| “The only way for a woman, as for a man, to find herself, to know herself as a person, is by creative work of her own.”
- Betty Friedan |
|
| |
| | Divine
“Mmmmm, this cake is divine” I moaned, relishing a big bite of rich chocolatey goodness.
“Dont say that!” my mother exclaimed, her perpetually furrowed brow somehow more furrowed.
“Don’t…say what?” I responded, puzzled.
“Divine. ‘Divine’ is a word reserved for God, not things like chocolate cake.”
I sighed and rolled my sixteen year old eyes, accustomed to this extremism, yet never quite over it.
From my strict, fundamentalist, evangelical mother’s perspective, her heavenly deity was being disrespected, cheapened. From my perspective, my earthly experience was being savored, treasured. |
|
|
| I think this perspective has led me to a richer, fuller life. While I may not worship my mother’s god, my concept of divinity is far more expansive.
I knew when I wanted to paint a show loosely based on Greek goddesses, modeled by glorious mortals, it would be “Divine.”
I personally don’t think divinity is confined to church walls, ancient religious texts, or imagined, untouchable, distant realms. I find all that is sacred, real, and good here on Earth, every day. Sometimes I even find it within myself. |
|
|
| That baby’s fat little feet - divine! A lovers kisses on your neck - divine! Sliding into clean, crisp cotton sheets - divine! And the smell of freshly baked bread - are you kidding me? Absolutely divine!!!
The renewal of a hot shower after a day in the sand and waves, the intoxicating scent of fresh basil that makes me want to bottle it up and spray it all over my body, the melting of my heart when a discerning cat chooses me, the sweetness of a wriggly puppy ecstatic to kiss me, the awe of the first snow in Winter, and delight of first buds in Spring, the freshness of a waterfall on my weary feet after a long hike, the marvel of a sunset so red hot no photo or painting can ever capture her - these things, and so many more, are all divine to me.
It is because they are both tangible and fleeting that they are so sacred. |
|
|
|
|
| Details from part of the collection. |
|
| For my show, Divine, I really wanted to explore some of these earthly delights and sensory pleasures by introducing more luxurious textures. In my first show, I approached the pieces with more minimalism as the subjects were all unclothed and the backgrounds were all black. In contrast, for this show, I wanted to play with painting satin, lace, sheer fabric, wet fabric, wet skin, tattooed skin, moss, grass, water, and metal, as well as incorporating gold foil into five of the pieces. I wanted it to feel glorious, rich, lush.
While In Her Nature was far more emotionally challenging, this new body of work for Divine has been my most technically challenging project to date. It’s been nine months of intense puzzling and painting. When I finished the last piece I felt completely drained of power. I hope some of that energy, now captured in canvas, moves others. |
|
| | Let’s Go to a Show!
I am so ready to share my work and celebrate with friends! There will be a cash bar as well as a delightful spread of hors d'oeuvres generously provided by The Sunken Well.
For those unable to attend, I will be sending out an email link September 9th for you to preview the work and read about the inspiration behind each piece. |
|
|
| Sunken Well Tavern September 10, 6-9 PM
Let’s go! |
|
| | What’s New
I recently made a new bookmark and sticker! They’re available online here or at my local studio here.
VINYL STICKER Here’s my spin on our Virginia flag design. Timely, right? I left “Virginia” out, because I personally hope more people adopt this sentiment regardless of where they reside. |
|
|
| BOOKMARK
This tattooed lady is laminated and adorned with a black tassel. |
|
|
| Plus, she has two sides - how marvelous! |
|
|
| |
| ✨ Some little “heavenly” moments this Summer. ✨ |
|
| | I’m glad you’re here. Thank you! Reach out if you need or want.
WIP always, dolly
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
