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Madonna of the FlamesMadonna of the Flames -
St. Michael’s, Clark’s TownSt. Michael’s, Clark’s Town
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Silent SwiftsSilent Swifts
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Passion FruitPassion Fruit
A Momentary Leap of Faith
As an artist, beginning a new piece of work can sometimes be a struggle. Even if I have the subject matter to paint, if I’m not feeling the vibe of the image, then there’s no driving force for me to paint it with. And sometimes it’s not just the vibe from the image, it’s a vibe that I could be feeling about something else that’s going on in my life at the time that’s missing.
I remember some years ago, when I was just embracing the idea of painting in oils, a good friend of mine gave me a wonderful magnet that said, “leap and the net will appear”. She somehow felt my hesitation and fears about trying out this new medium. Incidentally, the words on the magnet were just the push I needed.
Around that time, this same friend and I took a trip out to Lover’s Leap in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica and the inspiration that I felt from the dramatic view there had me sketching in no time at all. Not only was I feeling the incredible energy of the place, I was also able to take it with back home with me and I painted non-stop from my sketch once getting there.
This process of painting helped me to work through the challenges of hesitation and fear. The end result was a piece of art that not only carried the feeling of Lover’s Leap from my perspective but also the message that I got from that magnet. Everything came together so divinely! It was a wonderful feeling!
That painting has since sold and when I look at the photo of it, I am still transported right back to the feelings that I was having in those moments while that painting was being born. It’s really a blessing to know that we can work through feelings in so many different ways and create something good and positive from them. For this I feel very thankful.