Blog

After explaining the story behind my paintings, my husband Joel always says, “You should write that down.” So as he suggested, here is how “Everything Is Going To Be Alright, My Dear Friend” materialized. I was first inspired by a visit to Kelly Marshalls‘ (www.kellymarshall.com) studio at the Northrup King Building. The colors and patterns in her lovely pieces had me humming inside and knowing that as soon as I had a budget for her affordable pieces, I’d be going to her to purchase something.

I started a piece with the vibrant colors I was attracted to in her work. Then my sister Sarenja came over thrilled with the “My Summertime Family” piece I had just finished. She talked about the layers of colors and textures and in her excitement I was inspired to push my new piece in that direction. At the same time a good friend was going through a very similar situation that I went through when finding out whether she had breast cancer or not. I was sad for her and anxious as I waited to get word of her test results. As I worked on the piece I was also working through that sadness and anxiety for my dear friend whose life ran parallel to mine in so may ways. But I did not want this part of my life (cancer) to be part of her life as well.

I was frustrated trying to get the composition to flow – it felt disconnected and swirling in opposing directions. I couldn’t reach continuity in the piece but was determined to keep pushing through my doubts. I finally broke through the frustration as an image and sounds of the chiming rocking of the March Lake Superior waters in Grand Marais engulfed me. At that point I switched to a micropearl white that I swept across the painting in the same rhythm and pace I recalled from that day almost a year ago when I stood on the shoreline transfixed by the icy white beauty making lulling music before me. The piece started to be cohesive and soothing and I knew I had broke through to the other side. The piece was complete as I swept jets of blue and green water color over the white.