Sep_20 When a painting "calls" to you . . .

One of my friends has been regularly following my art postings on Facebook. She had previously purchased a painting and I know that she enjoyed seeing what I was creating. Recently, on two separate occasions, she asked about purchasing a posted painting immediately after they had sold. Here are the two paintings that she was "too late" to buy. As you can see, they are beautiful pieces, both round and 20” in diameter.

Coming to Life

Love

I personally felt bad that she missed out on what she wanted. At the same time, I trusted that perhaps there was a future painting that was meant for her. So when I found myself creating another painting of that same shape and size, I found myself thinking of her. I was proceeding with the painting and enjoying myself when I basically "hit a wall." I didn’t know what to do next, so I let it be for a couple of days and waited. Then the inspiration came and I was able to complete the piece.

Because I had been "blocked" and then had a breakthrough in the process, it felt natural to call the painting "Breakthrough." I was thinking of my friend and decided to give her first viewing of this piece. So I sent her an email saying that I wouldn’t be posting this painting on Facebook for 2 days and she had time to look it over before anyone else. I told her that I wasn’t attached to her purchasing this one, but had a feeling that she might like it. I didn’t want her to be disappointed if that was the case. I felt guided to send the message, even though it seemed somewhat presumptuous on my part. I’ve learned to trust my gut, so I went ahead and sent it despite my hesitation.

Breakthrough

She wrote back immediately with a very amazing response. Apparently, she had just that moment concluded an emotional family event in which major upsets from the past were named and cleared. It was a powerful and loving experience and everyone present felt that it was a "breakthrough." In addition to loving the actual painting, the name of the painting matched the moment. She felt that the universe had aligned to give her a gift to remember this moment and celebrate her capacity to create harmony in her family.

In retrospect, I understood that I needed to "hit the wall" with that painting for two reasons. First, was that the timing of my message to her would have been too soon if I hadn’t had to wait. My message and photo of the painting needed to arrive just as her event was ending. The second was that I needed my own experience of a breakthrough in order to fully grasp the purpose and meaning of this painting.

I shipped the painting the next day! It has truly found its rightful home. Here is a photo of me holding the painting before sending it.