NEW WORK Psyche 164

 

Kimberly Kelly Santini  paintings with soul because our world needs more beauty   From the ongoing series of 2020-21 world events' inspired drawings, "Psyche 164," graphite on paper, 11" x 8-1/2" (this is an up close view of the drawing, which is roughly 3" high).  Long time readers of my newsletters know I've been drawing quite a bit this past year, but I've not shared much of them. A couple reasons why, but mostly because I wanted to stay focused on the content of the drawings, and not get distracted by the commodity aspect that happens when something is for sale. These also came from a deeply personal space, a space I wished to protect as they emerged, for fear (there's that word again!) that too much hullabaloo would send them into hiding. It's difficult to be vulnerable. It's even more difficult to be vulnerable at a time of great uncertainty. And I cannot recall a time of greater fear and tension at a global level that right now. When talking earlier today with several artist friends (and continuing a conversation I've had in a variety of spaces with a cast of creative voices over the last 30 years), I had a couple of ah-ha moments. One of those was the realization that beauty is rooted in honesty, and also in terror (thank you Anne Siems and Rainer Maria RIlke). We cannot appreciate love without understanding loss, and the preciousness of something becomes heightened when we fear it will disappear. There is, however, comfort in being vulnerable together. Which we can do over a piece of music or a performance or a particular ritual or just a simple email. So I am sharing this drawing with you today, in spite of my fears, to help us each appreciate and savor the beauty we all have in our own lives in whatever way we can. These are unprecedented times, when a pandemic threatens communities and loved ones, and the US democracy teeters on the lip of the unknown, plus whatever other crises peek into our own lives. If you want to talk about this, being vulnerable and defining beauty, or anything else about my artwork, I'm hosting a live Q&A for my online students this Thursday (Jan 21st) at noon eastern. Come join us - info is all here - at the $15 level, and you'll get access to the call details. Meanwhile, as my shero Glennon Doyle says, we can do hard things. Stay well, Fondly, Kim