Picture this: You’re an artist by profession, creativity is your bread and butter. A deadline looms and you’re literally “drawing a blank.” I think all makers can relate to that dreaded feeling.
I had an art festival coming up and no ideas for new pieces. What’s an artist to do?
This time, it came from my mother. She came to me one morning saying she had a dream. In the dream I had created a new painting of a lion roaring and flowers poured from its mouth. She dreamed I had named it Savage Beauty. I loved it!
I immediately went to work coming up with a sketch to visualize how I was going to materialize her dream. Not having a studio to work in, I put my 30” x 40” canvas on my bed and began putting down colors. This painting came together more quickly than any other piece of this size I have ever done. Somehow, I had such a clear vision for what I wanted and it just flowed out.
2 days later I showed my mother and it had surpassed what even she had imagined. Of course I named it Savage Beauty just like she had dreamed.
In the end I couldn’t bear to part with it. The piece did win me an award at that show and continues to be a central piece at many of the events I go to.
To this day, it is still one of my favorite pieces. It seems like everyone has a different idea of what it means. For me, it is the juxtaposition of the raw power and fury of the lion with the delicate beauty of flowers pouring forth that really evokes a feeling. It represents hope to me. The world can be grim but it’s beautiful at the same time. Nature is such a powerful force, yet so fragile.
