Show and Tell
Today I hung a painting (well, a print) on my wall.
I realize that I never actually wrote about the AFA conference I went to back in October. Suffice it to say nothing I heard was really new information and I didn’t have any big “ah-ha” moments. It was a little strange, really… I felt like an outsider for some reason… a lost, cynical veteran among bright-eyed, hopeful novices. There was so much more darkness in my heart, I was a shadow moving through.
There were plenty of booths there, promoting clinics and adoption agencies and selling little things. There was also an artist there – Ellen Spencer. Now I am not really a fan of most “art,” I normally just don’t get it. But every time I walked by her table this one painting drew me in. I kept stopping to stare at it. So I ended up buying a print, which of course was far more than I had intended to spend at the conference.
Today I finally dug it out of the bag it was carefully kept in, framed it, and hung it on my wall.
It’s obviously trees in an almost abstract, dreamlike mode. But to me they look like women holding up the upper branches… holding up the world. I guess that’s what spoke to me that day in October, shouldering my grief and infertility and loss. And yet the image is not dreary… the women-trees are stretching up, reaching towards the sky. It’s almost joyful. Serene. The image is empowering to me… reminding me to stand tall, telling me that I can keep holding it all up. It is hanging on the wall opposite our bed so I can continue to be reminded.
In a way I kind of feel like I went to that conference just to get that print. And it somehow feels worth it.
The print is gorgeous and I love your interpretation of it.
Beautiful. I’m so glad you bought it and have now proudly hung it.
I love that print. It looks like trees swaying and dancing in celebration to me.
My breath caught when your blog finally loaded. That print is stunning and, for me, your interpretation is spot on!
The fact that we can see our meloncholy and be inspired by it at the same time is what makes us so strong.
The second tree from the left particularly looks human to me.
I hope you are uplifted every time you look at it — pun intended. :)
I totally thought of women reaching for the sky when I first saw this print.
Love it, thanks for sharing.
I like it! The colors and shapes – everything!
A beautiful painting–but I think those pictures are the ones that are the most important, the ones that keep drawing us back and holding our attention. Smart idea to bring it home.
That painting is beautiful! I can see how you would see the trees are women-trees. They are curvy and beautiful. I think you hung it in a great place!
That print is beautiful! Before I scrolled down to see the whole picture, I thought it *was* women’s arms! I like how the three on the right are leaning toward each other, maybe for support.
I like it to. And for the same reason.
What a beautiful print – it ~does~ look like women holding the sky up. Awesome!
You are so correct….I saw the picture before reading the rest of the post. And it did appear as if women were there, holding the weight of the branches there.
I am so glad that you have something to look and think about and appreciate. Over the period of time, there are new things we discover about old objects lying around our house. Happy discovery!
Love the print. What a great feeling you have about, it being the reason you went, just may be it was.
“But to me they look like women holding up the upper branches… holding up the world.”
A stunning thought for a stunning painting! The great thing about a piece of art that draws you in enough to buy it, is that you constantly find new things in it. And as your life changes, so does the way you look at it. I hope this is the beginning of a life long appreciation for something that has obviously touched you deeply.