Ynotartblog's Blog

An open and unfocused mind has its benefits. I now attest to it being a perfect state to spy two random images and join them in significance.

In such a state, I realized I was making art between a heart and a tiny photo of my mother. I can’t recall exactly when I pasted the red heart to the heavy-duty cardboard on top of my work table or the photo of my mom to the orange organizer also on my work table. But at that moment those images connected, the presence of loving support was affirmed.

Heart + Mother = loving support

Although my mother has passed away, the memory of her support of things big and small keeps me going. And love of the navigation and investigation of my world, our world, supports and motivates my continuing to make images.

Someone I exhibited with once long ago called me during that show and talked at length about all the “emotion” he saw in my work. His reflections on my work made me realize then that the interacting shapes and markings did have expressive qualities portraying feelings. At that time I was painting large canvases in oil. Abstract shapes and squiggles were plentiful. The density of images has been reduced, but the “emotion” involved in creating is still there. The love.

Like guardians at the gate, a tiny heart and a sweet picture of my mom tell me I’m good to go.