I’ve mentioned in the past several days that I’ve been busily preparing work for a show, getting all the little detail work in place so that I can deliver the show next week. This is always a hectic time and always leaves me kind of frazzled. This year is no different.
During this process I am not painting and in its absence there are feelings of doubt that arise. For me, the act of painting is a sort of balm that soothes my insecurities and anxieties, giving me a sense of refuge in the work. When I’m not able to get to my painting, these anxieties are allowed to once again come to the surface.
I begin to question the validity of my work. I question my ability to continue on in such a sometimes egocentric endeavor. I begin to doubt that my work has any tangible value in anyone’s life. I am filled with doubt.
Then on a day like today I come into the studio and check my email and there is a message from a young lady telling me how she and her now husband came across my work in the window of the Principle Gallery on their first date years ago. She shared with me how they bonded over the work and they saw the same symbolism in the work that related to their feelings. They now have two children and she wanted to let me know how the paintings have played a part in their lives.
My doubts vanish. My spirits are lifted and I feel once again a sense of usefulness in my small place in the universe. She may never know how much her note has done for my day or even the next few days. It’s a reward that far transcends any other that comes with my work. I wish everyone can find such a lift, to find such a purpose in their own lives, their own work.
My day has gotten much brighter…
The piece above is titled after such a feeling. I call it The Uplifting. It is part of the show at the Principle Gallery that opens on June 12. I love the unity of the two trees against the dramatic texture and color of the sky, as though they, the trees, are braced together to endure whatever comes their way. One lifting and holding the other…
Redtree Times 