TRANSPARENCY
/tran(t)ˈsperənsē/
Noun.
1. the quality of allowing light to pass through so that objects behind can be distinctly seen.
2. the quality of being easy to perceive or detect.
3. to see through.
Our human soul is like a body of water.
Dimensions and layers that go so deep like the sea.
You can SEE THROUGH the dense layers of the water.
Just like we can see through the human soul.
We are such multidimensional spirits.
A person can read when another person is flowing through life like the crystal clear waters of the Greek islands.
You are open, giving, trusting, loving.
Positive energy radiates from your core.
You are living in alignment with God's mission that He designed for you.
There are no secrets.
No shame.
No guilt.
No fear.
No transgressions.
Nothing to hide.
On the contrary, sometimes you meet a person and you can automatically sense that their soul is like a murky pound.
You can feel their energy is clogged with moss and dirt.
Secrets and lies fill their spirt.
Masking their true identity to appear happy and fulfilled on the surface for others to see, but deep down their soul is in turmoil. Feeling shame for not pursuing their true purpose, guilt, unworthiness and despair.
They are stuck in their life, standing still in their reality. Everyday is the exact same day in and day out. Nothing to truly look forward to, no vision, no hope, no true reason to live.
Just like the surface of all water shimmers and reflects the sunlight, doesn't mean the water is clear.
A still standing pod becomes clouded with dirt and moss. Nothing can live or thrive there because the water is so polluted.
No matter how hard you try, you can’t see through to the bottom of the pound because it is too clouded, just like the heart of an unfulfilled soul.
As I add to the painting,
I notice the thin watery layers of paint flowing on the canvas.
The transparent layers accumulate over each other to create the illusion of depth on a flat 2D canvas.
Each transparent layer of paint is a metaphor.
Calling forward the similarities of the human spirt, to the spirt of the seas.
Let it be our mission, while living here on this earth to strive to keep our soul transparent like the seas of the Mediterranean.
To keep our hearts pulsing with passion everyday of our existence.
Just like the never ceasing pulse of the sea.
Remaining honest and true in everything we do.
Fearlessly chasing our heat's deepest passions everyday.
Seeking a closer relationship with God, our creator.
Wanting nothing more than to serve His divine will for us here on earth.
So that any soul we connect with here on earth can see through us and deeply understand our soul.
When we arrived at Sarakiniko beach, it was like we were walking on the moon. The rocks were bright white like fresh powdered snow. The terrain was unlike anything we've ever experienced before.
My husband used to have deathly fear of the ocean. The last time he visited Greece he panicked in the water and drwned. Ever since then he kept telling himself that he couldn't swim.
I talked him through
This summer was the first time going back to Greece as a professional artist whose sole inspiration for the past three years has been the painting the seas of Greece.
I was feeling a little intimidated but mostly excited to see the water again through my new pair of eyes and with such a deeper appreciation for the invisible beauty of the sea.
Every time we were near the water I was closely studying. Noticing the way the light reflected on the surface. Analyzing how the waves moved up, to the side, and back. The patterns the waves created under the sand. The perfectly placed veins on the rocks. I became hyper vigilant and obsessed with noticing every little detail.
I became so focused almost to the point where I wasn’t fully enjoying the present moment while being there because I was worried about capturing photos for references that I could bring back with me to my studio in Chicago.
Every moment I was with my phone snapping hundreds of pictures. I was worried that if I didn’t get enough photos, I wouldn’t have enough reference images to inspire my art. This was a silly thing to be worried about looking back.
The reality of creating abstract art is that the photograph isn't really that important at all.
The photographs are a tool that an artist uses to transport themselves back into that specific moment in time.
To re-experience that feeling.
The art that comes out is the product of not because of the photograph, but from the memory that the artist's mind, body and soul remembers.
The whole reason we are obsessed with photographing our favorite moments is because we are scared to lose those treasured memories. Humans treasure memories so dearly. Before there were photographs, humans would paint images to remember these moments. Art was so highly valued in society because it told our story. The personal story of our lived human experience.
The creation of transparency was an outburst of energy.
My brain was so overwhelmed and over stimulated from all the stunning visual imagery of the water that I was taking in.
At this point in the trip, I was itching to make art.
Making art is an energetic release. Our body, mind and soul need a way to process our reality.
Painting for me is like a choreographed dance.
My muscles know how to move because I've practiced the routine so many times.
I've gotten so good at repeating the motions over and over again that the movements become automatic.
And because I know each step so well, I am able to add my own little flutters and variations.
This is exactly how I would describe the experience of painting this painting.
It was loose and unplanned, but because I had the rhythm of lines memorized from years of repetition, I was able to trust my body to automatically allow the each brush stroke to flow out onto the surface of the canvas.
The final painting is unlike anything I've made before, yet it is still very similar.
I felt like this painting was such a genuine expression of how my mind, body and soul had been feeling while swimming and jumping into the transparent sea.
I hope that this painting brings your soul a sense of inspiration.
I hope that this painting inspires you to chase the dreams of your own heart's desires.
I hope this painting can encourage you to passionately move through your own life with courage and strength.
So that you can live a vibrate life and that your soul may truly become transparent like the sea.
