When I think of Hurricane Katrina, I experience and feel deep grief.
I remember those moments like it was yesterday.
I can feel that time still in my body as I write.
And that life, I once had, and knew, feels very distant.
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Art can be a relic, transported into physical form…installed and positioned for an audience.
Or art can be consciousness, an experience that becomes infused into our being—-our thoughts, memories, and images (real or imaginary) in our minds.
Art is an appreciation for something, someone created. And it has the ability to transform one’s day.
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I seek the answers to these questions: “who am I, what is my voice,” and many questions through painting, through writng poetry, through creating things, through following my curiousity, and pursuing the things that inspire me. Inspiration is a great way to discover who you are, what you like to have or create in your life. Writing is a great way to discover what is hidden deep within ourselves that we often try hide or overlook out of fear or shame. Painting is a great way to channel energy inside, observe the thoughts that arise, as a moving meditation. “
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Earthing has become a small practice, that has led me to spend more time outdoors— meditating in the sun, watering the plants, and enjoying the night sky when it’s cool. When the sun sets, I sit outdoors to watch my son play on his swing set or at his sand table, and enjoy a cool beverage as I read or journal. These small decisions, bring positive closure to my day or a pleasant pause that enriches my mind and heart. These moments center me. And as simple as they may be, these moments really impact me, my mood, and my day, that inspires me to be creative, or miraculously, inspire me to separate away from my phone, to just be.
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My sense of confidence as an artist comes from me being in the studio and spending lots of time there.
However, my new self as a mother, has other priorities that come first, that impede the luxury of time I once had to spend full days and full weeks creating as an artist.
This change is a gift, if, I am willing to accept it, and lean into it.
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During my law school days, I sought out various eclectic coffee shops to bunker down and “camp out” for hours. Salento’s was my way of finding inspiration when I did not have the time to express myself creatively.
Even then, Salento’s was my way of seeking, finding, and personally creating moments of inspiration in the mist of the day-to-day grind.
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For me, this is what I’m seeking with writing this blog, and also, what I’m seeking everyday as an artist—when I’m in or outside the studio. Being an artist and pursuing as many moments as possible creating art, is really all about seeking to live as many moments as I did in Spain. Carefree, for the most part. Grateful, with a silent, present mind. Perfectly at peace to be in solitude yet open to experiences.
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My husband and I share a an upcoming wedding anniversary in August, where we tied the knot in my home town, New Orleans. I couldn’t help but reflect upon a deeply favorited work I created last month: a commissioned umbrella for a New Orleans wedding, which of course, concluded with a celebratory second line of the wedding party and guests, with the new bride and groom leading the way.
Being from New Orleans, I know how special this commission was. This umbrella was not only going to be a work of art that would be experienced and enjoyed in real life, in real time, but also serve as an incredible relic to remind the viewer of how much fun, love and joy they experienced that special day.
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You never know where inspiration may come from.
Through this particular edition, I’ve found a quote I particularly liked, and a poem (that was etched into a home) that was very fitting for me and deeply inspirational.
I share them below.
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The ability to add texture to a painting, conveys the sense of time through the many layers that cultivate the piece. To add implies growth, but to take away aspects of this texture expresses weathering through hardships, developing strength testified through the visible scars on the canvas.
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My work is evolving. Changing and transforming. And becoming more confident, expressive, and unapologetic.
Less cute.
Less trying to conform.
Less, creating for an audience in mind.
I guess it’s partially because I no longer have the time or physical and emotional energy to be anything I am not anymore.
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The beautiful thing about painting, is that the more layers, paint, and history a work has, the cooler it becomes.
There are no mistakes.
Each action leads to the next, building upon the other, until it is ready to emerge.
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Both paintings, completely different, were inspired by the same commission.
Their pathways become clear as I paint, and pursue further.
I love the wide brush strokes of Unified, and how their colors have a clear separation, an own identity to them, yet compliment each other so well.
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Seeing Levanter, was like, visiting with my older self. Yet, through this painting, it seems like, my older self, had a message for me.
I walked closer to my work, and read the words that I’ve written in the painting. And found them to be the reminder I needed:
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There is definitely a transformation going on. And I am here for all of it.
Transformation is always first, an inside job.
It usually takes a long time before the fruits of one’s labor to become seen.
But, nonetheless, the transformation is happening.
Stay strong.
Keep going.
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Each moment, we are creating memories, that we will remember and forever cherish.
Memories that form us into who we will become in the future.
Memories that we will call upon during times of sadness or stress.
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It is a gift to wake up before everyone and enjoy this quiet time with the invisible web of peace and love that surrounds me. In these moments, I feel calm and safe.
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Like everything in life, there are phases and seasons. Nothing is forever.
Change is ever constant. Life is always moving forward.
One of the best advice, I’ve received as a mother, is to enjoy each moment and each phase because the time goes by so fast.
Well, now, Harry is getting bigger, taller, and transforming into his own person. And now I get to spend this time in the studio, thankfully, with him.
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Mark laid out a blanket, and opened up a lunchbox he packed for us, consisting of animal crackers, salmon, bagels and brie, with ice cold water.
It was a quiet moment. We did not talk much. But the silence was peaceful and natural.
We just took in the warm, breeze, and the combination of the tranquility of nature and the hustle sounds of downtown Houston.
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