A March Update - paintings and world view
Our world is in the midst of a horrific war, yet our lives go on. It feels like a deep betrayal, doesn't it? To witness such suffering of the Ukraine people deeply scars our conscience as we stand with them in empathy, shock, sadness and desperate hope for peace.
Oddly I've been in the process of an upcoming, unexpected move that has taken me away from my painting as I purge my home and studio to get as lean as I can before moving. I too have no idea where I will go and who I'll be in the next few months. This in no way can be compared to the Ukrainian people and the horrors inflicted upon them, but a transition is going on in my life that will call on a shift in the way I work, and obviously where I'll be applying paint to canvas.
I'm on here today to simply post three new works that I've nearly let slip by. . .there's been much to do. The above was painted with a light heart before the war broke out in Ukraine. You might have guess that already. A more abstract, hint of flowers than what I've painted in the past, along with a more pastel palette.
And here's another odd thing, as I can only describe it as such.
When these sunflowers were painted my mind was on the decreasing Covid cases from the Omicron variant. . .hence the title.
NOT seeing a war in the future of Ukraine (where this is now known as their country's flower) well, you can imagine how I felt when this became global knowledge and sunflowers were suddenly painted over and over, to raise awareness, to express solidarity and to fundraise.
I had always wanted to paint these from a reference photo I had from my previous Florida home. . .these were in my Italian pottery vase on a stand in my den. I am stunned still by my title and the timing of my painting. . .some things simply cannot be explained, and when I fret over it I try to think positive that maybe, just perhaps it is actually a good omen. It sold before the war began, and I haven't reached out to my buyer as it simply still feels so sensitive.
Once again trying my hand at more abstract, poetic work, this came out of my mind as my thinking turned to the White Cliffs of Dover and my English mother who was only seventeen when war came to Britain. The Walter Kent, Nat Burton song "The White Cliffs of Dover" meant a lot to my family, and I can still hear my soprano mother singing it. No, these are not white cliffs, but my mind wandered to thinking about how all beautiful cliffs in Europe, those that meet the ocean and seas have been natural monuments to history. They have been silent witness to it all. Here I'm sharing some of my thoughts and feelings.
The grey days we've had of late with little sunlight, have accompanied me as I've sorted through the memories of my life (both personal and artistic) along with the lives of my parents and grandparents in photos and documents of our past. Rifling through and literally throwing things out, donating all the items I possibly can to do good in the world, all while knowing so many have lost everything in a blink across Ukraine. . .seems surreal.
Not knowing how or when this will end is another new normal for all, and I can only hold out my hand in friendship, share your tears, and consciously embrace those who are suffering beyond comprehension. I also donated today. We must stand together.
Please let their be peace in this world. . .we all just want to live our lives.
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