Ruthie is a memory of ever-joyful neighbor's child from my own childhood living on the prairies in Manitoba.
6 months ago, I moved from working fulltime in the city to a rural area and devoting all my time to art and exploring. I get to be more spontaneous like a child again. You would think it would be easy to indulge oneself in sensibilities of constant exploration, but a lifetime of habits to 'remain on the track and keep working' does get in the way at times.
In this painting I broke boundaries I didn't expect, but when I came up to the opportunity to play it safe, or push forward with the risk to make a total mess of everything, I took the later, as is my custom.
Ruthie's hair was painted beautifully in oil, and it would have been a lovely piece of work if I left it as such. However, something was bugging me that I knew would never leave me if I left it. I knew I could ruin countless hours of work, but I had to try.
I wanted Ruthie, like myself, to be in the middle of it all so how was I going to accomplish that? I chose a new set of highlight colours and off I went.
The yearning to deliver my story comes first, and the art technique follows.
When I risk, it usually works better than my expectations.
When in doubt, follow the joy and open a new box of crayons.
Peace in your journey.
Angela Tahara
