Ready to Nest
About the Series
The work in this portfolio was created as part of the Under the Same Sky Worldwide Art Series Challenge hosted by Anne Livingston Art. It is part of Anne’s Slow Color project, which involves the intentional use of color for beneficial purposes. I consciously chose a color palette to unify the series, allowing me to focus on the story and composition of each piece. The bright palette was intentionally chosen to conjure a dreamlike world.
About the Story
This art series is a story. The story is a feeling that has slowly built up over several decades. Deep inside my heart and mind, the feeling grows stronger as each year passes. We have followed my partner’s career where it has led us and have been lucky to live in multiple countries. I know that home is where we are together as a family. And yet, I find a desire to put down a few roots. We talk about the when. We speculate about the where. We have begun to formulate a plan. Still, the plan seems far off. The feeling needed to become tangible. As I usually do, I put the feeling into my art.
Recurring motifs help me shape the narrative. Birds have always represented ideas to me ( a large flock lives inside my head). My life circumstances and mental health issues mean that I live in a constant state of flux. The butterfly is a symbol of change and transformation. The woman with three faces represents how I perceive identity. Her faces are past, present, and future together in one person. Her faces are also the shifting moods of my mental illness: the baseline normal, depression, or elation and joy. She is multitasking and figuring out her role in each stage of life. A small white house can be seen in several of the pieces. Note that the house has no doors. It is a manifestation of home.This is intentional as we have not yet found the home where we will put down our roots when my partner retires.
