I created the title my paradise panels © to embrace a new and growing body of artwork which seeks to envision a whole, harmonious and healed world as a counterpoint to the ubiquitous visions of destruction, darkness and despair.
My work has long drawn inspiration from the natural world. Many of my volunteer efforts and donated artworks for fundraising have been in the service of environmental stewardship.
In my work, I seek to share the ineffable awe and beauty experienced in nature ~ and of course, nature will always have the upper hand here !
Initially, I set out to depict a vibrant and lyrical world, full of creatures, light and color, filled with flora and fauna drawn from all over the world ~ to create a vision of a harmonious 'paradise'. At the same time, as I worked, I realized this imagined world of perfection seemed somewhat one - dimensional. I happened to be reading a book at the time which referenced William Blake's poem THE TYGER. Powerful and revelatory poetry, it seemed to be an obvious signpost in my process. I contemplated the paradox and complexities of harmony ~ the duality which is presented when seeking perfection. The tigers were already in my paintings. Now they became TYGERS ... symbolic of something terrible and something sublime. Like so much within our power: the power to create and the power to destroy, the light and the shadow side. Now I had my dimensional thesis.
Upon reflection, I realized there had to be a third dimension : integration. Acceptance of an inherent duality in our real world requires acknowledgement of both sides in any effort to map our way forward and to heal our world. That is the reality upon which we must build hope.
As this first phase in the new work progressed, I began to integrate other creatures into the compositions . The fanciful abstraction of natural forms continued and the pivot required a new palette as I shifted into a new medium. The playful pinks slowly shifted into earthier tones, and skies replaced tropical forests as the backdrop of the 'paradise drama'. Another occurrence which aligned with this shift was the arrival of two hurricanes, impacting friends and family on two different coasts. While painting turbulent skies, I was watching closely the destruction due to climactic events.
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