Tina, Paintings

Image 1:

This image is about “Letting Go.” I read a book about Visualization (forgot the name of the book and can’t find it in my library). It guided the reader to visualize “letting go” in real actions, i.e.: color your attachments and put them in bags. Then go to the ocean and put all the bags in a small boat, and let the boat float away with all your attachments. Well, the visualization worked on me. I could actually see myself packing my attachments in bags, and I could feel myself on the beach smelling the ocean breeze.I put the bags on the boat and watch the boat floats away.  Because the vision was so vivid, I decided to paint it. 

Letting Go of Attachments

Images 2 & 3:

I took a workshop from Donna Dewberry, the artist who founded the One-Stroke painting technique. It was fun, and I learned to work with my brush. It also inspired me to do porcelain decorative painting. But I never follow up with this inspiration; instead, I put away my brushes and the paintings. Hm… Lost opportunity? This afternoon, I was looking for images to upload onto this Blog and found these paintings. I thought I put it up just to see if people still remember Donna Dewberry and her invention and contribution to contemporary arts and crafts.

Bouquet

Round bouquet

Tina, Collages

Image 1:

This image spoke to me reminding me to let my spirit be free. I had been restless for a long time, thinking and feeling there is more than just this existence. When I saw this image, I instinctively recognize the message in it. My spirit like the white doves is fluttering to be free – but what kept it captive? Why couldn’t it just be free?

Desire to be Free

  

Image 2:

Here is another theme of captivity. Beauty locked inside a glass cage. Outsiders could see and admire this beauty within but couldn’t touch it. I brought in the Red Ferry – a symbol of passion. She unlocks the door of the cage and sits to guard and protect Beauty.

Beauty n the Red Ferry

Image 3:

In one of my Artist Way Group meeting, someone brought in lots of magazines to cut and tear for collages. It was an intuitive process with time constraint. We cut and tore images without analyzing the content or questioning how the images could be used; we had to complete the collage within the hour. Out of three magazines that I picked, I found images that I instinctively glued together. When I saw the finish product, I was stunned? Did I think this in my subconscious? Then, fear crept in; is it possible that God will leave us? What do we do without God? 

Image 4:

These two images are part of an article on animal trafficking with origins in Africa. Here again is the theme of captivity; an image of a soul behind the bars. The look in his/her eyes haunted me for weeks after I saw this picture. I see sorrow and helplessness. These feelings resonate with me at that time. Why did I feel that way?  

This next image is even more disturbing to me. A baby monkey hiding between, what looks like, men’s tall boots. What is it afraid of? Is it also being trafficked? Imagine babies being taken away from their habitat and mothers, and trafficked for profit. 

I kept these images in a box for years. But may be it’s time for them to come out and be seen again, so that the issues of trafficking, animals or humans, would not be forgotten.