night environments

Here are some pieces I've been working on recently. Combining acrylic, wood, bits of fabric, plastic and even sandpaper(!), I waded through the painting and creating process, not quite knowing where I was going, until little by little, the pieces started giving me clues. First, one of them hooked onto a random element that surprised me and kept my interest. Then, another followed suit. In the process, a few that had initially seemed finished and solid ended up losing their lustre and undergoing dramatic transformations, but always towards a more complete and integrated end. Working in this longer-term process has once again given me insight into the way painting mirrors life, in that we find ourselves in a situation with certain elements, and we have to be creative in what we do with those elements and where we go from there. There are moments of risk taking, moments of wandering in the dark, completely lost, and then those moments of epiphany and wonderous relief when the pieces come together and it all makes some sense. Along with the joy of experimenting and fundamentally playing, this is yet another of the reasons I continue to carve out moments in which to work on my art -- I think it's good practice for me for life. The more I jump into the unknown and see things resolve on canvas, the easier it is for me to trust that those same principles are at work in our daily lives. And I'm thankful for that.