Embracing Imperfection

Working on some new pieces for 2024 I am continually drawn to the beauty of ‘Kintsugi’ - the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold and creating a new piece by finding inner beauty of imperfection and flaws within it. It is part of a broader philosophy of embracing human flaws as mistakes are part of the experience in living. With everyday media showing people wanting perfection in lifestyle,(as well as physically) it means that by striving so hard to achieve this they miss out on the beauty of imperfection. It is the same in the Artist journey. Though I admire a seemingly perfect piece of artwork, it is the raw, imperfect, flawed artwork that I connect to- both the visible and invisible scars it holds within it. The artists anguish and journey are in each mark. I love to create work that has many layers of textures, marks, and history. The imperfections in my work show my emotion, my growth as an artist and a little bit of my soul. All put out there to be seen. Salvador Dali said ‘Have no fear of perfection - you’ll never reach it’ and for me I know that I want to paint my journey. Embracing the paintings imperfections and flaws, as well as my own flaws, means accepting the subconscious mark making. My individual art journey will show me my mistakes and what pathway it directs me to. Life is to be lived and to learn from, and when you look closely at my artwork you will see every mark, line, and gouge that are put there - both intentionally and unintentionally, - all of these marks offer a richness to my art journey that I hope will connect to the viewer.