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Radiant & Broken

11/4/2019

8 Comments

 
"Radiant & Broken" - mixed media on aquabord, 18" x 24".  Available here and at Artfinder.

"...then show me a heart that hasn't been broken by pain or love.  Or a mind that hasn't been knotted with the tensions of life.  To be alive is to be radiant and broken.  Living with an open heart is the art of meeting our brokenness with our radiance."  MARK NEPO

In a perfect alignment of epic proportion, my inner state of being lined up with both Nepo's words and the trust-fall painting methods of Stan Kurth.  With a nod to the more visceral art style of Rick Bartow.

"What is opened in us is always more important than what has opened us."  Nepo's words here are probably the best in the whole book.  We are given permission, sweet reader,  to focus our energy on what has opened in us, and to release our grip on what put us in that opening space.  Whoa. 
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Radiant & Broken
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A little about the painting (for those who are curious).   It begins with random marks and watercolor on aquabord.  Kurth calls that building a library.  In this case, the board was turned many times, many layers and marks added until, at one point, it was a hot mess.  

Going with the emotion of the day and viewing the mess from many angles reveals a shape or two.  I use acrylic Posca Pens to sketch over top of the watercolor, isolating the shapes.  If they work, acrylic paint mixed with gesso goes over top, filling in and then sprayed to run off and reveal a bit of what is below.  The vibrant openings in the background are nearly pure watercolor.   The contrast with the more matte gesso and acrylic mix is Kurth's secret weapon, I think.  It grabs me every time.
After spending time with Rick Bartow's work, I am even more convinced that we must to keep our mitts off the painting and resist over defining.  The incomplete body form of the woman in this painting, along with the shredded, ragged textures, hints at the parts beneath the skin.  And that's what we're all gunning for - in art and in life - the parts beneath the skin where our hearts are open.  I'll meet you there. :)
8 Comments
Carol Edan link
11/4/2019 11:43:13 am

I have 2 "hot messes" maybe 4 that I have to deal with... maybe I should try watercolors first? i always seem to get into messes!How do I get out of those messes? Will leave them alone for a while.....Oh how I wish I could understand Nepo better....very exotic lady!

Reply
jen
11/4/2019 01:58:31 pm

Carol! Those hot messes are the beginnings of something masterful. It helps me to sneak up on my paintings...I place them somewhere I can catch them out of the corner of my eye when entering a room. After a few days, I see things which I SWEAR were not there before!

And Nepo. Whoa. I've been a year with this book. Nearly done. But a whole year just to digest it.

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Carl Stoveland
11/4/2019 11:49:05 am

A stunning painting. It grabs my attention and holds it.

Thanks also for the glimpse into your process. I have a lot more control to master before letting go like that but I am intrigued and may try it.

CS

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jen
11/4/2019 02:00:04 pm

Carl! Thank you. Perhaps, just maybe, the key to letting go is less control. Let your subconscious paint it. Banish the control monster from the room. What's the worst that could happen? A hot mess. Which will become the underpainting of something amazing. Do it. Go for it. You already have all the skills. I double dog dare you!

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Dotty Seiter link
11/4/2019 03:32:06 pm

Jen, this blog post, this painting? a love letter to the universe. Brilliant. Touching. Life affirming.

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jen
11/4/2019 03:38:47 pm

Gosh Dotty! Thank you! It feels like a one in a million alignment. Delighted it happened at all. :)

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Carolyn Laudati
11/5/2019 01:58:50 pm

OMG! Reading this blog and studying the art, is like WOW! I love how you are able to let go, and really appreciate what it creates on your canvases! Thank you for elaborating on your process to do it from start to finish! xoxo

Reply
jen
11/5/2019 02:47:34 pm

Carolyn! Hello, lady! Thank you thank you! Letting go is the message of the year for me. I am embracing it fully. xoxoxox

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