Newly Commissioned Painting, Soul Resonance

Soul Resonance
36" x 48"
Oil and Mixed Media on Canvas
Gaitonde Collection
Fine Art Giclee Prints Available,
please message for more details

I was approached by a very kind couple who had seen my recent write-up in the Dallas Morning News and that lead them to my artwork.  They had been on the hunt for an original painting for their home and were moved by this piece. They asked me to create something larger, just for them.

A Platform for Consciousness
28" x 24"
Oil and Mixed Media on Canvas
Available

Not looking for an exact replica, they gave me creative license to take the painting in a direction that felt organic as I was creating it.  I played with the same themes of synchronicity, and when souls find each other and resonate with one another. When this happens, there is a beautiful connection. I was highly inspired by the poetry of local Poet Jeff Clardy, this verse in particular:

To seek the truth
Takes courage and strength
To question the norm
And face its ranks

It's how we grow
It's how we evolve
The questions to life
Are there to solve

Be free In your heart
Wherever you stand
And know the truth
Is always at hand

Wishing you all a day where your heart is free and your soul is at ease.  xoxo, Gina

New Painting, So Much Love

16" x 20" x 1.5"
Original is sold
Fine art prints available, please message me for details.

Studio doors flung open, music playing and painting with an open heart in the studio. Mumford and Sons' words, "Where you invest your love, you invest your life" has inspired me to revisit my heart/poppies series and create pieces full of love. This one was not complete without three simple words at the top: so much love.

We are all attached to certain things outside ourselves from which we derive our sense of self; we're plugged into other people--family, friends, colleagues-- to our career, to success. Yet these things are tenuous--money and status come and go, people come and go, the years come and go.  We are all vulnerable. 

The world is so exquisite with so much love and moral depth, that there is no reason to deceive ourselves with the importance of the trivial things, petty things. Far better it seems to me, in our vulnerability, to be grateful every day for the brief but magnificent opportunity that life provides to witness love in action.

Becoming aware of our vulnerabilities is a lifelong practice.  Realizing that we are not the ones in control is a great step toward practicing deeper empathy for ourself and others,  As we look ahead to the promise of Spring, it feels like perfect time to begin the process of "peeling away", being present and open to this endless unfolding journey, this lifetime of exploration into unlocking the power, compassion and infinite love that resides within us all.

Awake My Soul, by Mumford and Sons

How fickle my heart and how woozy my eyes
I struggle to find any truth in your lies
And now my heart stumbles on things I don't know
My weakness I feel I must finally show

Lend me your hand and we'll conquer them all
But lend me your heart and I'll just let you fall
Lend me your eyes I can change what you see
But your soul you must keep, totally free

awake my soul...
awake my soul...

How fickle my heart and how woozy my eyes
I struggle to find any truth in your lies
And now my heart stumbles on things I don't know
My weakness I feel I must finally show

In these bodies we will live,
in these bodies we will die
Where you invest your love,
you invest your life

In these bodies we will live,
in these bodies we will die
Where you invest your love,
you invest your life

awake my soul...
awake my soul...
awake my soul...

What Happens When Street Art Meets Fine Art

Photo Courtesy JMR

The Dallas Contemporary is shining a bit brighter today. With the recent mural installation by local Artist James M Rizzi, or JMR, a once drab side wall in the Dallas Design District is no longer–now it's decked out in bold, vibrant colors and painted textures. JMR's process was astonishingly similar to that of your everyday graffiti artist, slowly and meticulously layering the exterior of a building with spray paint, rollers and brushes in a process that took about twelve Artists to complete. The only difference? It was entirely legal, and in fact commissioned by  The Observer in collaboration with the Dallas Contemporary for their annual Artopia event.

"The name of this mural is "Bridging the Gap". The reason its named this is the following: Its an accomplishment to go from painting walls that are illegal or under overpasses, in abandoned buildings, and other frontier lands. To then paint the side of a major art institution. Its important for me to remember my source. How I got here. And where I may be going," says Rizzi.

This idea harkens back to a long history of artists who use a term called ‘ready-mades‘ in their practice. From MOMA:

“Ready-mades originated from Marcel Duchamp, who borrowed the term from the clothing industry while living in New York. ‘In its strictest sense, [the term] is applied… to the product of an aesthetically provocative act, one that denied the importance of taste and which questioned the meaning of art itself.’”

This means, of course, that graffiti (whether identified as commissioned murals, street art or public art) does indeed qualify as fine art. So why isn’t it regarded as such?

I am a huge fan of fellow native Brooklynite JMR's art, here's a pic of him below.  His art is a living, breathing representation of who he is and what he represents. Visit his Website and go check out his wall at The Dallas Contemporary and his work all over town.

Tags: #jamesmrizzi, #JMR, #graffiti, #street art, #street art, #dallas contemporary, #Dallas Design District, #Artopia, #Dallas Observer, #dallas Artists

New Painting, You Brighten My Soul

New Painting
You Brighten My Soul
24" x 24"
Oil and Mixed Media on Canvas
Available
www.ginamariedunn.com

We have to breathe in order to stay alive, but only when we have love in our hearts are we alive in the truest sense.

My husband has been traveling this week, so I used the evening hours after the kiddos went to bed to finish up this painting. I was putting the last touches on it, and wondering what to call it, when at that moment a text message from a dear friend popped up.

"You brighten my soul"  was all it said.

Just seeing those words cracked my heart open, and I knew at that moment the painting's name. Surround yourself with those who brighten your soul and you will see the divine love and happiness that is within all of us mirrored back.  May your weekend be filled with a brightness that shines from within.  

Autumn's Early Glow

16" x 20"
Oil and Mixed Media on Canvas
Original and Fine Art Giclee Prints Available HERE.

Close your eyes and think about something you are really grateful for. Tune into that warm emotional rush you feel when you focus on that something.  Experiencing that feeling of true gratitude, puts us into a state of grace.

This morning I awoke and heard that little voice inside got me out of bed and lead me out to the studio. As I painted and watched the sun rise around me, I felt grateful. Grateful for the moment to be surrounded by Autumn's early glow, (hence the title) grateful for my space to create, the time I lovingly carve out for myself to nurture my own spirit so I can extend that out into the world as a mother and as a teacher.

No matter what is happening, when you are able to feel gratitude, it helps to reduce fear and bring you back to an inner peace.

How different would our lives be if we could see everything that happens as a blessing?

Love is my Religion, Sunday in the Studio

It was an early morning of work out in the studio. I can never anticipate when The Muse will descend, and today I woke up as the sun rose, with something calling me to go out and paint.  

It's hard to describe that feeling that pulls me to the studio...it's bigger than me, and when I don't listen to its voice it just simply doesn't feel right. Coincidentally, this happened on this Sunday morning, as rather than being called to attend Church I truly believe it is the hand of God that lead me out to the studio.

www.ginamariedunn.com

With my rigorous Catholic upbringing, even attending a Catholic university to pursue my art degree, going to Church was always a part of the routine. Couple that tradition with living here in the Bible Belt where what Church you attend seems like another way people use to define themselves, you would think the foundation is set for me to attend Church regularly on Sundays. However, I have found as I get older my need for organized religion has waned.  Sure, I can say it's too hard to get three young children out the door for a 9 a.m. service, but that excuse only goes so far. 

I have started to make peace with the fact that, although I dearly love the traditions in which I was raised, and am sometimes drawn to the comfort of an old Catholic Church like a moth to a flame, I don't feel that organized religion is the only way to find God.  There is no right way. God is inside of each one of us, and I can say with certainty that I have had more honest conversations with him out in the art studio, or on long early morning runs at our ranch in West Texas, or even on my yoga mat, than anywhere else. 

True peace comes when you are able to connect to the divine that is inside all of us, because when you do that all that's left is love. 

Who's to say our traditions won't ebb and flow, and our Sunday morning routine won't change...in fact I'm banking that it will, especially as my kids grow older because I want to give them the chance to choose for themselves the best way to find God. But for now this works.

So this morning it's just me, Brooklyn the dog, Dave Matthews Band and the rain. Fall is descending on Dallas, slowly but surely, and all is cozy in the world. Grateful for this peaceful time to create while the troops inside sleep in late-- now time to clean up so I can go make them pancakes.

How to Appreciate Contemporary Art

I could do that + Yeah, but you didn't 

= Modern Art

A Platform for Consciousness
www.ginamariedunn.com

Take Me Away, Down the Star Mile
www.ginamariedunn.com

Contemporary Art is generally classified as any art that was produced after World War II. It comes in many shapes and forms and can often be quite abstract, thought-proking and even shocking.   This type of art usually makes you think outside the box and can stir emotions on a visceral level.  Taking the time to look at a piece of art, and feel its presence, can cause you to examine your own feelings and experiences that arise from the painting, leading you to see the possibilities around you and stimulate your mind for change and social growth.

The great thing about contemporary art is that there are no limits to medium or subject matter. It's used as  more a tool for change and inspiration in modern society. 

Art does not have to match the couch! 

Before We Turn to Stone
www.ginamariedunn.com

City of Blinding Lights
www.ginamariedunn.com

Tips for appreciating contemporary art:
1. Come at it with an open mind.

2. Don't be afraid to ask questions-- about the artists, what inspired them, their background, materials used, the process which it was created. Ask the Artist directly or the Gallery you are dealing with--they are there to provide you with information and love to talk about the art. 

3. Do some research on the Artists.  You may find that learning the story behind the people who created the art makes it more tangible for you.

4. Try to feel what you see:  Tap into personality, character and individuality in the work reflecting back to the Artist.  Can you see yourself in the painting (not literally, of course)?  Try to connect with the passion that the Artist used while creating that work. When a piece resonates with you, it will be because of that connection. Art is a universal language we all share.