COEUR

"Coeur" - mixed media on cradled aquabord, 36" x 24" x 1.25".  Ready to hang.  Available for purchase  here and at Artfinder. Rent this painting at Get the Gallery.

This week in the studio, the large warrior woman from an earlier in-process pic fully emerged and declared herself finished.  And HOLY COW is she a strong force in the studio!  She is all courage - and all heart.

Courage is a heart word. The root of the word courage is cor  [French "coeur"] - the Latin word for heart. In one of its earliest forms, the word courage meant "To speak one's mind by telling all one's heart." Over time, this definition has changed, and today, we typically associate courage with heroic and brave deeds. But ... this definition fails to recognize the inner strength and level of commitment required for us to actually speak honestly and openly about who we are and about our experiences -- good and bad. Speaking from our hearts is what I think of as "ordinary courage.” - BRENE BROWN

Coeur

Ordinary courage - ​speaking from the heart - isn't so easy.  This week I've been drawn to all kinds of people speaking honestly and openly (brave, vulnerable humans!) and also to the exquisite openness the listener often feels safe to display in response.  Telling our stories from the heart forges a connection unlike any other.  A sweet reward for an act of ordinary bravery.  I'll take more of that. 

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About the painting:

​Beginning with a gesso'd black panel (the multiple failed abstracts underneath lend a heavy texture at the start) and a rough sketch in Uni Posca paint pens.  Successive layers of acrylic and acrylic mixed with gesso, each layer liberally sprayed with water and permitted to run and pool and then dry thoroughly.  Final layers of shading with acrylic paint mixed with matte medium applied with a large, stiff brush and sprayed again.

I am pretty sure I won't get away with any slacking, shenanigans or goofing off under the gaze of this warrior woman in the studio. :)  Oh, ahem, she wants me to go clean off the work table and make things more presentable...yes, ma'am!