Bejeweled

What. A. Year…but, spring is here! Everyone’s experience has been different, but undoubtedly, together we moved  through the intense disorientation of uprooted routines, overwhelming loss, steep challenge, and chaos, but amidst all of this, we collectively had an intense time of growth!

As for me, I have been living in a household of three generations, with one of my responsibilities being caretaker for my toddler grandson and his infant brother who was born last December. Both parents are teleworking. Aside from my days of changing diapers, rocking a baby to sleep and going on walks with an infant on my chest and a toddler by my side, I felt a surge of creativity. Here is what happened:

While organizing my body of work from when I worked as a fashion portrait photographer in NYC, 1981-1988, I was struck with how beautiful the images were and remembered how much energy I had put into creating them (including building a photo studio with my husband by knocking down some walls). Inspired by my years of working with cutting edge artist Antonio Lopez, I began to breathe new life into my images with tempera paint, a spectrum of watercolor and a bit of the fingerpaints I use with my grandson. One of these images, “Bejeweled” (pictured here) was awarded First Honors this month in the Shoreline Arts Alliance Images 2021 juried show. Two others were also accepted into the show. Not only was I honored, but the freedom and joy I had in creating this new series was validated!

As an acupuncturist and teacher of Chinese exercise I strongly believe that beauty can heal, whether in a piece of art that speaks to the soul or in a treatment plan that helps restore a bounce to one’s step. I also believe the ancient eastern philosophy that artistic endeavor and the practice of medicine go hand in hand.

Continuing on this wave of creativity, several of us worked to birth a site where one can view our collections for inspiration or to serve your needs. If you would like to visit, please take a look at imageherder.com or follow us on Instagram @imageherder

In the meantime, I encourage you to pick up that paintbrush, take a zoom class in dance, poetry or how to build your own deck. Maybe you can create that casserole that will soon be enjoyed by people gathering around your table once again! In what small or big ways have you grown in this rather surreal past year? How were you unexpectedly “bejeweled”?