What do artists think about when they are making their art? I have always wondered that myself. Of course every artist is different, but I thought it would be interesting to pull back the curtain and share a work in progress.
This face painting began several months ago. I thought it was finished. She looked colorful, like a combination of women all over the world, and she looked strong, so I called her The Olympian. I even put her in a show. Later I was dissatisfied: she seemed too hard-edged and stiff. I decided to rework her.
When I paint, I always ask the Holy Spirit to guide me. I decided to layer her with oil pastels to add some looser boundaries. At first, I was discouraged because she just looked like she had dirty smudges.I almost gave up, but I remember that the early stages of any painting often look awkward. As I layered, I began to think of how I had gotten layers of living on my face. I am fascinated with how everyone gets different types of wrinkles, and I like how aging can give some women a richness of experience.
I also thought of different skin colors, and God reminded me of the Nigerian girls who had been kidnapped in Africa. I mourn their loss of innocence, but I also know God has not forgotten them. They will never have those pure colors they had as children, but they will be layered with loss, and beautiful in a different way. I hope to hear their survival stories some day. Though I am much older than they are, they are my sisters in spirit.
As I painted, I was thrilled to discover layers of color I had never seen before. Just being alive gets us dirty, but God can make those layers beautiful and rich. I call this painting Sister because I love the richness of experience and diversity that God gives women all over the world.