Art Letters

If only they would just [ ].

What would it look like instead, she asked, to swap ‘they’ with ‘I’?

Does it really take two to tango?

She went on to explain systems theory -

“When you change one part of a system, the rest of the system will change in response. All parts of a system are interconnected and therefore interactive. Whether we’re talking about a marriage, a family, or a fresh-water pond, cleaning up even one small part of the system will create the conditions for other parts to become healthier, too.”

Her words lingering, I began painting from my reference photo, a capture of my sunshine-hued “Lucky Butterfly”.

It wasn’t long before I noticed a tightness. A self-imposed pressure to accurately replicate the crystal details, the light, the shadows. To equally honor its energy and etherealness.

Change one part of the system, I could hear her say. I turned my painting upside down.

No longer painting what I thought it was supposed to look like, I began painting what I actually saw in the photo. A swoop of darkness, a smudge of light, a sharp line giving way to a soft curve.

My brush grip lightened, my perspective widened.

“Healthy relationships require that we develop the capacity to be autonomous while at the same time connected. Solid enough not to lose our shape under pressure yet open and receptive enough to express and receive love.”

A crystal butterfly.

IT TAKES ONE TO TANGO
30 x 40 Acrylic on Canvas
mioneplant.com

Thank you for personally connecting with me through this work. Have fun dancing.