"Choice"

My collection, "Choice" will be on view at
Happy La Peartree Gallery for Arts Night Out in Northampton, MA
Friday, September 8, 2017
See you there!

​CHOICE

In this life
There may be pain
There may be doubt
There may be weariness
But when the struggle comes
Are you overcome
Or are you the force that overcomes?
​The choice is always yours.

Although not as large or dramatic as some of the other pieces in this collection, I have chosen this painting as my introductory piece. The figure in this image (whom I affectionately call Sunny after a song my mother used to sing) sits on the threshold, presented with the choice of being overcome by the dark emptiness where she currently is, or to step out into a bright new day and an open field of possibilities.

Whereas we all experience this choice on larger and smaller levels continuously throughout our lives, the catalyst for this painting was a particularly low personal moment. It was the kind that normally would have jetted me into that dark place on autopilot, and make me bar the door and sulk in bitter, empty silence... except the pain was inside, and there was no running from it.

It was that familiar pain that you almost think you prefer, because you two are old friends...

A wise woman once told me that there is a small space before the reaction--a small space in which there is stillness, and in that space there is choice. It is hard to recognize without practice, but I am learning to ask myself:

Are you overcome, or are you the force that overcomes?

That night, instead of stewing and seething and crying, I picked up my paintbrush and painted straight into the morning light...

Please join us on Friday, September 8, 2017 to discuss art, life, and choice.

I am honored to be hosted by 
Ms. Amanda Lamontagne of
Happy La Peartree Gallery
117 New South St., Suite 107
Northampton, MA 01060
http://www.happylapeartree.com/ 
http://www.artsnightout.org/