On my website you can read that I paint to make sense of the world. I feel inner changes happening which make me restless. In order to alleviate discomfort I am looking for answers. When I paint, the answers come in symbols of truth.
This painting found its origin in the yard in Nokomis. The plants are called Lady Palms. Often I paint plants, especially tropical plants because of their beauty and almost sculpturesque appearance.
With my eyes I follow the light, study the changing colors and practice my skills. The title came to me as ‘Our Fragile Nature’, thinking about the fragile nature of our own beauty, our existence as humans but also nature itself, constantly prone to destruction of developers. Nature is seen as a worthless object because there is no monetary value set on it. Land has value but even more so when all the trees are gone.
Thinking about it intellectually I develop the painting in a way it will be pleasing to look at. Before I know it, an image of a blue butterfly comes to my mind as I have seen in the garden of the national museum in Costa Rica. I paint the butterfly and like the contrast of the blue with the orange. The butterfly dances to the light.
In ancient Greece, the word for butterfly, “psyche,” literally translated means “soul.” Native Americans have considered butterflies as symbols of transformation, hope, and rebirth. They have inspired humans for millennia with their delicate nature and the immense power they possess. They’re born as caterpillars, cocoon themselves, and emerge in their true form. We can be inspired by it to do the hard work on ourselves, knowing we too can grow and transform.
And thus the painting achieves its meaning for me personally. It calms me down to know that the unrest is coming from inner growth, insights and becoming lighter. Many visitors see it and in a second they decide this is not the painting that complements their couch and walk on, not even being interested in the meaning.
I paint to make sense of my own world. Not very commercial, I know. It takes time to find the person who resonates with my insights and has the money to buy it.
I worked for ten years on creating a foundation of multiple sources of income to secure a better standard of living other than being homeless. Today I don’t have to be stressed out when people come and visit my gallery without any intention to buy. Stress is a dead sentence for creativity. I finally figured it out.
Here is a tour of my studio, https://vimeo.com/931512569?share=copy
Northlight studio’s, 357 Depot street, Asheville
