Finding hope (plus, a new painting!)

“I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest. I do not judge the universe”  Dalai Lama

I’ve recently finished a new painting, and took pictures along the way so I could share the process with you. The painting was such an experiment and proved to be quite challenging for me. I think the challenging pieces are the most interesting to look back on, however, so here we go!

This particular painting began with a background of blues and reds.

The mix of warm and cool colors was so interesting to me that I decided to ask for some opinions in one of my online forums. I posted the image above and simply asked people to respond to the background, in its current stage.

Here are many of the responses I received:

• Energized, hopeful
• Day break / sunrise
• Peaceful, calm, serene, hopeful, magical
• Bitter, harsh, sharp
• Neutral, transitioning
• Contemplation, connection, reflection
• Anxiety, danger, torrent, chaotic
• An angry ocean, an erupting volcano
• Burning, out of control fire on top of blue sea water
• Inspiring
• Reflection, preparing for a new year, change, new beginnings
• Unsettled
• Balance
• Sunset pink, glow, warmth
• Refreshing, cooling
• Freezing cold
• Energy, fire, heat
• Calm, power, and strength in the midst of turbulence
• Calm seeping into a turbulent situation; a battle between calm and turbulent times
• Isolated, melancholic
• A meditative moment of uplifting clarity; the energy that comes from a calm and clear place
• Illuminated possibilities, present, tranquil
• A sense of waste, loss, war
• Bliss
• Emotional conflict of an unresolved issue
• A wild storm, with calm coming from the heavens
• Warmth on a brisk winter day
• Energized, buzzing, and also cool and crisp
• Meditation, aliveness, the mystery of life
• Summer! Lots of energy with a peaceful overtone
• Human emotions still in a formless state, swirling around waiting to take form
• A huge storm at sea, turbulent and raw

I looked through the responses to see what resonated, and the overall message that spoke to me most was one of hope.

Though deciding how I best wanted to portray hope through color proved challenging.

At one point I had painted so many layers onto this paper sun that I used a scraping tool to pull off extra paper and paint.

I  liked that people saw the clearing of a storm in this painting, and so I decided to play up the shifting colors of the sky. I love the idea of an angry storm fading beneath blue sky and sun. A bit of red peaks through on the right side of the painting, but for the most part the intensity is being washed away.

I always find the world to feel hopeful after an angry storm. We get a reprieve of fresh air, the sun emerges to dry and calm the earth. Even symbolically, hope keeps us moving, keeps us trying.

Here’s the final painting:

I was so grateful that so many people took the time to reflect. I was also struck by what felt like an important lesson, and I’ve been thinking on it ever since.

Whatever we do in life will be interpreted by people in ways that are outside of our control, and seeing that in action through these responses to my painting felt very freeing.

I would have never imagined that this painting (at an early stage) would hold such different meanings for people, manifesting anything from a meditative calm to a stormy ocean, a peaceful summer to a time of newness and transition.

To try and cater my work to each of those people’s perspectives would be impossible. We all respond to what we experience every day through the lens of our own emotions and history. In fact, some people even pointed that out, saying “where others see chaos, I see bliss…” or the opposite: “I feel anxious, I wonder what makes me feel that when others see calm.”

It was a powerful reminder to be compassionate, both towards myself and to others.

Here’s to hope,