The Magician by Kirsten Harris, 150 x 100 cm
How do we know something is finished? Why do we even do this thing of putting marks on paper or canvas?
Painting is
- a transporter, a medium to other worlds
- a way of practicing resolution, learning to follow an idea through
- a way of listening
- a meditation
- somewhere to go without going anywhere (how green is that!)
- a way to enter the flow state
- never boring
- a way to never be alone
- a way to connect with something bigger than oneself – source energy, spirit..
- a journey
- a conversation
- a way of connecting with different archetypes as different styles or energies emerge
- a way to challenge one’s inner blocks
- at its best egoless and a constant challenge to get the ego out of the way
- a way of being truly present
- a way of letting go
- freedom
- sometimes frustrating, like being lost in the wilderness
- a calling – you have to respond whether you want to or not
- a place to think and a way to process stuff without burdening anyone else with your crap!
- a never ending challenge
- physically hard work though obviously not like going down a coal mine!
- the way I’ve spent my life
- entertaining
- healing
- difficult (at least I find it so)
- a path
- a way to connect with the past and future. It’s time travelling
- peaceful
- a mirror
- a way to learn to be better at being better
- a way to allow ideas to come through
- necessary
- expressive
- a way of communicating
- Or, maybe…painting is just something decorative and meaningless, simply pictures to hang on the wall?
I am writing this non definitive list as I need to stop painting so intensely for a few weeks to frame and hang an exhibition. It feels hard to stop. To pause. To leave work in progress and down tools to focus on the necessary aspects to hang art in a gallery. So my list is a way of understanding what drives me to paint so much and calm the drivers down for a bit. Maybe it sounds pretentious, but it’s true for me.
I can’t tell you how much I have wanted to wriggle out of doing this exhibition. To hide and just keep painting, but I have to be practical. Artists need to sell in order to keep going. We also need to get feedback and simply have folk see the work. Seeing paintings through someone else’s eyes really helps to see the art anew. It is necessary in order to progress.
It feels odd to be planning to be social again. Slowly my fear and doubt about turning up in Edinburgh with my artwork is turning to excitement. Is the art any good? I don’t know. Come and decide for yourself. it would be lovely to see you.
Brenda and I look forward to welcoming you. We will both be there for the whole exhibition.
Brenda will be demonstrating her amazing needle felt technique. If you want to learn more about this skill it’s a great opportunity.
Love
Kirsten
www.kirstenharrisart.co.uk
