Resilience

Arts & Crafts Series
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Resilience*

These words came to me as I contemplated my next painting. Sometimes, the path ahead clears to those determined souls out there, have you ever felt that? I know I have. Stay fast to your path, and connect with your unwavering, unstoppable resilience. I created this painting during the pandemic of 2020 to help identify and celebrate my own resilience. Ironically, this painting was a struggle for me. Third time was the charm. The ominous sky tells the tale, but the tree still stands through it all.

I created this artwork style, which I call my "Tile-Inspired Series" because of my love for the ceramic art tiles from the early 1900s. Grueby, Rookwood, Teco (among others) were creating beautiful decorative narratives with their landscape tiles. Since my medium is paint, I wanted to stay true to my roots and try to create a new style of painting that evokes a similar feeling to the tiles of yesteryear.

I start with an acrylic panel, then add sculptural molding compounds to the surface to create the high relief that's seen in the white outlines of the shapes. Once it's dry, I can sand the forms and then I let the acrylic paint pool in the reservoirs I've created to get a glaze-like effect.

Artwork and words (illuminated verse) by Julie Leidel, June 2020