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Genesis of “Through the shadows”
Some of my paintings arise out of a very special situation or feeling I don’t want to deal with. But as with everything…we can’t run away from things forever. Cat Stevens describes it so beautifully in his famous song “Father and Son”: “It’s hard, but it’s harder to ignore it”. So sometimes we have to make decisions, knowing that they will let us go through tough times but are necessary to come to a state where things become better…even if it hurts in a while.
“Through the shadows” is inspired by fear and hope, two very strong feelings and the title of the painting refers to the following quote from the book “Lord of the Rings”:
They can only come to morning through the shadows (J.R.R. Tolkien)
While working on the painting I also stumbled over the song “Grow – A COLORS ENCORE” by FaceSoul and its lyrics really touched me (and soothed me in a very special way). If you don’t know it, you can listen to it here on YouTube.
The lyrics are as follows
Don’t be afraidAfter the darkness is lightSo don’t you be afraidAnd there comes the long nightOh, long nightHave faith, journey alongIf you don’t know, the path is longBut if you try, you’ll surely growTo heal past the sorrowThat been keeping you low, you low, soGrow, grow, grow, growGrow, grow, grow, growGrow, grow, grow, growYou’ve got to grow, grow, grow, growEven if you’re on your ownEven if you can’t find your wayEven if the journey is coldBelieve in I to deathAnd I know that you will grow, day by dayIf you walk with loveYou’ll never be strangersGrow, grow, grow, growYou’ve got to grow, grow, grow, growYou’ve got to—You’ll grow past these shortcomingSlowly and surelyWe’ll make it through
I'll help you with the pain...you're not alone
While working on the painting, I fell in love with figure drawing again, a thing I used to do a lot while attending fashion school. I don't know what happened that I'm back at it know, but in this artwork I liked the idea of someone taking care of me and my fears. It's a bit like my "adult self" taking care of my "child self". I painted over the outlines in the end because it looked too tangible and I prefer it more abstract, but I'm in love with the knowledge that they both are there.
Creating every day
I bought myself a new sketchbook and started to draw one figure sketch every single day...a bit like a visual diary. I really enjoy the process. The good thing about it is, no matter if I actually find time to paint or not, I am still creating some kind of art every day and that gives me a very satisfying feeling. We'll see where it will lead me...