I’ve been itching to get to work on a BIG scale. So, I bought this really large canvas and got painting! It’s a concept that has been brewing in the recesses of my mind for quite some time.

I wanted to mingle masculine and feminine energies together in one epic piece de resistance. I wanted to truly express raw, untainted emotion — gut-wrenching, shadow-self kind of shit. You’re getting me, right?

Then I wanted to balance the energy and…well, you’ll just have to see.

This painting is part of my ‘Finding Beauty in Chaos’ Series that I think has been stepped up a notch.

I’m not going to waffle on about the inspiration behind this piece as it’s all in the description at the end (scroll to the bottom if you’re seriously that impatient!).

Come be a fly on my studio wall as I reveal ‘Misery and Mercy’ — the painting process below:

So, the background is now finished — here’s what it looks like:

And now to add the ‘Mercy’…       

Below is a side view of the painting. The original was sold via the Karoo Art Hotel, Barrydale. But prints can be purchased through Saatchi (click here or on the picture below).

There are also prints and other forms of paraphernalia available (such as tote bags, clothing, mugs, skins, etc). Click on the picture below to take you to that highly reputable and dead funky store, RedBubble:

Inspiration Behind the Art:

My ‘Finding Beauty in Chaos’ series was sparked by my spiritual quest for balance in a world that feels like it’s gone completely off the rails.

The background represents the ‘chaos’ of the material world — the concrete jungle with all its emotional graffiti that stains the streets looking for an outlet to voice the misery.

I then try to temper the painting by introducing the ‘beauty’ aspect — nature in all her glorious splendour. Nature always has a way of fighting back and overcoming the odds — not even cement can keep a young sapling down for long.

I was struck by a story told about Mother Theresa by her room-mate of many years. She said that the one trait that stood out the most in her memory of Mother Theresa was her ability to walk down the streets of Calcutta, in all its filth and depravity, and see past the chaos to find a flower growing out of a crack in the gutter. She would then focus on this and smile — it brought her great joy.

When I paint a flower I feel an overwhelming bliss – an excitement to capture the beauty and magic of what I see and how I feel when I am in their presence.

They are such a primary source of inspiration because I still cannot fully fathom their exquisite beauty. Eckhart Tolle put it in a nutshell when he said that we could look upon flowers as the enlightenment of plants. I could look upon flowers all day and still be mesmerized. They are a true gift to us and to gaze upon their delicate wonder is to look at the unfolding of pure potential in a world where everything seems insane.

There is hope.

Thanks for journeying with me through this process. Please don’t forget to leave any comments or feedback in the box below 😀 You know I love hearing from y’all!

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