Listen
30" x 24" / acrylic on canvas / sold
Listen
I have said before that there is nothing that I as an artist can or will create that is completely original, or will match the beauty that exists in the natural world. I do not believe that I am the source of the paintings or that I am successful in creating something that did not exist before. I understand myself to be more of a student or vessel than an artist. It is when I am quiet and remember to listen and look at the world around me that the paintings take seed and begin to grow. It is in these moments of quiet contemplation and entering a void free of expectation and predetermined thought, that I feel as if a veil lifts and I see glimmers of what lies beneath. This experience is always the strongest when I am in nature. The act of creating and painting the image is merely an attempt to document and share my experiences of listening and seeing. It is essential that while this is occurring, I trust the process and allow it to flow through me and guide me to where the painting is meant to go. I do not desire to force my own voice onto the image, instead I hope that I allow the image’s voice to speak through me.
Listen started with the swirling of the October wind. As I sat outside and thought about what this painting would be, a crimson maple leaf riding the winds of the north gently spiraled towards me from a considerable distance and landed right before me at the level of my heart. The Stories I had been reading spoke of how the seven points of the maple leaf were a visual aid to help us remember the order of creation. I said thank you to the maple leaf and the wind for their gift of answering my question of how to begin and went inside to paint.
Listen started with the swirling of the October wind. As I sat outside and thought about what this painting would be, a crimson maple leaf riding the winds of the north gently spiraled towards me from a considerable distance and landed right before me at the level of my heart. The Stories I had been reading spoke of how the seven points of the maple leaf were a visual aid to help us remember the order of creation. I said thank you to the maple leaf and the wind for their gift of answering my question of how to begin and went inside to paint.
Detail
