Taking a Moment to Breathe. Reflections from the Studio

You may not always have a comfortable life 

and you will not always be able to solve all of the world's problems at once 

but don't ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own.

Michelle Obama 

The last week has showed me that sometimes hope and courage in combination can move mountains.  Many of you know about the struggles our family has faced over the last year, especially the last 6 months.  There has been a huge turning point to the positive and I am...for the first time in a long long time able to breath again.  The hope that I have held onto so dearly has changed shape going from a desperate hope to a hope that with it carries a smile.  

A mother's love for her child is like nothing else on this earth.  It's gentle and sweet during the easy times, but tenacious and ferocious like a lion when put to the challenge of defending and saving her own.  I know this having experienced it first hand.  Don't mess with the mamma! 

For the first time in my life, I have used my art to get through it all. It has distracted me when I needed to be distracted.  It has comforted me when I needed comforting.  Through this time, I have re-connected with my artist child, clinging to it like a baby clings to it's blanket.  I don't intend on ever letting it go again because I realize that it is so much an important part of who I am.  I am amazed at what I have learned about myself. Without this difficult trial, I might not have ever found my way back to me.

F.G. in Gouache, Gouache and Charcoal on Paper

This was a quick painting based off a photograph that I took back when my son was 12.  He was standing up on a hill in Central Park in New York City.  I saved the photograph for years hoping to use it in the studio.   On a particularly gloomy day, I decided to make this piece using a combination of Payne Grey in Gouache and charcoal. 

The road ahead will not be easy.  But if I have learned anything, I have learned that every path has a purpose...no matter how dark it might be...there is always light somewhere down it. You just gotta keep putting one foot in front of the other.

***
Linking this to Paint Party Friday.