This will not begin with my date of birth or origin. The art world is, without a doubt, ageist. My age or stage of life should only enhance the essence of its being. I was not expecting to be so opinionated in my bio, but the real me is better.
I hope my spontaneous lack of editorial acumen echoes the natural process of art making. Sometimes the imperfect is more stimulating. When contemplating art, it should compel you to question why the artist made certain marks or decisions. When you think of beauty, is it not more interesting if something is a little off? Imperfections and decomposition are part of our humanity.
In the age of AI, gritty, flawed, and soulful are the new obsessions. I just returned from Palermo, Italy. I was very inspired by its down-to-earth nature. I was moved by the Palermitani ability to express themselves emotionally. It sounds sad just hearing myself. What has happened to society that we have been educated to think rather than feel? What happened to me that it felt strange? I do not want to divert into a political rant. It's becoming increasingly difficult to avoid discussing the topic or denying the geopolitical influence on my art, subliminal or obvious. Every creative act of rebellion is political.
My art is loved or hated. I once was afraid to express myself authentically because of how the darkness of shadow integration would present in my work. I was afraid to scare people. My upbringing was more about appearances and reputation than freedom of expression. As an artist, I've been a late bloomer but I've been painting and drawing since I was a child. Learning how to surrender to the gift, took some time. For me, surrendering translated into spiritual growth. My spiritual and art practices intersect and are equally important. Writing is my side hustle. Several people have been saying, you should write a book. I have a few more commitments to my art practice before I can even think about it. Lately, I have a list of things I still want to learn, including Italian. My brain jumps from one shiny distraction of new knowledge to the next.
Conclusively, I give credit to my childlike curiosity that leads me down trails of research and exploration. Since I was a young girl exploring the woods and pastures of Kansas, I've been venturing off into the abyss, hoping to find something really fascinating. I always do. Those mysterious portals bring me back to my studio.
"Seek and ye shall find" (Matthew 7:7).