My Hiding Place

Life has been happening a lot lately.  In two months this Spring, I made two trips to Kansas (Dad's birthday, then he broke his hip), two trips to Aspen (daughter's health, then surgery), three trips to Lincoln (son's award ceremony, and gallery work twice), and one trip to Omaha (nephew's graduation)!  I am excited to stay put for a while, but after all that travel, it's hard to figure out how to just be home.

This painting happened quickly.  Earlier, I'd been practicing piano...trying to perfect "You Are My Hiding Place" for an upcoming worship service.  So, the song was stuck in my mind.  In frustration over a social situation, I escaped to the studio.  After playing with a portrait idea, the flowers (like I used to doodle in the margins while taking notes in high school) started growing ...I guess as a fallback to mindlessness.  The song started taking over and became the theme of the painting...as if I realized that I tend to hide behind my art, rather than communicate.  This sounds like a sad commentary on my psyche, but I'm okay with the metaphor.  Sometimes, I hide behind art, sometimes it speaks for me, sometimes I use it to escape, sometimes I deliberately create statements, but artmaking is intrinsic to who I am.  The circles, flowers, grids, and music keep me grounded.  I like how they are working in harmony with  the layers of this piece.