I have love for all four seasons, because each makes me appreciate the next. It's a beautiful cycle, and as things here in Upstate New York begin to wake up, so do I. I've been admiring the bare branches, crisp days, and budding flora. With an end to the COVID-19 isolation in sight, I feel a surge of inspiration to create a small collection of works for gallery submission. The entire process is like the four seasons; Fall is the mad rush to prepare your work and proposal for the deadline, Winter is the stagnant worry as you wait for juried approval, Spring is the leap into action after acceptance, the preparation and anticipation, and Summer is the fruits of your labor taken shape, the sunny smile you wear on your face at the opening reception~
The muse for this new series of work comes from many years of cultivated interest in the natural environment...I am always awestruck by the waves of change is brings forth. A lot of the time, we see ourselves as beings outside of nature. We have evolved beyond its simplicity, we can shape and bend it at our will, we have ownership over its territories and bounties...Or, so we think. I believe the opposite to be true. Our ties are insurmountable, we are humbled by its force, its different organisms, in mind, body, and spirit. We are incorporated within, nature bends us. and instead of resisting, we must submit ourselves as one. In this series of work to come, I'll be illustrating the human figure intertwined with flora and fauna, symbolizing the struggle, submission, and inter-connectivity we are as humans within nature's grasp. To this end we are vulnerable, beautifully bound, protected.
If you're reading this and still thinking you have some kind of one-up on nature, think about how a virus, a living organism that wasn't man-made, has been a force that's kept pretty much the entire world indoors for months. And than after that soaks in, go back to happy thoughts, like how we'll all find normalcy in mingling again~~ Here's a tip for when that's a thing again:
A gallery show is not only a wonderful opportunity to showcase your work, but it's a learning experience for talking to others. Talking effectively about yourself and your work is essential, but active listening is more important than that! I am excited to begin submitting to galleries again because I'm excited to meet new people. I want to hear their thoughts on my work, on the other work present, on their work (if they're a creator as well). I'll be thrilled to hear all the little stories shared and make genuine connections. The opportunity to receive validation and recognition is exciting, but what's fulfilling is the opportunity to share.
Till the next cycle of life begins Buds,
xoxo Rose