“Serve, Love, Create”
It’s been my experience that most people who aren’t artists look at what we creative types do and think we know something they don’t. There’s an assumption that if something is made into tangible form, it must be true. The artist must have some kind of inside knowledge, luck or talent only bestowed on the select few. A good friend referred to it as the “red cape syndrome”. If someone is wearing a red cape, she must have a superpower!
I’ll let you in on a secret: I do own a red cape. I don’t have a superpower.
The mysterious talent we painters are born with isn’t for painting. It’s for seeing. Observation comes naturally. The painting part I’ve had to learn. And no matter how good my painting skills might be, you wouldn’t care if you didn’t relate to my subject matter. And the only reason you relate to my content is because I am putting in public form what I am learning, struggling with, or otherwise thinking about…which happens to be the same thing you are also currently fascinated with. That’s really what makes an artist. It’s not the big gallery show or the licensing deal (although we like those things too!). It’s the willingness to be transparent and public about our own lives. It’s the need to step out of hiding and share the journey with others in a concrete, public way. It is the courage to begin something knowing we will learn how to do it as we go along. Art is communication at a very soulful level.
So where am I going in 2012? My roadmap allows for surprises and twists. To become what God has in store for me, I have to be open to evolution. But I don’t wander aimlessly. I do bring a compass. Here’s my True North:
• I create work that expresses my faith, honors family and promotes the ideal of peace as a position of strength.
• My art is currency for empowering the lives of women and families, including my own.
• My art tells my story, so that you can tell yours, so we both know we are not alone.
How will this all manifest itself? I’m not entirely sure. Some parts of my dream have concrete actions; some are still in vision stage (always the easier part for me). I may be a creator, but I’m not THE Creator. Guess I’ll have to look back on 2012 and reflect on how far I’ve traveled.
I’ve been playing around with textures and layers on gessoed board! You can purchase this artwork here.
