One spring a.m., with frothed java, buttered toast & my routine of reading the internationally placed periodical, Art Daily.org (The First Art Newspaper on the Net News since 1996), I was awakened to an article of the ArtPrize contest in Grand Rapids, Michigan and all that it entailed. I immediately plunged into entering ArtPrize eager to swim amongst the many artists in an ocean of unbounded creativity.
Venues started to respond mid-summer with the Annie R. Studio as one of many venues to choose from. They all seemed reasonable but the Annie R. Studio stood out in the crowd bringing the Ella Bullis Foundation to the forefront with its beautiful cause with their efforts in helping families of babies receiving neonatal intensive care. Always wanting to make a difference, I jumped at the chance & promised the venue to develop a painting specifically created for their show & cause.
Between then & now, in the heart of the Gulf Oil Spill, this summer, I had the choice to cancel, reschedule or remain booked for a One-Person-Show in the Santa Rosa Beach area of Florida. Although people in the area tried to remain positive during the catastrophe that was hitting their next-door neighbor beaches, I knew it wasn’t the optimum time to have an opening. Instead, I encouraged that the show must go on & the curator, Arix Zalace, & I wanted to look into areas where a percentage of the sales would go to a good cause. Realizing I could have rebooked, but again, I wanted to make a difference. I talked with a local animal refuge fund of the area & asked the gallery if we could both give a percentage to the “Alaqua Refuge Foundation” who was trained to help take care of animals after being rescued. The show with Amavida in Rosemary Beach, Florida successfully opened during the forth of July weekend & enlivened the area with artwork, music & fireworks.
Developing a new piece inspired by the Ella Bullis Foundation became my next creative effort in making a difference with my artwork. Brainstorming, I gave Annie R. Studio a title for the painting, “Cocoon”, based on my current series “An Homage to Nature” (www.nyaxe.com/dianenaylor) with portraits of natures smallest gemstones (berries, shells, leaves, flowers) layered with inscriptions in runes about nature from notable people (Wordsworth,Keats, J.F.Kennedy, Gandhi & more).
Realizing the urgent needs of our earth & the recent castrophes that have hit our atmosphere along with the Foundation to help the tender premature babies that are born on a lifethread, I wanted to create a painting showing the magic of ”mother nature” coupled with the purity of a child. With my niece & her husband (Jessica & Justin Schneiter) having recently birthed a fortunately healthy beautiful baby boy, Lexington John Schneiter, my great nephew became the main subject matter within the painting to be cocooned as a small premature baby nestled & cared for in nature.
The painting is set on the night of a full moon within a magical forest. Moonlight showers stream through the trees while dragonflies dart in indigo air. Fireflies dance in the shadows amidst butterflies that flock to the newborn baby cocooned in green leaves. The nestled child rests under a saffron colored mushroom whilst warm light beams from flowers upon him. An inscription in Runes run round the 1 1/2” raised surface of the painting reciting part of “A Faery Song” By E.T. Dillingham that can be decoded at the gallery.
The painting, “Cocoon,” I feel, derives the divinity of nature with the innocence & the miracle of life newborn.
We can help influence society & the children that will lead the world. As artists of today, we have a tremendous responsibility in how we affect our earth, its atmosphere & those around us. Why don’t we make a difference in helping others with our creativity & enlivening bliss while restoring our world for the future? It’s imperative to utilize the talents that your creator has given you to make a difference today for tomorrow.
For more information about this entry into ArtPrize copy & paste: http://www.artprize.org/artists/public-profile/4914
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