Windows - What Remains, 2021

❤ At the heart of this composition is a central window, prominent in both size and placement. The grid of that window forms the main cross, but there is also a cast shadow of that central cross in the lower left. Each carries its own symbolic weight, and both are crucial to the message. There are steps leading upward in the lower right corner, which are equally foundational to both the meaning and aesthetic of the painting. What we hold at the core of our being/passion/purpose will inevitably be displayed/sent forward from us. Our foundation serves as the building blocks of our life’s affect. ❤ What Remains started out as a white and gray attempt, but soon took on primary colors! The paintings decide – not me. So, this piece wound up with a primary color palette (mainly red, yellow, and blue). It has been painted multiple times and sanded in between the applied layers of color. There is something alluring about the paint that refused to be removed – it held on through the rigorous sanding, smoothing, and varnishing. I love it in a way that I can’t explain and that is the beauty of it. It’s primary/ essential/ lovely. ❤ This is “What Remains”. No, it’s not grime that you see; that’s patina! All of life is a collection of personal experiences and our memories of them. I'm grateful that most of those memories are good ones. I pray that we may all find a way to focus on the beauty of what remains.