Thursday, March 14, 2013

In the Art Studio: Open Hands + New Art

I didn't get very much time to work on my art projects this week, but the little time I did find I put toward finishing these very different lovelies:

Open Hands 

Open Hands

Open Hands was born out of my fear.  Having had my daughter die before she was born, it feels like all bets are off for all the other precious people in my life, especially our son.  I know how easily death creeps in, and it terrifies me.  So my "solution" was to desperately try to control everything so that nothing bad would ever happen to my family again.  But of course . . . that's not really much of a solution at all, and even if it was, that's no way to live.  The true solution, I believe, is to trust everything to God -- to live open-handed to Him.  I know that's no guarantee against future pain, but I think it's the best that I can do.  This painting is a reminder of that for myself and, maybe, for you.

Star Boy 

Star Boy

Star Boy is a creation inspired by an online art class I am taking from Mindy of Tim's Sally (I have no idea what the significance of that name is -- if you do, can you let me know? I'm super curious!).  I'd attempted to start a new creation on this square canvas a myriad of times, but each time I felt really discouraged by what I produced and painted over it.  In the end, I turned to Mindy's inspiration and practiced shading a more primitive figure in a far different way than I am used to.  I love how it turned out, and am tempted to hang onto it to hang in our son's room.  But I also don't want to horde my own art (I am given to hoarding in general), so instead I'm putting it out there to see what happens. 

It feels lovely and satisfying and a little bit scary to put these out in the world.  I love each one because they are different from my usual creations.  Hello, courage!

Seth with name 

I also finished another Not Forgotten remembrance drawing and it sent it off the mama who commissioned it -- I both hate and love doing these.  I hate it, because it means that a precious, wanted child is missing from this earth, yet love to be able to provide this little way of remembering to ease a mama's heart just a tiny bit.  And I love, too, that I am able to create this cute, sweet drawings out of my own daughter's absence.  Beauty from ashes, my friends.  It always seems to come back to that. 

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8 comments:

  1. I vote hang Star Boy in his room until it sells. That way you have the best of both worlds. :)

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  2. Star boy's hues and shades and layered textures are simply awesome, Beth!

    Linda

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  3. an Amen to you when you say the only solution is to trust God in everything...

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  4. beautiful!
    Stopped by from Studio JRU.

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  5. Living with open hands. It's so difficult to do, and yet, that is the place of freedom and peace.
    Blessings!

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  6. Wonderful art, Beth. Each piece is so different yet so beautiful xx

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  7. these are all so great in their own ways! love hearing your thoughts behind each one. to live open-handed to Him... love that thought, beth! :)

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  8. Beautiful thought and how it inspired your process and brought forth a new creation to connect with the world.

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"I am glad you are here with me."
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King