New Painting – Tribute
I finally completed the painting pictured below last month. It was in progress when I showed it at the Drift in September. I asked viewers to think of someone in their life and to write a sentence or less that best described what they liked about this person onto the painting. Afterwards, I incorporated the messages within more layers of paint to provide more depth and further age the text.
I was inspired by the idea of rewriting the “bathroom wall”. In the past, the bathroom wall was the place to share your thoughts about other people. The wall was often a source of entertainment until you discovered an unflattering note about yourself. In place of the usual graffiti of negative comments, viewers can give tribute to people in their lives on the “wall”. Some of the messages were: Embrace, love his laugh, keeps me grounded, her smile lights up my life. If you heard these comments everyday, how amazing would that feel? The purpose of the exercise is to show that it does take some effort to find the words to highlight people’s strengths but amidst the busyness of our lives, the real challenge is to actually take notice and let them know! Thanks to all who contributed to my painting.