"The Power of Purpose" no.20

"The Power of Purpose"

My series is based on womens strengths and are a monument honoring their journey.

24x36" ( no.20 in series)
Medium: Charcoal, pastels and Ink-Wash on Multi-Layered Awagami Ginwashi Paper, Mounted on Canvas

Artist Statement:

    She points me beyond myself. Looking back points me forward, listening to her guide me along the path of creating a moment. I recreate a moment on canvas, expressing her thoughts using my own soul. I listen as I create an image of someone once a human, in silence no more. As a mother, I had a deep need to create them. Having my work seen is not the motivation; they are being seen again by me. These women were lost, and I find them again, though they were never truly lost. I am sure she knew then, having enough within herself to move her family and herself forward, believing enough in her own power to be heard when no one was listening. Sitting there staring into a camera lens, she had no idea that almost a hundred years later I would find her, wanting to channel my own artistic journey into her face.

​   I spend hours creating her in a studio by myself, hearing her thoughts and feeling her strength. How do I explain it? I don't. I see it in the image of her in the painting, speaking volumes to those who listen. When I stop and take the time to know and study her,  she has something to say. While the world passes her by, leaving her to despair and somehow she finds the inner strength to go on for another day.  Knowing that little eyes are watching and small lives depend on them creates a profound sense of purpose. It shifts the focus from "Can I keep going?" to "I have to, so I will."