Wednesday Art Salon

"Shamanic Journey" - mixed media on canvas,  24" x 30"

The last week was a whirlwind.  Not just the events of my life and the lives of those around me, but the weather itself - wild winds and swaying trees, as if the entire universe was agitated, moving and changing.  No amount of planning, orchestrating, machinations or organizing could alter the course of events.  They went where they wanted to go, despite our intentions and actions.

As I watched the trees this week, bending and bowing to the wind, I realized I must do the same.  This meant being flexible (something I am not known for!) and letting go of preconceived outcomes.  When I came across this article online 
http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/19/health/stress-free-acceptance/index.html, I knew the universe was speaking to me.

So I decided to follow the same windswept path in my art this week, and this large abstract is the result.  Painting an abstract is an exercise in emotional tension - pushing and pulling, letting go of parts and embracing others, frustration with colors and textures and then a gasp of delight at one little bit that is perfect, lying awake at night contemplating what doesn't work about the piece, rushing to the studio at 5 am to try something you just thought of upon waking - until finally, finally, there is a feeling of resolution and completion. 

Like this week, building an abstract is about letting go of outcomes, following the present moment and allowing the piece to speak what it will.  Somehow the process of making this particular piece gave me the ability to accept life's series of events.  Art influencing the experience of life through the process of making the art.

And there isn't even a bird on it.

This piece is available.  Inquiries: imjenation@gmail.com