10 years of mulling+ 2 months of migraines equals this painting:
I was considering keeping this blog post to “I’m tired – here’s a painting,” but the little red frowny faces on the side of the blog software tell me that is apparently a horrible idea.
Rude! Phbbbbbt!
So, fine. A friend of mine posted this image as her Facebook cover photo in October of 2014.
She has an excellent eye and I loved the image and have been trying to do something with it since, all failures, but apparently a decade was a reasonable incubation period, since the current painting is what came out. Her FB cover is now a 3 foot by 4 foot painting.
Because of the size and my space, I can’t switch painting positions very well, which means keeping my arm up continually plays into my other migraine factors and the last two months have been an exercise in patience. Which I don’t have. Which explains a lot.
Pity my family.
But! Did you know that this month is apparently Poetry Month?
I am naming this painting “Sunday” after the poem thing I wrote when I tried and failed to give myself a creative retreat. It got published in the 2023 issue of Plainsong, which is available online. Since it is therefore poetry related, it almost looks like I did it on purpose, and that makes me AMAZING. So there. Take THAT, little red frowny faces!!
Sunday
I don’t want to sit in church on Sunday
using the walls to pretend the pain outside does not belong to me,
claiming for myself
what I refuse to others.
I don’t want to sit in church on Sunday
saturated in a version of God
made convenient, rather than true,
holding firm
to faith that smells of fear.
I want to wake on a Sunday morning
and go walking in the ordinary miracle that is the world,
reminding myself
that I am a part of it.
I want to walk on a Sunday morning
stopping to pick up broken glass scattered
like confetti on the concrete,
moving on
without acknowledgement.
15 Responses
This painting caught my eye at the Hawley Art Show. Thank you for sharing the inspiration of how this painting came into existence.
How lovely and kind of you! I love the Hawley Art Show – it is hands down my favorite show, and I was thrilled I was able to get this painting done in time for it.
GORGEOUS!! strong work. Poetry is hard. Pairing two projects is clever. YOU DID IT!
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Love the painting and the poem! You are so talented in so many ways! Keep up the great work!
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Loved the art and the poem…relate well to both!
💚 Thank you!
I absolutely love your work, both poems and paintings and photographs!! You are amazing! Love Mom
awww….
Sucks that anything had to come out of migraines. Love your painting and poem. I’m interested in the “rules” you use to hypercolors wood and glass. You do it everywhere!
Rules? I don’t think I had many rules. I would pick shades of gray and designate a color and kinda go with it – and sometimes change things in the middle and have to redo sections, which is partially why it took so long! I am glad you like it. Remember when I first saw your new office space and wanted to do something large? This tells you what a slow painter I can be!!
Can I share your poem on Facebook?
I will make the poem a FB post by itself next week, also, but of course! Thanks! <3
Especially since all poem-related things are ultimately your fault. 🙂