Pathways: Rediscovering my Roots
The Washout, acrylic on canvas, 68 x 78 inches, 170 x 200 cm
I spent this past year in Provence, rediscovering my roots. Having visited Provence since I was a child, I have very fond memories at my grandparent’s home from playing in the fields to jumping into my great-grandfather’s fountain filled will very cold spring water. In my early 20’s, I went to the Leo Marchutz School of Painting in Aix-en-Provence. During that time, I fell in love with painting and grew to find this region as a spiritual haven. This past visit was the longest at over 10 months. It’s a place where I feel grounded and I’ve recently decided to make Provence my primary studio space.
My great-grandfather’s fountain, maintained by my parents.
This new body of work explores my search for where I want to be and how I see my life. This past year, I found myself contemplating over pathways during my hikes, walks, and drives. Many times I drove to one of the gorges in my region, found a hiking path, and started walking on it. There was always a little fear that I had to overcome: snakes, spiders, wild boar, or even people in remote areas. Also, the fear of being lost and not found.
Lost, acrylic on canvas, 180 x 150 cm, 70 x 59 inches
Step, Breathe,acrylic on canvas, 180 x 150 cm, 70 x 59 inches
Generally I didn’t know where I was going, nor what was around the next bend. There were many obstacles in the paths. If there was a fork in the road, I had to make the difficult choice of which direction to take. I found that once I stepped firmly in one direction, I followed it. If there was a large rock, I had to figure out how to climb over it; if a tree had fallen, I had to figure out how to get on the other side of it. Surprisingly, I never saw these obstacles as fears, but rather how to develop a strategy to get over or around them. Many times the path took me back to where I started. Other times, I found a special place in which I sat, meditated, and wrote.
Meandering Weave, acrylic on canvas, 173 × 148 cm, 68 × 58 inches
These emotional responses and experiences started to coalesce into a theme of pathways with crossroads and obstacles. In turn, this became a metaphor for my search for my next steps in life. I feel like I’m taking a big step forward by going back to my roots: my heritage, where my grandfather was raised, the french culture, and my art school. Now, I am firmly planting a foot in Provence and almost feel like I’ve always lived here.
Weaving Through, acrylic on canvas, 180 x 150 cm, 70 x 59 inches
Passageway, acrylic on canvas, 180 x 150 cm, 70 x 59 inches
I find the works have a sense of space; a foreground, middle ground, and background, while being non-representational. My hope is to evoke the sensibilities of exploration, peace and resolve.
Exploring, acrylic on canvas, 121 × 152 cm, 48 × 60 inches
I’m very excited about these works. Thank you for reading! Please feel free to share or email me with questions
Very Warmly, Karen Silve
