This is the first painting in a series I am going to do on the concept of Comfort. To me, comfort is warm. When I think of warm comfort I think of standing outside with my face to the sun. Today it's raining outside. I can hear the drops pelting the skylight in my studio and it reminds me of some of the old farm buildings when I was child. The sound makes me feel cold even though the temperature inside is very comfortable. And yet, I can look at her and see her embracing the light and warmth of the sun and suddenly I feel warm again. Many people have a "happy place" in their mind that they can go to when life gets stressful, and it can help them calm down. While this isn't really a place, it is an image that can bring a sense of warmth and comfort when life gets hard.
Squaring Her Shoulder
We square our shoulders when we are determined. Squaring one's shoulders shows a lack of fear. Perhaps she isn't squaring her shoulders for either of these reasons. Perhaps she squaring her shoulders simply to open them up to the light that is before her. Soaking in the warmth of comfort fully, she accepts the light without reservation, with faith, with hope, with acceptance and love. When someone offers us comfort, are we able to accept it this openly? Or do we resist just enough to keep ourselves emotionally safe? Do we secretly fear the very offer of comfort we so desperately seek?
Profile
A profile is a view of something from only one side. Today my subject got a profile. She has her face to the light and is soaking up the warmth of the sun. But there's more to her than just this one side. And yet, that's all we'll get to see.
How often do we see only one side of a person? How often do we create a profile in our minds of what a person is? I'm working on getting to know people more fully and accepting them as a whole person rather than just certain aspects of them. This isn't always possible. So I try to remember that everyone is a whole person whether I can see all of them or not. I guess this has become important to me because I want others to see me in the same way.
Canvas Covered
I took yesterday's charcoal drawing and am making it into a painting. I chose a 16" x 20" canvas this time. I've been working on 8" x 10" canvas boards for paintings that are more for exercise and whim. But I want to turn this into a series of paintings focusing on the idea of comfort. Today I got the canvas covered with an underpainting. I left all of the edges soft so that I can make adjustments as I go along. Things will change, but I have a starting place. My heart is speaking to me in this one. I'm excited.
Warmth... Charcoal Drawing
I'm still pondering the concept of comfort. What is it that provides comfort? How does comfort feel? For me, comfort is warm. After a long winter I long for a sunny day when I can stand with my face to the sun and feel the warmth on my face. On a stressful day I can face the sun and feel the calm seep into me with each ray of sunshine. The comforting embrace of my grandmother felt as warm and penetrating as the heat of the sun. Let the sunshine in!