Behind the Canvas: Finding a Voice

Some people have the ability to sing, but the Lord knows that isn't me. Some people can captivate an audience with a single note or the strum of the guitar. 

This isn't my voice. 

I wrote this recently over on Instagram and it shares a little of my backstory with verbal communication and my struggle to find my own voice. For me my "voice" developed through movement both in dance and painting. 

My language, the way I related to the world around me came in waves of color and curved lines. A leap in the air or a hand tracing the floor. To me movement evokes a deep sense of who we are, it beckons to the deepest parts of ourselves, the parts that are stale and untouched. It calls us to rise up and be present. To engage at a the deepest level of ourselves. 

For me art is a way of formulating those desires, the deep longing of reconciliation or the joy of new life. 

Sometimes people ask me what I'm trying to communicate through abstract art. If I were to be completely honest, sometimes I like to leave this question unanswered. To me that is the beauty of art, it is an ongoing conversation of both the artist and the viewer. To me there is no wrong answer, of course there are thoughts I am trying to express through my artwork, but my favorite part of being an artist is seeing what everyone else sees. I don't want my art to speak for only one person, I want it to provoke ongoing emotion and conversations with many people. I think we can all relate to art in one way or another. Sometimes it takes quieting ourselves enough to allow ourselves to be vulnerable enough to stir up emotions and thoughts that have been buried for sometime. 

My hope is that you are inspired by my work. That you take a moment to let the colors and movement found within each painting bring you a sense of calm and joy.