being alive.

I write this next to a painting I made recently. I called it The Victory of Bliss. It contains many punctures throughout the canvas surface—punctures that seem separate. My inspiration was to create a piece that exemplified unity. So why all the separation? When you place a light source behind the painting, you realize that the Source illuminates us all. Our individuality may make us feel separate, but the truth is, we all emanate from the same light.

I look at the painting and I remember I am not alone. I am not separate. You are not separate. You are not alone.

Fine Art