Be Gentle ..life is tender right now.

-
It has been a difficult week...no, let me speak truthfully... it has been a heartrending, knee shaking,
faith tested week. My studio has been my safe place to speak, virtually, in tear-filled words to friends and family, to hear the prayers of long ago and new found friends. This pandemic has touched us all, some directly and others indirectly. I have stared at palettes of dried color, flipped through art books blurred by tears. My well cared for brushes have stiffened in shared grief and my pencils broken by a grip of frustration and anger at a government unprepared and inept.
I take deep breaths... be gentle my heart beats. Be kind and tender with yourself. Be ready to give the hugs and care for those that will need you in the weeks and months to come.
I have no painting to offer this week but I wanted to share one in my collection. The artist is a life long friend, Penny, my anchor when the storms of life have tossed me off course. I gaze at her work and feel all the emotions that our flag,wind whipped and tattered symbolizes. It honors the selflessness and the caring so many who have been called upon to find in themselves in unexplainable courage in these horror filled days.
We sing for you, we clap so you will hear what is in our hearts and this flag, our flag, will forever wave to honor you... the doctors, nurses, first responders, grocery clerks, the postal workers, the pharmacist, delivery services, the parents and the children...our neighbors and strangers.
"My Country Tis of Thee...Sweet Land of Liberty, To Thee I Sing..."
by PHood 2019

To view my paintings go to : helenharrispaintings.com
.

Comments

Penny Hood said…
Oh Kelly.... thank you for honoring the truth in so many Of our hearts right now. The tattered flag is full of life, solidarity and courage...and so are we! We can choose to be.... ❤️❤️❤️ Penny
April 12, 2020 at 7:13 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

#WIP

-
Image
Each day I walk into my studio and some days my brush is a magic wand but sometimes it's a piece of lumber.   The important part of that sentence, the take away thought, is "each day". All the best brushes, top notch paints, stacks of sketchbooks + good intentions = nothing until I walk through that door and do something to move myself forward. Surprisingly, sometimes I find going backwards is a way forward too.  A case in point. I rework older paintings. You know, the ones that sit faced to the wall or on a shelf, even hanging in my own living room! Passing by it each day, all of the would have, could have, should haves nudge it back onto my easel. A #WIP, a work in progress, is filled with possibilities to learn, experiment and grow in my skills. I don't need to reinvent the wheel with each painting. A new idea is wonderful but if it's not working out that day I don't walk away. I look over my shoulder at that stack. Remember the past informs the present. ...
Read more

Talking to myself...again!

-
Image
Sweet Solitude  12"Hx24"W, oil on canvas                       Blogs don't always seem to be the way to communicate these days, yet here I am and hopefully you are curious enough to have landed here.   I do manage a reel or two on Instagram, a story here and there, but no, I don't seem to have the wherewithal to set up a vlog. I do, however, appreciate and learn from the ones I follow mainly on youtube! I've just been rereading some of my past blogs. I started writing in 2007, oh geez, that was 15 years ago! It seems part of my painting education has been self talk while painting in my studio. Do you do that too? Often it is accompanied by dance moves that are accented by cracking knees and misinterpreted lyrics. Joyful moments because I'm doing what I love. It seems every now and  then I do more self talk than painting. When I reach that point it is a clear sign that it's time to write down these swirling nuggets of...
Read more

The Gifts...

-
Image
#work in progress 12"H x 24,oils on canvas by H.Harris I'm late this morning in writing this blog. My most recent painting was just too tantalizing to leave on the easel untouched in the early morning hours. A fragment of color here & there, the wispiness in a cloud  ... it was just too tempting and the blog could wait. If you've been following my journey in my past blogs, this brings me to the fourth stage of my painting progression into other mediums... oils.  I had resisted oils for many years. I always found a reason not to use them . They were toxic, messy and took too long to dry. I'm a prolific painter and had always had a full schedule of art shows to prepare in short time frames. Oils were just too needy....but then as before, it happened ...what if?  I experienced 3 separate incidents that were gifts that changed everything about my work. First , an impromptu  visit to a tiny gallery/studio in Lambertville, NJ where I caught a glimpse o...
Read more