I was recently indirectly criticized via social media for creating “pretty, fluffy, art,” especially in light of all that has, and is going on in 2020.  While I believe that there is a place for political art, I never felt that I was the one to do it.  I feel the news and others can handle all of that;  I didn’t feel the need to add to it.  I need a break from it all.  And creating art is a desperately and much needed mini vacation.

 

These were experimental pieces that resulted from me giving up on another piece.  I felt like I was fighting the surface, my approach, not sure… maybe it was the size, or all of the above.

 

And when things don’t go right, I actually ask myself questions, out loud.  Yes, I talk to myself.  You know what “they” say, “I talk to myself because I need an expert’s opinion!”

 

So I asked myself…

• Why isn’t this working?

• Can I fix it from here (at that stage of the painting)?

• What can I do to make this better?

• What if I throw this away and start over? 

So, I decided to…

• throw it away and start over

• try a waterproof felt tipped pen

• try a watercolor underpainting

While painting these two pieces, I thought about Corrie Ten Boom.  I don’t know why she came to mind.  You never know where your mind might travel.  I had read The Hiding Place years ago.  I remember her conversation with her sister Betsy about how they believed that it would be good for the survivors of the concentration camps to grow flowers to help them heal.  If you don’t know Corrie, her family and her incredible story, here is a brief but excellent overview from “Teaching What is Good.“

 

I wish I knew how to heal our country, the world…

 

And so, I painted flowers.

 

About the Paintings: They are mixed media pieces.  I used felt tip pen, watercolors and pastels.