Art is life for me. It is my therapy, but also often my frustration. Have you ever struggled to find an answer to a puzzle or the secret ingredient in a tasty dish that you're trying to duplicate? It's elusive, but once you think that you've found the answer, you savor that small victory (at least until the next challenge comes along).
A case in point is this painting. I started the usual way: by writing, responding to music (in this case, some wonderful Ukrainian ballads about Spring and Summer love), and working into a compositional format. I thought of the luscious colors of June and July, and selected a limited palette. I started painting into my words, some of which were lyrics from Cheremshyna. Two colleagues in my communal studio felt that I was painting a bouquet, hardly something that I would normally paint. But they seemed to have something there, so I went with it. When nearly done, a few colleagues pointed out that the vase containing the flowers seemed to be "floating." Thanks to my pals and mentors, Melissa Mason, Fran Gardner and Peter Cerreta, possible solutions were developed and this painting resulted. Reluctantly, we have to brand it a "still life." But here it is for now: For You.
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