Exploring Love

24″ x 36″ x 3/4″

This was my very first canvas.  I thought of it almost as a painting 101 class for myself.  To create some kind of structure to work within, I made a “rule” that each section had to include at least one heart and the word “love” in some way.  I began in the upper left and ended in the upper right, weaving my way through and creating spaces as I moved along.  I watched videos for inspiration and even used some as tutorials for a few sections, beginning with an idea I was seeing and then eventually making it my own.

My favorite moment came the day after I had splatter painted red in the bottom right corner.  I noticed that a red “splatter” had landed in the empty section to its left.  When I looked closer, I realized that it was actually a perfect little heart.  I knew it needed to be preserved, so I immediately and carefully painted pink around it and placed the word “love” below.  Its simplicity and organic creation made me so happy and demonstrated to me the beauty of trusting and going with the flow.  This is just one example of so many cool and connected moments that happened while creating this canvas.

Many materials were used in its creation: paper towels (which became one of my favorite materials as I continued), Gesso, dried paint, yarn, playing cards, a wide variety of paper, felt, cereal boxes, colored duct tape, glitter, old notes from grandparents and other loved ones, pieces from clothing my daughter used to wear, old toys that my son used to play with, and on and on!

This canvas is not for sale, but please contact me if you would like to commission a similar canvas. It can be a “love” theme, or any other, and include your (or a loved ones) personalized items.

All colors and designs wrap around the canvas.

side view