Grace Through Art

Artwork was placed on the back burner while other areas of life took center stage as more than two years passed before creating my next collage. That span of time, while not all bad, was every bit tumultuous. The most significant event was the purchase of my first house. Being a homeowner has agreed with me, primarily because it allows me greater creative control over my living space as opposed to renting. Immediately upon moving into the house, I began painting walls, creating landscapes in the yard, and diving into all sorts of renovation projects. Along with it came some serious repairs that, as a first-time homeowner, I was not anticipating having to deal with right away. In other areas of my life, a one-year relationship went up in flames, my nephew was born, some friendships that I attempted to rekindle after moving back to Buffalo also went up in flames, I entered into a new relationship, and, most unfortunate, issues within my family were bubbling over into my life, causing many problems. It was a volatile time, indeed.

The summer after the one-year relationship ended found me steeped in self-reflection. I started to notice patterns in my relationships and as someone who strives for self-improvement, I recognized that the only way to elicit change was to do some soul-searching. My efforts paid off that autumn when I had a life-altering epiphany, which then gave way to entering into a new and fully healthy relationship. Fortunately, this person was patient and understanding because when he moved in with me the following spring he witnessed me dealing with issues that were threatening to tear my family apart. As his birthday approached that summer, I was eager to create art again and so I decided it was time to make another trademark birthday card-cum-piece of art. Although I hadn't been actively creating new work throughout this time period, I had been collecting material for collage work, and through that process, I started to see the potential in everyday things. So, with a developed arsenal of material, I created:

Grace

Letting my emotions be dominated by these family issues was not doing me any good, so I was searching for inspiration from peace. The idea behind this piece titled "Grace", created on the 17th of August 2011, was to serve as a reminder that in any situation, it's far more helpful if we all act with grace in mind. The sentiment behind the piece also reflects the nature of my partner, who always acts with such patience, understanding, and peace, and creating this was my way of showing that I wanted to reciprocate. Kwan Yin, the central figure of the piece, is an East Asian deity. Different versions of her legend exist throughout various parts of Asia, but primarily she is associated with compassion and easing the pain, cries, and misfortune of the world. She figures prominently in our house.

The background of "Grace" is a piece of wallpaper that I salvaged from a renovation project in the first floor apartment. It was serendipitous that I held onto it, as it ended up complimenting the color green, my partner's favorite color, so beautifully. The remaining elements of the collage are images plucked from various magazines.   

Like my other early works, I can look at this piece and envision ways in which it could be improved, but I try not to focus on that. Instead, I remind myself that this piece is the product of my skill and my emotional space as of August 2011, and in the same way we can't change the past, I see nothing to change in this collage. "Grace" is what I needed to make myself and my relationship stronger, and Kwan Yin helped to materialize it.

Featured in this post: Grace
All current artwork can be found in my profile at Fine Art America. Thank you for your time and your support.