This painting honors the inner strength and sacred beliefs of my friend Connie.
"Sharing Energies" Copyright Katherine Bird
Acrylic on gallery wrap canvas
24 x 36"
Completed September 13, 2015
Painted with fluid colors applied with a dropper, this particular piece contains an interesting effect.
After the preliminary drawing I coated the canvas with tar gel, a clear coating that allows a smooth surface for easier paint application. When the tar gel dried, I started applying the paint.
The next day, after the paint had dried I noticed many cracks in the paint surface. It had happened to me before when painting on a hard surface, but never on a canvas. It thought it was because of the tar gel, but I used it as directed. I contacted the company who produced the product. The company technician seemed to be scratching his head about it, saying he has never seen that before, suggesting it may have something to do with fluctuating room temperature. I knew that it wasn't the case. I decided to accept the aberration and continued painting.
More interesting was that the cracks only appeared in the trees and in the background. The paint in the figure did not behave the same way.
It is one of those cases where the paint seems to take its own action to show the meaning of the image. The cracks represent the crackles of energy from the trees - so fitting with the action of acknowledging the tree and its connection to life; exchanging respect, wisdom and energies.
The benefits of tree energy: "It has recently been scientifically validated that hugging trees is good for you. Research has shown that you don't even have to touch a tree to get better - just being within its vicinity has a beneficial effect.
"In a recently published book, Blinded by Science, the author Matthew Silverstone proves scientifically that trees do in fact improve many health issues such as concentration levels, reaction times, depression, stress and other various forms of mental illness. He even points to research indicating a tree's ability to alleviate headaches in humans seeking relief by communing with trees."
See more at:
http://theunboundedspirit.com/tree-hugging-now-scientifically-validated/
