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Difficult Aspects




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Difficult Aspects
oil on wood panel
11 x 14 x .75 inches
This item is unframed but ready to hang
(click on the image to purchase)

​Art is not just about beauty—it’s a tool for processing, understanding, and confronting difficult aspects of life. Artists use it to communicate real stories, perspectives, and emotions; we engage with it and, through it, connect with culture, history, and identities.  - YAGMUR OZBAY

It cannot be repeated enough - artists must make art right now. 
For me, it seems nearly selfish. Because I truly love creating and it feels like play. But it also forms a vehicle for processing emotions, both for me as the creator and for you, the viewer. And, well, we need all the ways we can to untangle the snarl that is the world around us.

This video is a lovely little animation of how to use art to get in touch with your emotions and move them through you.

If you're like me, there is a ball of dread, anxiety, unrest, dis-ease inside when I think of our changing country. Painting helps me move that ball. 

I'd love to hear how you're using art (of any kind, including books and movies) to help during these times. Leave a comment below. And here's a hug from me to you. :)
About the art:  beginning with an old acrylic painting, I slathered on some gesso and then carved through it with a rubber wedge to expose parts of the underpainting and to create texture.  Then, inspired by a sunset photo and the idea of a city hidden in the distance on the horizon, I began laying in swathes of color with a brush and thinned oil paint.  I built the layers on this piece over a number of weeks, seeking dark darks and vibrant  color.  Butcher paper blotting to create sky texture and the trailing path on the lower left.  A tiny brush and RESISTING over-definition for hints of a city.  Chopsticks through paint for more texture.
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8 Comments
Dotty Seiter - 10 months ago
Lola! I can FEEL your untangling of the snarl that is the world around us AND I am breathing more deeply, smiling more broadly in response to the beauty in "Difficult Aspects." I can feel your absorption, play, and internal movement in the brush strokes.

OH YES: artists MUST make art right now. And you DO.

THANK YOU!
lola - 10 months ago
Dotty!!! Thank you so much for your feedback on the painting, and for making impactful art (and poetry!) and helping us all process emotions and conundrums. xoxoxo
Carl Stoveland - 10 months ago
It cannot be repeated enough - artists must make art right now.

I couldn’t agree with this more! We need to make art for our well being now more than ever. The act of making art takes me out of thinking about what’s going on. Being an art teacher is a gift as I help people learn something and forget the world for a spell. The act of creating does so much to help us clear our minds. I actually go into withdrawl if I’m away from the studio for too long. I also find plein air painting to have a doubling of the effect. I’m thrilled things are cooling off in Fla and I can paint outside more for the next six months. Thanks for my weekly dose of Monday Art wisdom.

Carl
lola - 10 months ago
Carl!!! You are giving SO MUCH to the community with your teaching and plein air hosting! And yes to cooling temperatures where you are. A sigh of relief after the long hot summer! xo
Carol Edan - 10 months ago
For me art has become my lifeline keeping me sane!

Love your abstract landscape. Great combinations of horizontals playing with diagonals. The mood is hopefull as those dark clouds are moving off the page! Great quote!
lola - 10 months ago
Carol!!! I can only imagine how vital art is in your world right now! I am so happy to know it keeps you sane during tumultuous times. xo

Thank you so much for appreciating the abstract work! And for seeing the hope in the paint. :)
Nance Fowler Fowler - 10 months ago
This is beautiful piece.
Warm, vibrant, happy and hopeful colors that GLOW!!
It feels SAFE and comfortable and comforting … and there’s a little rabbit hole to go down when you need to run away from it all.
We need more of this right now.
Thank you for sharing - I’m breathing deeper now.
xxox
lola - 10 months ago
Nance!!! Oh, YAY! Your comment makes me grin! So very happy this piece brings the feeling of safety and comfort...and HOPE! YES! xoxoxoxo

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