In the Flow
In the Flow
new art, part 2/5
Last week I started sharing about the new art that has been born in the past months, taking a moment to let the art whisper its truth, to let the stories unfold. I come to the computer with no expectations, no preconceived ideas, only a slightly distant memory of what the process of creating these pieces has been, how words and images emerged on and off the canvas... How it felt to be "in the flow".
"Flow" is actually the title of the two pieces I'm sharing today. Two large paintings that have a magical watery feel... Layer upon layer of color and texture, translucent inks and ethereal paint drips... They have a particularly luminous quality that just makes you breathe a little deeper. A spaciousness and lightness that make the soul feel seen.
I painted them last summer, one in my old studio, in our "life before we moved", and the second in my new studio, a "blank canvas" space of sorts, full of potential... Both came to life in a joyous mess, amidst boxes and the excitement of writing a new chapter of our lives.
Flow 1 in progress in my old studio, with a look at the underlayers: you can see at first it wasn't at all about flow-ers... © 2015 Laly Mille
Both were created in attic-turned-studio spaces, under bright blue summer skies showing through skylights. Both were also created in the rush and anticipation of preparing for my first solo show (which means that the procrastination gremlin was nowhere to be seen!).
... and Flow 2 in progress in my new studio space © 2015 Laly Mille
Flowers bloomed out of tiny scraps of paper, left-overs from many other paintings, fragments of a shared history.
Flowers blooming from ink droplets, finger marks and tiny scraps of paper © 2015 Laly Mille
These paintings were truly painted in pure "Flow time". Effortless, light, deep, fresh, soothing, energizing... And it really felt like being a witness, a vessel and a co-creator all at the same time.
Flow 1 came first as a stand-alone piece. And as you can see in the pics above, it wasn't at all about flowers at first! At some point it got "stuck" and that's when the garland of flowers just bloomed. In just about an hour the painting changed completely and came to life. Then, over the summer, the longing for a twin painting made itself known, and I joyously followed!
Flow 2 in progress while Flow 1 was already complete © 2015 Laly Mille
To me, creative Flow doesn't necessarily mean that you never get stuck or encounter obstacles or change direction. Rather, it's like being a river: flowing, moving forward, trusting the process and knowing that you will eventually find your way, however sinuous it may sometimes be. Flow is a way of being with the work, trusting what is wanting to come to life though you, letting go of expectations and frustration (and boy do we hold tight to those sometimes!), because the truth is, this is not really about "you" (at least not the ego you with all the "not-good-enough" drama!): it's about the infinite, beautiful and divine YOU, so why not just embrace the unexpected and see what happens?
Flow 1 & 2: each has its own life, but they work really well as a pair too © 2015 Laly Mille
Yesterday I dropped these two babies off to be entered in a beautiful juried show, here in our new area. Fingers crossed... I do hope they will allow more people to take a breath and connect to the beautifully flowing river of their lives.
I'm sharing this new art in a 5 part blog series. I hope it inspires you! Read part 1/5 HERE and stay tuned for the next post! You can sign-up for my email list to receive new blog posts and sparkles of inspiration directly in your inbox:
Light & Love
