Finding Meaning in Art

It wasn’t a fun time, that’s for sure. My kids were both heading off to college in the Fall, too, adding even more emotion to my days. It was scary contemplating such massive changes, and the financial insecurity and emotional turmoil I knew I’d face being on my own again after several decades.

I had started painting again a couple of years before, but not in earnest. The day I started this painting, I was feeling like I had finalized some significant decisions about my future (namely, that I’d be single again, with all that entailed), and was starting to move out of the darkness in which I’d felt mired. This painting slowly evolved from being very dark to adding the lighter areas on the right side. Then I started playing with palette knives, making long strokes of color and light. It was an emotional experience painting it, and I felt my spirit lighten just a bit as the work developed.

I chose this as one of the paintings I would display at a local art tour gallery, and it was purchased very quickly. All weekend, I had people coming into the studio looking for other works that were similar (unfortunately, I didn’t have any other works where I used palette knives so strongly).

One woman’s husband was a sailor, and she saw sailboats and reflections on the water.

Another gentleman loved the city and saw a city skyline.

The couple who purchased it came in to meet me and said they bought it because it spoke so deeply to them. Their son had died of an overdose five years before, and they felt like they were finally coming out of the darkness of losing him. His favorite color was blue, and they loved how the lighter side had so much blue in it.

They purchased it to hang in their family room.

Let me tell you; I got completely choked up speaking with them. This is what I’ve always dreamed for my work - that it resonates with people in context to their own lives and experiences, and that people find comfort, joy, peace, beauty - any of these, or if I’m super lucky, all of these - in my work. To have such connections with collectors is an experience that defies description; I’ll just simply say it’s amazing, and to me, it proves the grand and incredible power of art.

What do you think? Have you had a profound reaction to art in your life? I’d love to hear about it!

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