Sunset Through the Clouds

Story Summary

Sunset Through the Clouds began as a birthday guestbook canvas in 2019, filled with warm, funny, heartfelt messages from friends. During the 2020 “chrysalis, not quarantine,” I pulled it from storage and layered paint over the words, letting some “Happy Birthday” phrases peek through. Shared over Zoom, this piece unexpectedly resonated with others and was named by a Conscious Capitalism Arizona colleague. It marks a major shift...painting for joy, not external validation and a renewed creative freedom.

Story

In 2019 I threw myself a Birthday party in the clubroom of my building. Yes...I threw myself a Birthday party. A few friends, Chelsea and Angela helped me decorate and prepare for the party. I thought it would be fun to invite my friends to “contribute to this canvas” with whatever they wanted to share instead of a birthday card. I was touched by all the warm sentiments and chuckled with some of the sarcastic and inside jokes. After the party, I placed the canvas in my storage unit inside my building for safe keeping for over a year. I would see it when I needed to retrieve something from storage. I loved the words and I wanted it to be inspired to paint and express the love and support I saw with the sentiments written. When the “quarantine of 2020” hit, I decided with the extra time I discovered I would paint. After buying enough groceries for 6 weeks, I went to Michael’s and bought enough canvases to paint and found this canvas “in storage” as well. One more Subliminal Story Art work to paint. This was the first work that got me consistently painting in 2020. I covered the blank spaces underneath with grey and wanted to make sure a few of the “Birthday” wishes shined through. You can still see the “Happy Birthday” in a few spots shining though. When I got done combining the warm and cool colors coming together I loved how it came together. A friend and I had a Zoom meeting as that is the only way people were meeting during the early part of the pandemic. I showed him this piece and he ABSOLUTELY loved it! Shortly after, he asked to interview me for a YouTube show he was doing. During the interview, he asked me to grab the piece and share. During another Zoom meeting with the programming committee of Conscious Capitalism Arizona Chapter (of which I was volunteering), I shared this creation. They loved it and one of the members named it “Sunset Through the Clouds” and the name stuck. They stated “it really demonstrates what we are all going through right now.” Since this was the first time painting and sharing again, I was really surprised with the feedback I was receiving that I wasn’t even looking for. What happened in the process was for the first time after striving for years to get approval, likes, shares etc. I wasn’t looking for external validation. It was a wonderful release. I could be so excited to share with ZERO expectations of approval, likes, shares. Art is so subjective and when I get done with a piece, a part of me knows it’s done and when it’s ready to be shared. I appreciate the simplicity of knowing and feeling it’s ready to view and share. ”When I share my art, if some like, great...if others don’t comment great. This was a big transformation during the “chrysalis, not quarantine” of 2020. I love sharing the creation of art and I appreciate the love and support others have for my art. Thanks for those that appreciate my Subliminal Story Art, deep gratitude from my heart. “My art is my heart and it is guiding me. That is what inspired me, being inside during most of 2020 and feeling a strong need to be creative and express myself. Enjoy “Sunset Through the Clouds.”

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