Contemplative Maps

I created a donkey painting during Advent that was the starting point for these large paper pieces. Using crayons, I drew the general composition over and over until there was a web of lines, which reminded me of looking at the bottom of a pool with sun rays dancing through. I painted the shapes in between with watercolor, first with careful detail, and then getting increasingly more gestural. Something I was interested in following throughout these pieces was the borders. You’ll notice that some have ripped edges, others have painters tape, and some don’t even follow the square format! This progression helped me to reflect on my relationship with lines and boundaries and borders and in many contexts, from window framing to swimming laps to cooking in the kitchen. Many of these paintings were created during playful guitar sing-alongs at Bethlehem Farm community nights, and often the colors are in response to something I saw during the day. When I first hung these paintings outside to document, it was a bit windy, but I tried to appreciate the Spirit who animates all life, even if that means being patient when things fall down. 

These paintings contemplative maps because while they may not offer clear directions or a defined destination, they give a sense of moving through a landscape viewed from an aerial perspective, and offer the invitation to be fully present throughout the entangled way-finding process.