Acrylic on Archival Gessobord with 3/4" Birch Sides, 12x12". Ready to hang!
COURAGE
By Karle Wilson Baker
COURAGE is armor
A blind man wears,
The calloused scar
Of outlived despairs:
Courage is Fear
That has said its prayers.
Robyn Sand Anderson Art |
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Acrylic on Archival Gessobord with 3/4" Birch Sides, 12x12". Ready to hang! Be of good courage, people say. Courage has always seemed elusive to me. Something other people have, those that stand out and are heroes. But, you know, sometimes it takes courage just to get out of bed each day. It takes courage to go to your workplace, where you feel underappreciated or out of your element. It takes courage to walk into a new church by yourself, not knowing a soul. It takes courage to choose someone to spend your life with, to make those vows. It takes courage to deal with an inconsolable toddler without completely losing it. When I ask myself when and if I've ever been courageous, I first think of giving birth to my three children. And then, raising them. "Courage is fear that has said its prayers" makes an important point. Even the courageous have fear. We step through that fear to act. We say a prayer and "put it on the shelf" as my mother used to say, and we step forward.
COURAGE By Karle Wilson Baker COURAGE is armor A blind man wears, The calloused scar Of outlived despairs: Courage is Fear That has said its prayers.
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Acrylic on Gallery-Stretched Canvas, 12 x 12". Ready to hang! Persist! We don't use that word so much. "Hang in there!" "Hold on!" "Keep at it!" We hear those often enough. The word "Persist" seems to capture the daily grind of the aforementioned phrases in a deeper way. It speaks more to slogging through the muck and confusion...standing up to negative forces, standing up for things you believe in or believe are important and crucial to a good life and the common good. To persist is to stay at it even though it is hard, it hurts, you feel helpless and weary. Some of us have had to embrace that word on a personal level, some at a community level. For me right now it is physical pain. I persist each day, to make it through the day. I push myself to do the things that need to be done, in spite of pain and fatigue. Some are finding the need to stand up against the things that are happening with our new administration; we persist in holding up the ideals and values of this democracy where we see it failing. Some persist in thinking that what is happening is just fine. Persistence is not for the faint of heart. We are weary at times, but when important things are at stake, we must persist. It will take all of us. When one is weary, another will step in. For our children and grandchildren and the next generations, we persist. (This painting's brownish layer is actually metallic gold, though it is closer to what I would call a metallic bronze, so there is a bit of a sheen to it. The lettering is a dark blue. "Copyright Robyn Sand Anderson" is for digital protection only.)
If interested in purchasing, hit the Painting-A-Day Purchase tab and then hit the Etsy widget. It will take you right where you need to be to purchase the painting of your choice. Thanks! $100 for this original painting, ready-to-hang, plus $15 shipping and handling. Acrylic on Archival Gessobord with 3/4" birch sides, 12 x 12". Ready to hang! I play with light up against dark quite a bit in my paintings. The contrast is dramatic; it catches the eye. I think those same contrasts grab our attention in our everyday lives. When we experience darkness, suffering, pain, depression, existential angst...you get the idea, any bit of "light" brings such relief. I've been struggling with back nerve pain for about a month and a half. Physical therapy has helped. In fact, I didn't need any pain meds from Sunday through Wednesday and it was such a blessed relief! But Thursday morning I felt like I was back to square one with intense pain. It was a rough day, to say the least, especially after thinking I was having a breaking through. We bought a used hot tub recently and it really helps with my aches and pains. I am so grateful for it. Last night I leaned my head back and looked up at a sky full of stars. Light in the darkness. A reminder of the big picture, the expanse of time. This too shall pass. It was a gift. Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only LIGHT can do that.
If interested in purchasing, hit the Painting-A-Day Purchase tab and then hit the Etsy widget. It will take you right where you need to be to purchase the painting of your choice. Thanks! $100 for this original painting, ready-to-hang, plus $15 shipping and handling. Acrylic on Archival Gessobord with 3/4" Birch Sides 12x12". Ready to hang! How does truth break through? I have felt the full weight of what lies do to a society lately and it's not good. It makes us unsteady, unsure and confused. We let fear take hold. Fear clouds our clarity and judgment. We start to see those who disagree with us as enemies.
We have all experienced lies, both in ourselves and from others. But I don't think any of us have experienced the deluge of lies and untruths that are happening now from those we look to for integrity. I find myself going to these words from Micah for guidance in my own life, because this is where it starts, from the inside out. And it gives me courage somehow, to move forward. To do what I can. The first word is "act." This is not a passive word, nor is "love" or "walk." It helps all of society when we move to act with honesty and truth, with mercy and humility. When we see actions that are harmful to others, we can look to these words, speak them and act. None of this is easy, yet we are called to do so. God help us. This painting has SOLD. If interested in purchasing, hit the Painting-A-Day Purchase tab and then hit the Etsy widget. It will take you right where you need to be to purchase the painting of your choice. Thanks! $100 for this original painting, ready-to-hang, plus $15 shipping and handling. Acrylic on Gallery Stretched Canvas, 12 x 12". Ready to hang! Today I am posting two paintings, as I will not be posting any tomorrow. These last two paintings on wrestling with fear remind me that there is no perfect way to handle it. Each time we face fear is unique to the circumstances and so, requires different perspectives and different solutions. Sometimes we just have to take a break from it, to shore up enough energy to go at it again. Sometimes we have to escape through humor, a good book or movie. I find that seeking out other people who can commiserate both gives me the courage to keep on or at least is a place to lament, or rant or whatever is needed to survive the day. It is interesting as a visual artist to start using words in my work. I've been taking a stab at writing fiction lately and I am struck by the power of words. Words matter. How we use them. They can injure or encourage. I've always said, visual art is another language through which we speak, but visual art together with words is a whole different animal and it is a powerful animal. I have also been putting visual art and music together. It is like the combination of the two arts make a chord rather than a single note in how we experience them. Who knows what can happen when you put all three together. Bar the doors, people! The painting above has SOLD. If interested in purchasing, hit the Painting-A-Day Purchase tab and then hit the Etsy widget. It will take you right where you need to be to purchase the painting of your choice. Thanks! $100 for this original painting, ready-to-hang, plus $15 shipping and handling. Acrylic on Gessobord with 3/4" Birch Sides, 12 x 12". Ready to hang!
Acrylic on Gallery Stretched Canvas 12x12". Ready to hang! ART[food] for Thought is a new project I am starting that marries abstract painting with the power of words. Last Friday I posted a painting using the words "Fear Not". I've decided to work on more paintings with those words, as several people expressed interest in it. It has been interesting to walk by Friday's painting, and now today's, and see those two words over and over. Fear is a powerful thing. It can drive us, drive our decisions, and stop us from living full lives. "Fear is the mind killer" is a quote from the book Dune. I think about that quote when I feel fear creeping up and smothering my soul, shuttering my mind. What is it then, to stand up in the face of fear and walk through it and out the other side? Somehow saying and hearing the words "fear not" brings courage and with courage, a release from its grip. Every time you feel that squeeze of the heart, when anxiety rears its ugly head, say the words. Fear not. Fear not, for I am with you. We cannot let fear paralyze us. We cannot let fear win.
This painting has SOLD. If interested in purchasing, hit the Painting-A-Day Purchase tab and then hit the Etsy widget. It will take you right where you need to be to purchase the painting of your choice. Thanks! $100 for this original painting, ready-to-hang, plus $15 shipping and handling. Acrylic on Archival Gessobord 12x12" with 3/4" Birch Sides. Ready to hang! I've been saying these words to myself lately because I need these words. I need this reminder. I started thinking about using words and phrases in my work about two years ago. The state of our country right now begs me to put to use my gifts. So, you will occasionally see me using words or phrases that provoke thought. ART[food] for Thought I am calling it. As I listened to the news this last year and especially these last few months, I at times feel plowed under by the weight of it. Painting is my solace, my hope. It helps me to reflect and also to appreciate beauty where I can find it. Beauty is hope for me. I see beauty in nature, of course, but also in the faces of people in all our diversity, in the way we reach out to each other with love and tolerance, in the way we speak up for those who can't, who are vulnerable and beaten down. This is where I turn my head when I am feeling low. And I remember these words and repeat them like a mantra. Fear not. Fear not. Fear not, for I am with you. We can say this to each other. Each day. Each day as we look out to and for one another. These ancient words from Isaiah 43 are a solace, a comfort and a command. Fear not, for I am with you. Do not lose hope.
This painting has SOLD. If interested in purchasing, hit the Painting-A-Day Purchase tab and then hit the Etsy widget. It will take you right where you need to be to purchase the painting of your choice. Thanks! $100 for this original painting, ready-to-hang, plus $15 shipping and handling. |
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