this is the article the paper ran:
http://www.wisinfo.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011110814024
this is what it SHOULD have said:
Explaining what is behind my paintings is deeply personal . i hesitate to tell too much of the story behind each piece because i want it to resonate with people as part of their own story not mine.
i've been painting professionally for 15 years, and while i love the challenge of creating custom pieces for people and collaborating with them in that process..
but it's the pieces I do for myself that are the most precious to me, and when someone else connects to those pieces it is always the most overwhelming and amazing feeling.
to do a solo show like this allowed me to paint solely for myself without a client in mind or any goal other than the working out of my own story
which is a very liberating wonderful thing, and also extremely terrifying! But I think allowing yourself to be vulnerable in your art is what draws others to it. People relate to that
I approach a series of paintings as an opportunity to tell a story. Which means I often paint the whole series in a marathon frenzy. this exhibit has 32 paintings in it and 21 of those were painted in 30 days time. I prefer to work that way , it's the same way a writer waits for inspiration and then locks themselves away until they get it all down on paper.
I really wanted to be honest with myself with this series. Shadow of the moon was inspired by something that tends to be a bit of a taboo subject for a lot of women. Isolation. I was really not intending to make that aspect of this story public..but in a conversation with a close friend, I was revealing a bit of what was behind some of these paintings and she encouraged me to share it openly because it's something that woman are often afraid to admit, we think if we talk about it it implies we are unhappy in our choices or regret the path we are on, and I don't think that's necessarily the case. there are many seasons in life, when you get married and have children you know you will be busy, but you never anticipate the level of isolation that can still come even during such a busy season of life.
My husband and I have three children. ages 9,7 and 3. Our oldest is Autistic which has obviously added another level of "busy" to our life. It's not something we were very open about initially because we do not want it to overshadow who he is or focus on any negatives. But it is a big part of our life and it is a challenge .It is often easier to stay home and not put our family " out there" . it's hard for us to make the time to pursue our hobbies or even time alone. for the first few years I really put my art on the back-burner and didn't feel like I could give my energy to that AND my children.I went through a time when I really questioned if pursuing painting was a valid endeavor. And it occurred to me that there is unnecessary beauty in the world. God did not have to make it that way..he is an artist. It was a beautiful moment and sort of gave me that permission I was looking for. Painting is a passion and a way for me to pay homage to all that beauty around us.
I got to a point when I decided that it was a positive thing to show them that pursuing something you love is important. Instead of building my studio in the basement as we originally planned I took over our small sunroom so that I could create and still be accessible to them and also to let them be involved as well. All of the kids are very interested in art and often paint along side of me. But so far our oldest Malachi seems to be the most interested in being an artist. He is very talented and paints on his own, but also collaborates with me on paintings which has been a really special process and we both really enjoy it.
there are many seasons in life. I'm trying to be fully present in each one as they come, and learning that even though your journey is your own, you are not as alone as you think you are. What a beautiful thing
