Big Flowers

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio is one of my all time favorite painters. As a wide eyed art student in Rome, I spent hours staring at his paintings, trying to absorb the glowing colors, deeply shadowed tableaus, and subjects that seemed to tangibly emit complexity and emotion.

Not long ago I read this biography about Caravaggio. Learning of the chaos he had to navigate in order to do his work, I was astounded at what he accomplished. As I continue to learn during this discordant time, creativity is not a free standing island that we can hop to - it has to happen right in the middle of everything else.

The purpose of this commission, to lighten and uplift the spirits of those entering the Bennett Cancer Center, appealed to me immediately. I feel joy and expansion of spirit when I draw and paint, and I knew those qualities would be amplified by working so large and be apparent in the final piece. The lines and motion of my flowers, how each moves upward and forward, and the colors I chose, are all meant to give visitors a sense of nature's powerful ability to connect us to our younger selves and the larger world.

These days, things feel intensely uncertain and normal disturbances seem amplified. I definitely did not expect to feel anything but thrilled and in my element during this last stage of the project. And yet I've been challenged to separate out my personal state of mind while retaining enough of it to paint in a genuine way.

As I work, patients, family, and caregivers stop to look at the flowers or express appreciation. Some are regular visitors and we chat about the mural's progress.
Each time, I'm freshly grateful to be putting my art where it can have a positive impact, and thank these visitors for sharing that with me. I see that my art is bringing a happy moment to someone, and that feels restorative.

Here I am starting to add color to the Wild Violet - click here to see a walk through of the mural in line form that Anabel filmed.
 

How about you? What projects are you working to complete in the middle of everything else? 

All the best!
Alissa