Art, to me, is the story of connection—a deep, soulful bond with all the beautiful unknown, unseen, and loving things that surround us. The process of taking colours and shapes and creating through these visual tools connects me to a peaceful, simple, yet majestic place within myself. It soothes me, and while I am painting, I am still.
The reason I share my work is to unite that soulful place within me with the same soulful place in others. It may seem like a lofty, unattainable idea (most of my ideas are ;), but let me tell you a story of a painting, and you can decide for yourself…
During the month of July this year, I started a painting entitled "Invictus." As you can see, it is quite a dramatic cloudscape where light and dark are apparently competing against each other. Nevertheless, the outwardly evident war between dark and light creates a beautiful scene. The portrayal of how these superficially violent opposites interact. The tale is ultimately woven together by the viewer's perception.
In my heart, this tale was of someone needing to be visually confronted each day with the radiant beauty of light, love, and connection that pure thoughts bring. A reminder of all the tales where light has conquered but also of the beauty of the struggle during the unfolding tale. While photographing this scene (I work with a combination of photography and painting), I was struck by the warmth that this light brought to me. It was a wet, cold day, but the combination of colours—the exact shades of yellows, white, and gold, played off by the complimentary darker purples, blues, and even grey-blacks—took all sensation of the cold rain away from me. While painting this scene, the thought of a human fighting a battle, a beautiful battle, kept popping into my mind. The thought expressed itself in the brushstrokes, and the reason for this painting, to me, is to bring comfort and assistance to this person. Almost like a weapon to aid. This was the story that I perceived in these brushstrokes.
Upon completion, I always load my new paintings on Instagram. The feedback I receive is a continuation of the artwork for me, and the piece is only complete when it reaches the right person.
At this time, unbeknownst to me, a lady named Leanne was moving through her own tale of light and dark. With the return of cancer, this time a rare form, Leanne has been facing the long and, I understand, painful road through chemo sessions. I am grateful that she was able to find this painting because it was surely meant for her. It was made to support her journey and the beautiful life that she is writing through the seeming opposites that we use to weave our stories. Through this interaction, I have found that this is the reason I paint. There is something far greater than our perception of this world. Something much more comforting and united than what we see in our rushed, anxious lives. It is all around us in every fiber of our bodies and in the nature that surrounds us, and it communicates with us all in a unique way.
My hope for each painting is that my work can form a chain link in this conversation.
