San Diego, California
mixed media on canvas
10 Canvases 48 inches long x 48 inches wide
This series, Why Happy Why Sad, is a statement, not a question. The opposing dichotomies are on a spectrum of which we slide back and forth; Depression/Hope; Death/Rebirth; Isolation/Inclusion; Pain/Healing; Self-Hatred/Self-Respect. Everything in our emotional, intellectual and situational environment leads us back to the root of the issue: these battles between our minds, hearts, bodies and souls. We are not all one or the other. The main point of this series comes down to this: It’s okay, and dare I say ‘normal’ to feel the contrasting emotions simultaneously. Through prayer, I write poetry. The evolution of this series was inspired by poems. I designed each set at a time. Began by painting the [happy] images. When I painted the [sad] images, I displayed the [happy] piece for encouragement as I painted through each canvas emotion. The last [Self-Hatred/Self-Respect] was the opposite. It took me a while to truly understand the meaning and experience of self-respect. Through prayer and a poem, the image and emotional experience of self-respect became clear to me. I concluded the series on a positive note.