Best of Show – Creative Women Today V
I am thrilled to announce that Spellbound has won Best of Show in the Creative Women Today V juried exhibition! This is an incredible honor because the caliber of artwork by the 44 other artists in this show is phenomenal.
Thank you so much to Judy Kean for welcoming me to Creative Space Avon, to the judges and all the amazing women who are sharing their incredible work in this show. From what I have seen, the exhibition itself is spellbinding! Please go support the artists and this wonderful gallery.
Since I was unable to attend the opening reception, I made this video to show a layer by layer reveal of all the elements that brought this image to life. The full process of creating a digital composite image like this actually takes many hours of experimentation, trial, error and intuition.
About the Artwork
Art can be such a powerful healing tool.
Spellbound became my little escape while sitting with my now late-husband during his chemotherapy treatments. Using photographs, textures, brushes and digital techniques, this scene materialized on my laptop screen over the course of one of many long weeks spent within sterile hospital walls.
Wishing we were anywhere but there, I let my mind wander and imagined being pulled into another realm…only to be snapped back to reality when the machines trying to save my beloved’s life started beeping, breaking the silence and my silent reverie.
The strings attached to the subject symbolize the bounds that held us back from moving forward in our life together – the cancer, the bad health insurance, the insurmountable medical bills, the fear. The butterflies intervene by pulling the bewildered subject into their lively world, trying to save her from falling into a deep despair.
Art helped me through that time and in the years to follow, always somehow bringing a little peace and magic to the chaos. My intention is to create imagery that encourages others to try to find peace and beauty no matter what is going on in their lives.
