I've always had an appreciation for art, and ever since I can remember it has been in my life. Growing up, whatever home we lived in, my mom was always decorating the living space, painting the walls, watching obscure films, and involved with art in some capacity. As I grew up, and took on the responsibilities of learning to care for myself and others, my focus sadly was far away from my creativity.

 

In 2020, I rediscovered a part of myself I hadn't been in touch with for quite some time, and that was with the start of  Stoned and Enamored. In 2022 I expanded into painting and letting my inner world open out once again. My paintings are really simple, I create dreamy color background blends and textures, and place strong archetypal images on top of them. Every figure I am placing on top of the background has symbolism, and as I am painting or drawing I am involved with each images ideal and representation. This is where I find the inner magic that makes me feel connected to something greater than myself. 

 

That is in part why I  love painting on large canvas'; it makes art feel larger than life, and to me, it is. In my current works, concepts, and themes in creating, I am exploring mythology, symbolism, and astrology. I love the stories of our past, and weaving them into colorful and strong statement pieces makes me feel like I am contributing something meaningful to the world. One of my favorite quotes about the importance of art and creating in general comes from Jordan Petersen, and it goes; 

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“A real piece of art is a window into the transcendent, and you need that in your life, because you are finite, limited, and bounded by your ignorance. You need to establish a link with what is beyond you, and the invitation of beauty into your life is one means by which that may be accomplished. “ 

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When I work on any of my art; jewelry, photography, creative writing, painting, etc, I am actively inviting something otherworldly and beautiful into my life. I want whatever is pouring out of me to evoke meaning. 

 

So I ask you, how do you invite beauty into your life? What regard do you have for beauty in your world? What makes you feel connected to something greater than yourself? From the inside looking out, in the bustle of our lives in modern society, our search for salvation, the avoidance of looking at our own soul, we as a people collectively are unappreciative or unreceptive to all of the beauty right before our eyes. We hinder ourselves from the pleasure and splendors of being alive here in the now, when we deny art and beauty.  When something beautiful comes into our lives, we don’t feel worthy of it, we don't have time, or create space to appreciate it. This is the biggest crime of our lifetime, and that is to hold ourselves back from honoring or embracing the beauty that is all around us in the present moment.

 

My heart tells me that beauty opens you up to something greater than yourself should you choose to surrender to it, and I hope if you are reading this that you are inspired or reinvigorated to connect to those pieces of yourself which recognize it. 

 

These are some ways I am connected to the natural highs of life, in which I can draw a line to and from all of my paintings. 

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Flowers blooming in the spring unfurling onto and into itself.

Encounters with the wilderness in which I'm reminded of my small existence here.

A poem which unlocks something you’ve never quite looked at through it’s written window.

The lemon, fresh off the tree ripe in its warm delicious and sour hues.

The way the light touches something at just the right moment.

Tracing your lovers face with your hands as if to carve it out of stone. 

How your bodies fit together when you’re close.

The waters edge, between earth and sea. 

My hands in soil, and my feet in the sand. 

Dried salt on my body after a cold dip in the pacific tides.

Time spent carefully mixing colors and staining them to a parched canvas thirsty for shades.