Here's to the spirit of art and artists.
'I believe in the spiritual space that art can and does hold.' - Austyn Taylor, sculptor
I’m working on a new series of paintings called ‘Universes’, which is launching quite nicely off the ‘Hearts of Self Love’ series. This series is about the spirit that is unique in each of us. I see that we each have our own world, planet, universe even. My universe is different for me than yours is for you. They do not compete or conflict, in my view, there is room for all of our universes.
Spirit is in everything we do, have, create, express, and are.
We are made of energy, spirit. Art speaks to our spirits, and because we each have a unique spirit, we will see and create from a different set of images than another person might do. It’s amazing what the human spirit can dream up!
Three artists sketching from the same still life will create 3 completely different drawings. Each one has a different camera angle, a different something they notice when they look at the subject they are drawing.
This is why AI can never replace the human spirit. The commodification of the human spirit will be a dismal failure over and over, because the spirit of anyone or anything - human, plant, creature, earth - cannot be duplicated by anything outside of the spirit of that person or thing. The spirit cannot be sold and remain intact.
Anyone can make a cheap copy, but it’s still a copy.
The real work is in the soul of the maker, who is also having to do the often difficult emotional work of trusting enough to get their creation safely out into the world.
Art and being an artist have been part of my spiritual growth and consciousness, my way of interacting with the world for as long as I can remember. At this point in my life, with the wisdom that experience can give, I realize fully that I’ve always wanted to express spirit in one form or other.
As an abstract artist, this includes color, painting with color, living with it, thinking and seeing in color. Color has emotion, meaning, and spirit. The colors I prefer and work with change as I decide. There was never a time I wasn’t attracted to color and making things, and learning how to do both better.
Sometimes I need a reminder of the many things I’ve invented, created, and brought into being. The visions I saw through to a completion, and those I left by the side of the road as I put my attention on some other thing. Whether it satisfied my vision or not didn’t really matter, all of it was a success.
With persistence, the creative vision will grow and change - it evolves, updates, is better informed, more skilled or confident of itself. This doesn’t mean one will always be feeling a success while creating all of this work - I’ve felt a failure many times. But I am also astounded at times to look back at something I made years before and realize it was actually really good. Yes, there were plenty of not so good things I created too, they were all necessary. The stinkers along the way become the compost for the magnificent and wonderful images that do show up if one only keeps trying.
As an artist, designer, psychic, inventor, writer, teacher, human, I know that the time spent on anything is well worth the investment made. Especially on those days when it feels exhausting, invalidating, pointless, or worthless, it’s worth it.
It’s showing up that makes it work. I show up as much as I can for myself in my painting practice.
Last week I signed up for a free workshop by Nicholas Wilton, creator of Art2Life, and came up with the painting journal images posted below. In the 2nd photo, I cropped my original and made a new painting. I am working on images for the ‘Universes’ series, and feel this painting journal piece really fits the bill.
What I was really working on here was design, value, and color balance. I’m really pleased and feel I learned a thing or two that will help me as I start painting the larger paintings in this series.
Here’s a video of my new painting, ‘Center Of My Universe’:
Find me online!
Check out my art website: KrisCahillArt.com.
Browse and purchase prints and objects with my original images at my Fine Art America shop.
Listen to my podcast, Making Art With Spirit.
Browse through my Clairvoyant Readings & Healings, and schedule a session. Book a session with Kris
Listen to my other podcast, The Art of Being Psychic.
Inspiration for the spirit of art
I listened to a recent episode of the Art2Life podcast, featuring Nicholas Wilton interviewing sculptor Austyn Taylor about her work, inspiration, and more. Listen here.
I really enjoyed listening to this episode, and got so much from hearing Austyn Taylor discuss her work and philosophy, what drew her to the work she makes. Her message is about peace: 'I believe in the spiritual space that art can and does hold.' - Austyn Taylor, sculptor. Austyn Taylor’s website.
Book recommendation for this week: ‘The Last Collection’ by Jeanne Mackin. Find it here.
I love good historical fiction, and have recently gone down the rabbit hole of a specific genre within that genre: stories about fashion designers in Paris before and during WW2. We have been watching ‘The New Look’, which is beautiful and very well done, and it sent me looking for other stories around this theme.
The Last Collection fits the bill beautifully! Written from the point of view of an American artist who moves to Paris in the mid 1930’s, and befriends both Elsa Schiaparelli and Coco Chanel, the reigning queens of couture in Paris at the time. The war is coming, the artist is mourning her late husband. The rivalry between the two designers is fierce - they are opposites in many ways, including their color preferences, style, and politics. So juicy, based on real history, and fun to read!
Thank you for subscribing to my Substack and reading my newsletter! Please reach out if you have any questions for me about my work. Have a gorgeous week! Kris