|
$$PLAIN_TEXT_PREVIEW$$
|
My latest interior mural, in a Guest Bedroom; a favorite spot for my son and I to have an afternoon nap together |
|
Funny that it felt frivolous to spend time painting a mural in my bedroom at the beginning of the year. What a change in perspective a month has made, where I find now it feels almost necessary to add extra love to my walls and to my home. Our homes are a sanctuary and worthy of beauty - I hope you’re finding ways to fill yours with whatever makes you joyful and calm.
|
|
My little man eager to jump in and help with the process!
|
My little man eager to jump in and help with the process! |
|
|
|
This recent painting came about after wrestling with the new norm, and wishing I could change the things that I later realized I have no control over. Transitioning from full-time Artist to full-time Mom hasn’t been seamless, but things have shifted for the better and lighter, once I told myself to stop fighting it. I see myself in this little gnome; perhaps you do too.
|
|
“He overheard a whisper that it was time to stop fighting it, and to just go with it. To let his new mode take flight in it’s uncertainty but also its possibilities. That there’s still a place for the movement and flow of his wishes, but more importantly for his stillness and acceptance.”
.
“Flight Not Fight”
24x30 Acrylic on Canvas
|
|
To balance out my epic late-night binge watching of Tiger King, I’ve recently been enjoying some solid book titles.
|
|
My sweet boy thumbing through my book to find his favorite piece,
in my front of my Master Bedroom mural |
|
|
Couldn’t put it down… had to keep reminding myself this was a memoir and not fiction. Vulnerability mixed with strength… |
|
Couldn’t put it down… had to keep reminding myself this was a memoir and not fiction. Vulnerability mixed with strength… |
|
This one isn’t quite as quick a read; I digest it slowly, a little each morning. There’s so many nuggets of insight, I keep my journal close-by to jot down notes and later reflect. It helped me this week to realize I have everything that I need, and in fact, what I’ve always wanted. |
|
|
This one isn’t quite as quick a read; I digest it slowly, a little each morning. There’s so many nuggets of insight, I keep my journal close-by to jot down notes and later reflect. It helped me this week to realize I have everything that I need, and in fact, what I’ve always wanted. |
|
|
|
My parents told me, after arriving in the US from Iran and Croatia, and later starting their family, that they really strove to assimilate to the American culture to help my brother and I feel accepted and welcomed. Somehow though, their single act of rebellion was giving me a name no one could quite pronounce or spell. Growing up as a first generation American in a small town in west Texas, I wanted so badly to be like the other girls, and strongly disliked having an unusual name. My parents even let me make up middle names for myself and graciously let it slide when I told people to call me by my new name. I was even embarrassed by the meaning of my name - ‘delicate’ - as I sought to be a tough strong girl.
|
|
Fast forward almost three decades, and I proudly state my name now. I love telling people about its meaning, a reminder to me of the power of being vulnerable and delicate, like a beautiful rose. I like to tell people it’s pronounced like Neon with an M, and hopefully they can remember that from the bright colors I choose in my artwork. I even use it as my key logo - my signature, my name. Embracing what makes me special, unique, weird, strong but delicate.
|
|
So, what’s in a name?
A story, a path, an identity.
|
So, what’s in a name?
A story, a path, an identity. |
|
|
|
I always thought this painting was about leaving the pod until my Mom recently shared, that to her, it’s about how we can always return home - to our pod, to our comfort, to our happy place. Wishing you comfort and mental peace in your pod today, friend!
|
|
|
A close up of the sweet peas leaving the pod - or now I see, perhaps returning |
|
|
Visit my website or Instagram to see the latest from my studio
|
|
|
|
|
