New Painting,"The Valley in the Middle of My Soul"

The Valley of the Middle of My Soul

30" x 40" x 1.5"d

Oil and Mixed Media on Canvas

Available

" A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving." -Lao Tzu

This painting began as a study for a larger commissioned painting. I was able to play with the colors and textures and movements that felt right instead of worrying what was manifesting itself on the canvas met the requirements of the Client. In a sense, it came from a more authentic place. It evolved through me, flowed from somewhere in the valley of the middle of my soul...hence the title.

Detail

It struck me how much significance this piece had in and of itself. It is a part of the journey, and the journey itself is home.The path to enlightenment--and more practically, the path to mental, physical, and spiritual peace--begins, like most journeys, with a leap of faith. Through philosophical enquiry of just a basic surrendering of something we refer to as "ego," we may take the first steps of learning.

The New Digs

The studio from the outside is above, and then inside is below:



Finally, we have unpacked the last of the boxes and are settled in our new home! It feels indescribably right here, and I am amazed that everything has worked out for our family...after months and months and MONTHS of searching, we found the home that is perfect for us. And the art studio is a perfect new space. It's bigger, brighter, and even has a "children's area" and a "mommy area", and I have so enjoyed working side by side with my two toddlers as we create in our new space together.

When I first began to paint, I named my art studio Utopia Pkwy. Art Studio. Webster's dictionary defines the word "utopia" as an "ideally perfect place", which is exactly where I feel I am when I'm working in the studio. Plus, Utopia Pkwy. was the actual street name of where Joseph Cornell, one of my favorite artists, grew up. I feel like Utopia Pkwy. Art Studio is growing as I am, and this name that is so much a part of my identity as an artist transfers well to my new workspace.