This painting is meant to honor my Grandmother, Genora (Nora) Taylor I mentioned in Creative DNA – the one who took my toddler photo in her art studio. She passed in 1995, but she’s appeared to me since then. In 1998, I was put under anesthesia for a minor operation. While out, I dreamed that I was with her in some sunny place, and we were singing together. It was quite comforting, and I woke up happy.
In March 2013, I began meditating through an Oprah and Deepak Chopra 21-day meditation challenge. I know it sounds cheesy, but it’s been a life-changing experience and I’ve been meditating ever since. That summer, I started a meditation about abundance, and Deepak asked us to list the top five things we wanted more of in life. Art was #1 on my list and to my surprise my Grandmother appeared to me during that meditation. I wept and came to the conclusion that she was there to carry my art hope into the spiritual unknown. It’s through meditating that I’ve come to realize I want for art to play a greater role in my life than just a sometime, part-time hobby. Somehow, someway I hope for it to become my life’s work and serve as that bridge I’ve mentioned before.
In Steven Pressfield’s book, The War of Art, he says “genius” was the word the Romans used to define that inner spirit that directs each of us to our true calling and inspires us – our inner Muse. That’s why I’ve called this painting Genora Genius. I feel my Grandmother is my inner Muse, gently urging and encouraging me along this artistic path. In the painting, her expression is one of anticipation and alertness, saying, “Are you ready for this? If so, let’s begin!” She’s surrounded by pink flowers. Pink was her favorite color. Even her house was pink brick, and she gave me all of her hand-painted china pieces that had pink flowers on them – a bond between just us.
The largest flower has the French word esprit – spirit – and represents my soul blossoming as I work toward fulfilling my calling. The undefined flower at the top has the word destin – a window into an unknown, yet alluring destiny. The chartreuse lamb is a nod to my Grandmother’s – and my – faith of Christianity. Hey, if Marc Chagall could have goats, chickens and other animals in his paintings to represent his culture and religion, why not a bright green Jesus lamb to represent my Grandmother who was a devout Sunday school teacher? The lady bugs? I’ll keep that between Grandmother and me.
VickiWorldArt 