Darkness and Light
Welcome, Deep Ebony paint! Hello, Burnt Umber. Have a seat across from me, Stormy Violet. I surround myself with these old friends when I’m in a dark mood. We all have moments when pastel feels like a four-letter word. No way, Sunbeam Yellow, stay in the box! It’s a relief to sink up to my elbows – sometimes literally - in the color of my temper.
I’ve learned to celebrate transitions as opportunities for joyful self-discovery, and what better way to discern what’s beneath my mood than to give it color?
The dark purple and black scrap in this photo was created during a phase when my body was frail. I was angry at the weakness that day, so I painted until I needed a nap. The painting and the sleep were cathartic. When I woke, a section of the piece caught my eye. A flower! Where did she come from? I embellished with some yarn in a lighter shade and suddenly there came a need for a background. I was surprised by the obvious answer: it was Sunbeam Yellow’s turn to play!
On a single day and within a single piece of art, color helped me navigate and understand my way.
What happens in the studio stays in the studio. Thinking Brain Arts provides space where we use art play to steep in our emotions. As we create, we investigate, recognize and learn. Darkness can stay right there on paper. If it gets thrown away, fine. If it’s used as a contrast in a collaged piece later, fine. If it goes up on the wall, as is, for us to remember who we were in that very moment, fine. We celebrate each of these possibilities as ways to accept who we are, in all our bright and dark moments.
Deborah
