How Does Art Express Emotion?

The Pursuit of Expression

“We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for." - Dead Poets Society

Every day we have tasks we must complete to survive in a society with certain built-in systems. Our human bodies have certain needs as well. Food, water, shelter serving as our sustenance to continue. But there is an ever aching hunger in all of us, a hunger that cannot be filled with a warm meal. It is made up of the cravings of our souls. 

The way violin strings can send shivers up our spine, melodies that remind us of something we cannot quite place. Or the way an extension of an arm, a pirouette can leave us speechless. Emotion expressed through the movement of limbs. Colors on canvas, whatever that canvas is. Paintings, drawings, still life photography.

 

“It all begins with a backdrop followed by an exploration of form, light and being. We speak the emotions we so often cannot put into words with these mediums of expression.”

How does art manage to do this?
How does it become this uncanny vehicle of expression?

There are so many answers to these questions, all with their own endless knowledge and wisdom. All I can share is my own experiences and thoughts as a creator.

A Look into Blue Sea

Blue Sea is an arrangement of hydrangeas, the subtle movement of the indigo fabric underneath the fluttering blossoms. The various shades of blue evoking the senses to discover new ways of feeling. 

“For each of us, color, movement, form, light, and shadow will all inspire different perceptions. When creating this piece I wanted to explore the layers of femininity."

The velvet softness melted with the strength of stone. Oceans of fluidity and moments that ask us to pause. There are feelings of untamed freedom and longings for love that can be felt in the way the fabric hugs the stone and caresses many of the flower heads. 

 

The language of the senses

Art is a language of its own. Poetry for the senses. An outpouring of the multitudes that exist within us. It is in these raw expressions that we find a reason to get up every morning, how we find the strength to continue loving despite the grief we know will eventually come. It is a burst of the extraordinary in a sea of the mundane. 

Encompassing the playfulness of childhood, the discovery that lies within adulthood, and then a search for the collateral beauty in passing.

Golden Light II explores all of these seasons. As some blooms burst with new life, others have begun to wilt, their stems curving like a ballerina taking her final bow. Even though their life span is coming to an end, there is exceptional magic to be found in their decay. Think of the way we press flowers into the pages of beloved books, and although they dry, and become so very different than they once were, they begin to possess something entirely new. 

Curiosity that does not waver, artists cling to this constant sense of wonderment. Finding intriguing inspiration within a simple flicker of the light.

“The journey is always more than the final creation. At the core of why art has the ability to express, is the human behind it.”

All they have felt, all they have tucked away, rising to the surface in a moment of pure release. 

How do you express yourself?
Do the arts call you or do you find more expression in the form of logic and science?

There are no wrong ways to share your heart. Would love to hear about your experiences. 

With love,