Skin
of Steel
"Blanket of Emotion"
24"x 36" Reproduction
Available
50% of the proceeds from the sale benefit Skin of Steel,
a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
When I was asked to create this piece
of work I was given such words as "hope, love, support, fear,
sickness, perseverance, courage…" to help describe what
the people with Melanoma are living through. I wanted to capture
as much feeling as possible and soon found that I needed several
symbols in my work to bring it to life.
The flowers in this particular work
are Lotus flowers. The Lotus flower has long since been heralded
as the symbol for perseverance, strength, life and energy by many
different cultures. It is considered this because of the adversity
this flower goes through to actually grow and see the light of
day. It starts by germinating in the lowest muck imaginable beneath
a swamp or marshy area. From there it must find its sustenance
and grow, pushing up through this muck and slime, to open under
the gentle gaze of the sun, pristine and glorious, untouched by
the trails, and mud it has endured to see the light of day. I
stylized my lotus flowers to show emotion not only in their shapes
but also in their color. The blue Lotus, in the center of my piece,
is the rarest of colors, the flower that has the least chance
of surviving to see the light of day. The flame building within
the flower is that of hope and strength, the passion for life.
The heart at the base of the steam is the love and support given
to this soul throughout its journey.
The flowers are being held in a vessel
of support. The vessel encourages, nourishes and keeps the flowers
safe and growing towards better health. The image of the man and
the woman on the vessel represent those doctors, nurses, counselors,
friends and loved ones that help each person along the way.
The background is a symbol within itself.
The dots of paint represent not only the souls of those who have
passed before us but also those who are always there with their
loving caress to care and guide us. The dots form the blue wings
of an angel, a guardian spirit watching over those struggling
with adversity and helping to make each day a bit brighter and
more tolerable.
These are the thought process that
went into the creation of this work, but as all works of art I
hope this painting will bring different meanings and different
interpretations to those who view it. A really lasting piece of
artwork speaks in different ways to different viewers at different
points in their lives. An artist may have one thing in mind when
creating a piece but a great piece transcends those thoughts to
bring something more to each and every person that views the work.
Visit skinofsteel.org
to find out more.
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