I’m writing an entry that I started when I was recently in Mexico. Moments of rest during my times away from home have become really important nuggets of inspiration. I’ll start with my entry written one morning in a beautiful jungle town.
Some days aren’t quite as idyllic as this one. This morning I woke up in the picturesque town of Sayulita, in a dreamy boutique hotel with a rooftop pool overlooking the town and surrounding jungle hills.
We will probably take a stroll toward the oceanfront cafes to find some breakfast, and that will be the most pressing task for this effortlessly beautiful day. Looking around, everything is a delight to admire. When it comes to finding inspiration, there are far worse places to be.
Some days are not nearly as dreamy, and I’ve found that days like these can seem so distant, that I wonder if they ever truly existed.
As an artist, I’ve realized that just having a collections of photos on my phone is not adequate. I found I don’t take the time to really look through the photos, and when I do, I focus on the look of the photo, not always connecting to the feeling of the moment as it was my experience back then.
For my series Before the Fall, I wanted to figure out how to keep a repository of positive memories handy, as nostalgia became an increasingly important element in my work. One of the ways I did this was through music. I kept a playlist of songs that took me back to certain moments, just by the feel of their tune. I kept adding songs to my “Before the Fall” playlist all throughout the year that spoke the feeling I wanted to be evident in the painting. That and I made SURE TO DANCE while painting. This was absolutely essential to the making of this work!
Another way I accessed memories, and also planned a future painting, was in taking a lot more time than usual to look at the light and shadows, and the people, and any other details that I might not have noticed even when I took the photo. In the era of constant scroll, I have found there is so much to be said about simply taking the time to look longer at my own photos.
The songs, taking the time to look, and lean into the happy feelings there, have kept me dancing while painting on many a rainy Vancouver afternoon.
Remembering the warmth of the sun on my skin, sunlit mornings, and humid jungle air in my lungs, has elevated my mood and energy levels on more than one occasion. This habit has also led to my focus on representing the uplifting essence of a memory, as I did in my painting After Spring, shown above, as opposed to the form and structure of an image, like the beautiful one below, even though I like to represent images sometimes too (I can’t wait to paint this one!).
Through my recent paintings, I feel as if I’ve started an experiment. Do the joyful, playful feelings I entertain while in the process of making the work radiate out and become obvious to viewers?
From my recent experience at the Harmony Arts Festival, the answer seems to be a resounding yes. The word that kept coming up in response to the paintings was “refreshing.” As viewers walked into my art space, I could see their eyes light up as they looked over the paintings. So many of them said, “these paintings are so refreshing!”.
It’s hard for me to find the words to describe how happy that made me to hear; because that’s exactly what I was hoping for. People felt the brightness, and the essence of what a vacation (or any moment of peace and joy) is meant for, just through viewing the works.
If you take a gander through my series, Before the Fall, and feel like you are on a sun soaked, bright and colourful adventure, I’ll be so glad to hear about it! It is yet to be determined if bright, colourful forms are what people want to collect, but I’m okay with that. I want to infuse a little brightness and joy into someone’s life, even if it’s just enjoying the work for a moment.
I’ve already selected some images from my recent trip that will be the inspiration for future paintings. But lately, I’ve also been finding lots of peace and joy in drawing flowers, and taking walks near home, and I can’t wait to take those happy feelings to the studio when the sun is a little less warm and the fall rains come.
That, and I’ll have to start working on my new playlist.
Do you have an incredible moment from a recent adventure that you want used as inspiration for a commissioned work? This fall I am taking a few commissions, and space is limited. Contact me if you are interested.
How do you hold on to your special memories? I would love to know.
