I've really tried to experiment with my art this last year, trying new things. There has been a restlessness in me when it comes to my art! I want to learn new things! This year I started trying mixed media and other techniques to really push myself.
2019 has been a year of change and enlightenment for me. Both in my art and with my family. As my children are all adults trying to create their lives, one by one they are succeeding, but also struggling. Their mental health fluctuates with the amount of stress they are exposed to either at work or just daily life. It will always be challenging for them, but they are learning ways to help themselves ride the storms. I've created many paintings on the theme of mental health this year-no surprise there! But a few of them have taken on a surreal and painfully realistic bent, as I watch them struggle though their lives. Dealing with mental illness on a daily basis is not glamorous or fun. It can be at it's best, exhausting, at it's worst, debilitating. I always want to show that reality, but also that there is hope. I am learning to be just a supportive role for them, stepping back and letting them realize they do have strength and resilience. I am always here for them, but the daily check-ins and worry have calmed down. It was hard for me, but I know they will succeed and build the life they want, even if it takes a little more time and a lot more energy.
Here are a two of my 2019 artworks. This one was featured in my Mindful Metamorphosis Exhibit this last May during Mental Health Awareness Month at the Westheimer Gallery in Sharonville, Ohio.
Titled "Voices: Challenging the Negative Talk of Anxiety." I used facial tissues to create the faces. It was very strange for me to make all these little angry and mean faces! This is what I feel like the voices from anxiety look like. Planting seeds of doubt and lies. Every single day people with anxiety have to take on these voices. A daunting task, but it can be done.
You can find this artwork on t-shirts that benefit NAMI, The National Alliance On Mental Illness. Just click on the photo of me wearing the t-shirt in the right column. All my profits go to NAMI.
I also started taking on Climate Change as one of my themes this year. Seeing the earth being destroyed over many years and now accelerating, breaks my heart. Painting has been very cathartic for me, as always.
This one is titled, "The Reckoning." I used old wallpaper remnants to create the textured buildings.
I hope this coming year will have more growth for me and for my family. Onward and upward! Happy New Year!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Though I do review comments before posting, I want this to be a place you can freely share your thoughts and feelings. I'll get to your comments asap, thanks!