The experience of creating art is an expression of ourselves, life experience, pain, loss, and personal meaning that creates a sense of tangibility for the viewer.
It can be seen and felt. And for each person viewing, the meaning can be deep and personal. This is what art does, it brings the audience to the personal space of the artist at a moment in time. It creates reality from the experience and feelings of the artist.
Expressing feelings and thoughts through visual arts has healing effects. Studies have been done on this. Some of which can be seen here.
Painting is a reflection of the lives of people. Sometimes it represents the life of people in the artwork and sometimes the artist. Art is storytelling at it’s finest, it’s the rare glimpse into the heart and soul of the painting on display.
Above:
Painting by Jane Mendelson
I had just started working on a canvas in the fall of 1980–college graduation year. An unbelievable and unacceptable call came from a friend and former school-mate from college. “She was in a car accident, she died.” “She” was my closest friend, my sister in more ways than my blood sister. She was beautiful, smart, special in so many ways–I was in total shock. This was the woman I’d expected to look back on all the happenings of life that were yet to come. My painting morphed into an expression, a release, a forever here and gone memorial for/of her. It is surreal, purple–her favorite color, sensual, eerie and with life. People who don’t know the story see all sorts of things in this painting; I think our mutual friends would see her as I do.
I love Jane’s work! She is so creative!