Where to go from Here

Often, creating art is my safe haven, a place I find peace and love, beauty and serenity, even hope. This week I am on hold from the creative process. The world is scary right now; terrorism and deadly threats to humanity are running rampant, it's hard for me to ignore the darkness. This negative energy is the polar opposite from "Sacred Spaces", paintings inspired by visits to various churches, temples, and houses of worship, focused on different ways we find spirituality, peace, hope, and prayer.

Recently I visited the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago -

"Prayer to Durga Mata"

8" x 10" mixed media encaustic on board

And the 2nd Presbyterian Church of Chicago -

"Ascension #3"

2.5" x 3.5" mixed media encaustic on paper

I also visited the Bahai Temple in Wilmette (photo soon to become a painting) -

Although it wasn't a temple, I visited the Vodou Exhibit at the Field Museum this week. 

Photos from exhibit -

The exhibition featured sacred objects and even included short movies of Haitian rituals and ceremonies, I felt like I was in a sacred space. And it opened my eyes to a different way of praying, using objects to create the seduction of evil vs. good. It also educated me to how the Haitian people found ways to triumph over slavery, from love to sensuality to courage through the personification of spirits known as "Lwa". 

I am sharing an older painting from about 10 years ago during a difficult time in my life, when I felt negativity and hopelessness; this painting connects me to now -

"Sadness"

30" x 22" watercolor on paper

It takes time for me to process shifts in my creativity and I am not sure where I will go from here.