"Honestly, I wonder, why create artwork at all when violence dirties the world?" You know the answer to your question, Beth. The initial shock of the murder made you stop and ask that question, made you cynical and afraid. But then you pushed through those feelings and created art. You created something beautiful to counter all the ugliness surrounding us. And thank God for artists like you, who do all that pushing, all that creating, and giving the rest of us hope that goodness will prevail. Thank you for such an inspiring post, my friend. xoxo
I so appreciate your comment, my friend. Yes, I did know the answer to my question, and you are completely correct as to why I asked it in the first place.
Your words have touched me profoundly. Art really is a healing endeavor -- for the artist and the community. As I worked through the painting of the tulips and finishing the Peace landscape, I felt a huge burden lift.
Thank you so much for your kind, beautiful words. Writers are artists, too, and I simply am in awe of your writing!
So much trauma. I'm so sorry you experienced the trauma of a murder in your neighborhood. The cruelty of that is hard to fathom. When tragedy of any sort happens close to home, we realize how vulnerable we all are. You are a deeply caring, sensitive person so of course you felt destabilized and unable to even paint for a bit. I am wondering how your daughter reacted to it as she was already coping with the death of a fellow student at her high school. So much to process for you both.
You found your way back to your art, though. That alone speaks volumes about the power of art - for those who create it and for those who take it in. Art has a pull and a purpose like nothing else. I've never thought about those flowers we all see in passing at the grocery store being a source of inspiration for an artist. You found inspiration and motivation in those tulips. That is wonderful.
I love how your Peace painting turned out and what a perfect title. So fitting. Thank you for sharing about these hard things you've been dealing with and thank you for offering us the gift of your art week in and week out.
Sending love and hugs, my friend. Take care of yourself. xo
Thank you so much, dear friend, for your caring and your support. I so appreciate your kindness. Yes, the murder was so close to where we live and so traumatic to think about. I didn't tell my daughter much, although she knows that someone in the neighborhood was murdered. She hasn't asked me any questions, although I'm sure she picked up on my mood, which was somewhat despondent for awhile.
Regarding the fellow student who tragically died, Arielle didn't bring it up. Counselors were offering to help students cope with this. I thought about discussing it with her, but with what just took place in our neighborhood, I figured it was a lot for her and the community to deal with.
And, yes, I did find my way back to art. I am excited about the tulips and curious how they will develop. Of course, my live-in critic told me that I need more contrast between darks and lights. And, of course, she's right, I hate to admit. LOL
I'm so glad you enjoy Peace. Yes, I really like the title, too. I so appreciate you. Thank you, as always, for being there and for your support. ❤
Beth, I hope I can offer some personal friend-to-friend comfort and compassion this afternoon in our private phone call. I love you. Thank you for posting this brave piece and for sharing your exquisite artwork here, as always. Love, Gerry
Oh, Beth, I’m so sorry you’ve had such a traumatic event on your street. I would have been upset and sad and shaken, too. So much of our world seems so upside down right now, everyday another layer gets added to this crazy picture. And that’s why, I feel it’s so important for all of us to keep on creating. I’m glad you got out your paintbrushes and painted. The tulips in red, a heart color, I see strength in the face of fear. And your landscape is peaceful and just what we all need to see right now. Keep painting, my friend!
Wow, Beth, this puts into perspective a lot. I did notice your absence and silence, and I want to thank you for writing this brave piece. I also want to say that your art, to me, seems an antidote to this violence. It's part of the collective healing. I'm glad you found a way to use your creative energy in this way.
I've always believed both the brutal and beautiful parts of life somehow stand side by side.
Thank you for your kind comment, and I'm so glad you found my Substack. Yes, the recent violence was terrifying, and it will take time to heal from. You are so right -- art is the antidote. Like you, I believe visual art and writing are all part of the collective healing.
Beth, I would have been shaken too. Such violence and such sorrow. I'm glad you went to your paints. I go to my journals when things are tough. Acts of violence and inhumanity go on all around us, and artists continue to make beauty so that we remember our potential for love and caring about others.
I couldn't help but see cards with your paintings on them. Yesterday I gave a card to a woman who had been very kind to my husband and I -- if I'd had one of your paintings on a card, I would like to have given her that.
May peace envelope you and may you never lose sight of the good you bring to the world with your paints, your process and your heart. May you continue to be a light in the dark -- you are in my heart, dear woman. Biggest of hugs.
Thank you so much for your support during this trying time. You are right: despite the cruelty of humanity and horrific times, artists find a way to create beauty. And, of course, writers are artists who create beauty with language. I totally get why you turn to your journals in rough times.
Regarding the cards, things with my new art business unfortunately are taking longer than anticipated. I'm hoping to get my website live in the near future and then sell cards and original paintings. I am so grateful and honored that you would think of my paintings being on cards. When the website is live, I plan to let everyone know.
Thank you so much for your kind wishes and encouragement. It's been a rough time, but I'm continuing to create art and hang in there one day at a time. ❤
It's difficult to have a good heart and then learn that their is violence next door -- we don't imagine violence, so it's shocking to discover how nearby it can be. Be gentle with yourself. One day at a time. Reach out to folks if you feel the need for support around you. And paint -- art, as you say, is salvation. I'm so sorry this happened next door. This kind of trauma never just happens to just one person, it happens to neighbors, to friends and to the community. You are in my heart, Beth.
I so appreciate your support, Stephanie. You are right: the trauma extends to everyone who is touched by it. I have a really great psychotherapist, who is working with me on this. Reaching out is an excellent action to take. And creating art -- any kind of art -- is so helpful to the soul. Yes, art is my salvation, and it is keeping me sane during a very trying time.
Beth, as I finished reading your essay I couldn't but help thinking of the saying that light cannot exist without shadow and vice versa. These traumatic events represent the darkness of life, whilst your turning to art or any type of creativity is turning to the light, a natural reaction for healing. Your tulips are alive with energetic colour and your beautiful landscape as you say depicts peace - both of them are the light that we all need and the peace you're searching for at this troubling time. Thank you!😊🙏🏻
I love when you say, "These traumatic events represent the darkness of life, whilst your turning to art or any type of creativity is turning to the light, a natural reaction for healing." So very true. I agree that light and shadow must co-exist. I mean, how can we appreciate the good things if trauma didn't exist? And I also agree that creativity heals.
I was initially hesitant to paint anything, but I know that the act of doing is powerful. I just needed to paint in order to begin promoting healing.
Thank you for your support, Lin. It means a lot to me. ❤
What terrible news in your neighborhood. So glad you have someone to talk with, and good for you to turn to painting. Your Peace piece is outstanding. I love the little spindly stems going every which way. You've made them look so natural.
Thank you, Nancy, for your supportive comment. Yes, it has been a trying time here.
I so appreciate that you enjoy my Peace painting. I really enjoyed painting it. Lately, I've been enjoying painting on smaller canvases. Yes, I'm fond of the spindly growths randomly growing in all directions. ❤
Beth, I’m so glad you have the support of a therapist while going through all of this at once. It’s good that you were able to find the energy to paint! You never know when you’re going to be inspired even by some cut flowers at the grocery store! I love the light in Peace. You’ve done such a beautiful job with that painting. I’m here for you if you need me.💕
I am so sorry you experience such tragedy. Art is worth it - it brings beauty into a world that can be dark. Art is our way to cope. I love your peaceful landscape and the colors of your tulips make the the world a brighter place!
How awful! I'm sorry to hear about your neighbor and the teenager who recently died. I've significantly decreased how much I read or watch the news because it is so hard to hear about all these tragedies. Painting has been one of the main things that makes me feel better. Your landscape painting turned out beautifully! I have had to learn not to try to put down too much paint or get too detailed early on in the process and it's gradually getting better. Looking forward to seeing your latest update of the yellow and orange tulips. And just know that people look forward to your blogs and paintings. You are putting something positive back into the world and we need a lot more of that!!
Thank you so much, Pam, for your support and for reminding me about the positive effects my art and writing have on others. I know, as an artist yourself, you totally understand how art comforts us, especially during trying moments. I feel it's the one thing I can count on -- whether times are good or bad.
Like you, I have really limited my news intake. The news is filled with tragedies and so many unpleasant happenings. It really can cloud the mind. I know I can't handle reading or hearing about one tragedy after another.
You are right about not putting down too much paint or avoiding details early on. I need to be reminded of this from time to time. One of my art weaknesses is to create too many details quickly instead of allowing me to first lay down the shapes of the thing I want to paint.
Your turn towards art to cope with tragedy and trauma seems to me such a healthy-healing-holy impulse, Beth. And I love that you're always pushing yourself, trying new techniques. Your flowers (I was going to say still life, but I think that minimizes the magic of trying to pull the energy from the plant on to the canvas, if that makes sense!) are just the right antidote right now to all that is happening.
And yes, to your lake scene: PEACE. Thank you for the respite.
I was almost going to call the flowers a still life, but I stopped myself -- for the same reason you decided not to call it a still life.
Yes, I gravitated toward the tulips as a way to cope with the trauma of knowing a little about the horrific crime. And you're right: I turn to art to help me deal with all sorts of emotions.
I am definitely using a new technique with the flowers; I love exploration.
I so appreciate your supportive comment, Robin. Thank you for being there, my friend.
Beth, your words are devastating and tender in equal measure. As I read about the tulips, I found myself wondering (through a Jungian lens) whether there was something in your instinctive turn toward flowers after the shock as if your was psyche was reaching for a symbol of fragile renewal.
For tulips, I intuit, often carry those sacred themes of rebirth, endurance and the return of colour after a long winter. And it struck me that your painting them wasn’t accidental at all. It actually felt like a small act of your artistic way of stitching the world back together, one brushstroke at a time.
And when you wrote about adding reflections of the trees to your beautiful landscape canvas titled Peace, it made me think of that Hermetic saying, "as above, so below" ... as if your own living waters were mirroring and mending themselves, heart-stroke by heart-stroke. Thanks so much for sharing. 🙏💖🫂
Oh Deborah, you totally get it. Your interpretation of why I was drawn to the tulips is so perceptive. I believe you are right -- that the flowers represented renewal and, I wonder, whether these tulips echo the fact that people left flowers at the deceased person's house. Maybe these flowers left at the house stayed with me, and the tulips in the store did represent a type of rebirth.
I agree that the painting wasn't accidental. It was a vehicle through which I was (and still am) trying to find meaning and understand the world. And thank you for your insightful interpretation of the reflections in the water of my landscape painting.
I really appreciate your astute insights, and thank you for your kindness. ❤
"Honestly, I wonder, why create artwork at all when violence dirties the world?" You know the answer to your question, Beth. The initial shock of the murder made you stop and ask that question, made you cynical and afraid. But then you pushed through those feelings and created art. You created something beautiful to counter all the ugliness surrounding us. And thank God for artists like you, who do all that pushing, all that creating, and giving the rest of us hope that goodness will prevail. Thank you for such an inspiring post, my friend. xoxo
Hi Marilea,
I so appreciate your comment, my friend. Yes, I did know the answer to my question, and you are completely correct as to why I asked it in the first place.
Your words have touched me profoundly. Art really is a healing endeavor -- for the artist and the community. As I worked through the painting of the tulips and finishing the Peace landscape, I felt a huge burden lift.
Thank you so much for your kind, beautiful words. Writers are artists, too, and I simply am in awe of your writing!
Hi Beth,
So much trauma. I'm so sorry you experienced the trauma of a murder in your neighborhood. The cruelty of that is hard to fathom. When tragedy of any sort happens close to home, we realize how vulnerable we all are. You are a deeply caring, sensitive person so of course you felt destabilized and unable to even paint for a bit. I am wondering how your daughter reacted to it as she was already coping with the death of a fellow student at her high school. So much to process for you both.
You found your way back to your art, though. That alone speaks volumes about the power of art - for those who create it and for those who take it in. Art has a pull and a purpose like nothing else. I've never thought about those flowers we all see in passing at the grocery store being a source of inspiration for an artist. You found inspiration and motivation in those tulips. That is wonderful.
I love how your Peace painting turned out and what a perfect title. So fitting. Thank you for sharing about these hard things you've been dealing with and thank you for offering us the gift of your art week in and week out.
Sending love and hugs, my friend. Take care of yourself. xo
Hi Nancy,
Thank you so much, dear friend, for your caring and your support. I so appreciate your kindness. Yes, the murder was so close to where we live and so traumatic to think about. I didn't tell my daughter much, although she knows that someone in the neighborhood was murdered. She hasn't asked me any questions, although I'm sure she picked up on my mood, which was somewhat despondent for awhile.
Regarding the fellow student who tragically died, Arielle didn't bring it up. Counselors were offering to help students cope with this. I thought about discussing it with her, but with what just took place in our neighborhood, I figured it was a lot for her and the community to deal with.
And, yes, I did find my way back to art. I am excited about the tulips and curious how they will develop. Of course, my live-in critic told me that I need more contrast between darks and lights. And, of course, she's right, I hate to admit. LOL
I'm so glad you enjoy Peace. Yes, I really like the title, too. I so appreciate you. Thank you, as always, for being there and for your support. ❤
Beth, I hope I can offer some personal friend-to-friend comfort and compassion this afternoon in our private phone call. I love you. Thank you for posting this brave piece and for sharing your exquisite artwork here, as always. Love, Gerry
Thank you so much, Gerry. I love you, too. And I'm so glad we had a good talk earlier today. You are an awesome friend. Xo ❤
This is a very brave piece, Beth. Thank you, and bless you.
Thank you so much, Bob. I appreciate your kind words.
Oh, Beth... I'm sending you a hug. I would've been shaken too.
Hi Eileen,
Thank you so much. Hug received. There's really no good way to recover from such a hardship.
Oh, Beth, I’m so sorry you’ve had such a traumatic event on your street. I would have been upset and sad and shaken, too. So much of our world seems so upside down right now, everyday another layer gets added to this crazy picture. And that’s why, I feel it’s so important for all of us to keep on creating. I’m glad you got out your paintbrushes and painted. The tulips in red, a heart color, I see strength in the face of fear. And your landscape is peaceful and just what we all need to see right now. Keep painting, my friend!
Wow, Beth, this puts into perspective a lot. I did notice your absence and silence, and I want to thank you for writing this brave piece. I also want to say that your art, to me, seems an antidote to this violence. It's part of the collective healing. I'm glad you found a way to use your creative energy in this way.
I've always believed both the brutal and beautiful parts of life somehow stand side by side.
Hi Jeannie,
Thank you for your kind comment, and I'm so glad you found my Substack. Yes, the recent violence was terrifying, and it will take time to heal from. You are so right -- art is the antidote. Like you, I believe visual art and writing are all part of the collective healing.
I so appreciate your kind, healing words.
Beth, I would have been shaken too. Such violence and such sorrow. I'm glad you went to your paints. I go to my journals when things are tough. Acts of violence and inhumanity go on all around us, and artists continue to make beauty so that we remember our potential for love and caring about others.
I couldn't help but see cards with your paintings on them. Yesterday I gave a card to a woman who had been very kind to my husband and I -- if I'd had one of your paintings on a card, I would like to have given her that.
May peace envelope you and may you never lose sight of the good you bring to the world with your paints, your process and your heart. May you continue to be a light in the dark -- you are in my heart, dear woman. Biggest of hugs.
Hi dearest Stephanie,
Thank you so much for your support during this trying time. You are right: despite the cruelty of humanity and horrific times, artists find a way to create beauty. And, of course, writers are artists who create beauty with language. I totally get why you turn to your journals in rough times.
Regarding the cards, things with my new art business unfortunately are taking longer than anticipated. I'm hoping to get my website live in the near future and then sell cards and original paintings. I am so grateful and honored that you would think of my paintings being on cards. When the website is live, I plan to let everyone know.
Thank you so much for your kind wishes and encouragement. It's been a rough time, but I'm continuing to create art and hang in there one day at a time. ❤
It's difficult to have a good heart and then learn that their is violence next door -- we don't imagine violence, so it's shocking to discover how nearby it can be. Be gentle with yourself. One day at a time. Reach out to folks if you feel the need for support around you. And paint -- art, as you say, is salvation. I'm so sorry this happened next door. This kind of trauma never just happens to just one person, it happens to neighbors, to friends and to the community. You are in my heart, Beth.
I so appreciate your support, Stephanie. You are right: the trauma extends to everyone who is touched by it. I have a really great psychotherapist, who is working with me on this. Reaching out is an excellent action to take. And creating art -- any kind of art -- is so helpful to the soul. Yes, art is my salvation, and it is keeping me sane during a very trying time.
Beth, as I finished reading your essay I couldn't but help thinking of the saying that light cannot exist without shadow and vice versa. These traumatic events represent the darkness of life, whilst your turning to art or any type of creativity is turning to the light, a natural reaction for healing. Your tulips are alive with energetic colour and your beautiful landscape as you say depicts peace - both of them are the light that we all need and the peace you're searching for at this troubling time. Thank you!😊🙏🏻
Hi Lin,
I love when you say, "These traumatic events represent the darkness of life, whilst your turning to art or any type of creativity is turning to the light, a natural reaction for healing." So very true. I agree that light and shadow must co-exist. I mean, how can we appreciate the good things if trauma didn't exist? And I also agree that creativity heals.
I was initially hesitant to paint anything, but I know that the act of doing is powerful. I just needed to paint in order to begin promoting healing.
Thank you for your support, Lin. It means a lot to me. ❤
What terrible news in your neighborhood. So glad you have someone to talk with, and good for you to turn to painting. Your Peace piece is outstanding. I love the little spindly stems going every which way. You've made them look so natural.
Thank you, Nancy, for your supportive comment. Yes, it has been a trying time here.
I so appreciate that you enjoy my Peace painting. I really enjoyed painting it. Lately, I've been enjoying painting on smaller canvases. Yes, I'm fond of the spindly growths randomly growing in all directions. ❤
Beth, I’m so glad you have the support of a therapist while going through all of this at once. It’s good that you were able to find the energy to paint! You never know when you’re going to be inspired even by some cut flowers at the grocery store! I love the light in Peace. You’ve done such a beautiful job with that painting. I’m here for you if you need me.💕
Hi Alene,
Thank you so much for your kind support. We are here for each other.
To be honest, I didn't feel like I had the energy to paint. I kind of forced myself to sit down at my art table.
Thank you so much for your compliment on Peace. I really appreciate it. I enjoyed working on this painting so much! ❤
I am so sorry you experience such tragedy. Art is worth it - it brings beauty into a world that can be dark. Art is our way to cope. I love your peaceful landscape and the colors of your tulips make the the world a brighter place!
Thank you so much, Dee. You are right: "Art is worth it." Without art, I don't think I could cope at all.
And thank you for your generous words about the landscape painting and the tulips. I so appreciate you!
How awful! I'm sorry to hear about your neighbor and the teenager who recently died. I've significantly decreased how much I read or watch the news because it is so hard to hear about all these tragedies. Painting has been one of the main things that makes me feel better. Your landscape painting turned out beautifully! I have had to learn not to try to put down too much paint or get too detailed early on in the process and it's gradually getting better. Looking forward to seeing your latest update of the yellow and orange tulips. And just know that people look forward to your blogs and paintings. You are putting something positive back into the world and we need a lot more of that!!
Thank you so much, Pam, for your support and for reminding me about the positive effects my art and writing have on others. I know, as an artist yourself, you totally understand how art comforts us, especially during trying moments. I feel it's the one thing I can count on -- whether times are good or bad.
Like you, I have really limited my news intake. The news is filled with tragedies and so many unpleasant happenings. It really can cloud the mind. I know I can't handle reading or hearing about one tragedy after another.
You are right about not putting down too much paint or avoiding details early on. I need to be reminded of this from time to time. One of my art weaknesses is to create too many details quickly instead of allowing me to first lay down the shapes of the thing I want to paint.
I so appreciate your comments, Pam. ❤
Your turn towards art to cope with tragedy and trauma seems to me such a healthy-healing-holy impulse, Beth. And I love that you're always pushing yourself, trying new techniques. Your flowers (I was going to say still life, but I think that minimizes the magic of trying to pull the energy from the plant on to the canvas, if that makes sense!) are just the right antidote right now to all that is happening.
And yes, to your lake scene: PEACE. Thank you for the respite.
Hi Robin,
I was almost going to call the flowers a still life, but I stopped myself -- for the same reason you decided not to call it a still life.
Yes, I gravitated toward the tulips as a way to cope with the trauma of knowing a little about the horrific crime. And you're right: I turn to art to help me deal with all sorts of emotions.
I am definitely using a new technique with the flowers; I love exploration.
I so appreciate your supportive comment, Robin. Thank you for being there, my friend.
The world is full of broken people, that's why art and poetry is needed. Sending peace, Beth.
You are 100 percent right, Rea. Art and poetry are always essential. Thank you.
Beth, your words are devastating and tender in equal measure. As I read about the tulips, I found myself wondering (through a Jungian lens) whether there was something in your instinctive turn toward flowers after the shock as if your was psyche was reaching for a symbol of fragile renewal.
For tulips, I intuit, often carry those sacred themes of rebirth, endurance and the return of colour after a long winter. And it struck me that your painting them wasn’t accidental at all. It actually felt like a small act of your artistic way of stitching the world back together, one brushstroke at a time.
And when you wrote about adding reflections of the trees to your beautiful landscape canvas titled Peace, it made me think of that Hermetic saying, "as above, so below" ... as if your own living waters were mirroring and mending themselves, heart-stroke by heart-stroke. Thanks so much for sharing. 🙏💖🫂
Oh Deborah, you totally get it. Your interpretation of why I was drawn to the tulips is so perceptive. I believe you are right -- that the flowers represented renewal and, I wonder, whether these tulips echo the fact that people left flowers at the deceased person's house. Maybe these flowers left at the house stayed with me, and the tulips in the store did represent a type of rebirth.
I agree that the painting wasn't accidental. It was a vehicle through which I was (and still am) trying to find meaning and understand the world. And thank you for your insightful interpretation of the reflections in the water of my landscape painting.
I really appreciate your astute insights, and thank you for your kindness. ❤