Influenced by the Seasons
On Creating Art to Document Everyday Life
🎨 Welcome
Autumn has arrived here to the mountains of Central Türkiye.
The trees are lit up with brilliant colors, the weather is cooling, the days are shorter and darker. Winter is coming.
I go on morning walks around my urban neighborhood. I love the freshness of morning, the newness of the day. I love how the light lingers. When I was a child growing up in rural Iowa, I’d go for walks in the forest with my brothers and our parents. Early sunrise walks. Sometimes we’d run into skunks stumbling home from a night of feasting. Have you ever heard the phrase, “Drunk as a skunk?” Well…this is where it comes from.
A small, random memory from childhood. A beautiful memory. And here it is, re-imagined as a Lupita portrait. In the painting, I’m wrapped in a prayer blanket that my cousin, Angie, handmade for me during a time of crisis. I’m wearing fabulous pink boots. Those of you from Iowa may recognize these trees from Stephens State Forest (Thousand Acres), which is just next to my childhood home.
Art can be a medium for memory. Art can be a personalized journey infused with universal truths. Art can be whatever you want it to be. Keep going.
Good journey,
🌈 Painting Myself Painting
I’ve been enjoying playing around with a new (to me) form of creative expression - a sort of animated painting. In this self-portrait video below, I’m painting my own self-portrait.
It reminds me of something my student once said to me during a particularly deep conversation while we were a bit lost in the Mexican jungle, “That’s so meta, teach.”
It makes me smile, thinking of those adventures in the far off corners of the world. I once considered Türkiye to be a far off corner, but now it’s my home. How magical and mysterious…this life.
Let me know what you think in the comments.
🌸 The Power of Art in Everyday Life
This is a photo of my mother, Juana Maria. She had a stroke with a catastrophic brain bleed in 2019. She’s been paralyzed on one side and living in a rehab facility every since because she needs 24 hour care. Before the stroke, she was an incredibly gifted artist with a lifetime of accumulated technical skills - drawing beautiful flowers and landscapes.
After the stroke, once she had recovered enough to sit up in a wheelchair, she started painting again. What I discovered when I sat with her to paint (as we have done together since I was a child), was that Mom had lost her artwork skills. The brain damage had taken that from her. In essence, she had to completely start over learning how to draw. Add on top of that - she only has one working arm / hand.
I can’t imagine how that feels for Mom. I can only guess at the range of emotions. I know that my heart broke into a thousand pieces as I realized what the reality of her situation was. I know that I admire her strength and her courage to start over. I know that my love for her has only grown and intensified as I’ve witnessed her recovery journey.
I know that when I look at this picture, I don’t see a suffering woman. I see a woman who is concentrating and focused on creating art. I see a thoughtful woman considering her color choices. I see a glimpse of my mother from before her stroke.
Art can be a powerful healing potion. Art can be a song of hope.
👩🏻💻 Instagram
I have a goal to post my new portraits and videos up on my Instagram account as they flow out. I hope to connect with you there as well. @EmilyLupitaSeries
🙏🏼 A Prayer
❤️🔥
Beautiful weaving of memories, nature, family and art.
I enjoyed this beautiful art walk this morning. Thank you for sharing the power of art.