Introducing Luminescence!
Finding Optimism in Dark Times
At first I was simply inspired by a color palette: blue, orange, turquoise, yellow, green. But then a message began to emerge as I created these collages. Like so many of you I was heartbroken by the results of the United States election, and eaten up with anxiety. It seemed that no matter how hard we tried to keep civil rights moving forward fascism was relentlessly pushing back. It seems like no one has any good answers for how we can fight back as individuals in any meaningful way, especially those of us who have to keep working and taking care of our families in our little free time.
As I wrote about each piece in my email newsletter it became clear that as afraid and hopeless as I felt, I knew that the only answer to moving forward and resisting was to remain optimistic. It can sound so naive and even dismissive to be optimistic right now, but it is essential. If we give up hope we lose, we stop moving, we stop fighting. One can recognize the terrors all around us while maintaining optimism that we can keep progressing as a nation and as smaller communities. I still struggle with optimism in these times, but I know it's not optional. To survive and continue being moral individuals we need to be optimistic about our power, and our resilience.
Here is the story behind each piece in the Luminescence art collection. Each piece consists of colored pencil drawings on pattern collage which is affixed to panel or canvas. I painted the sides a light ultramarine blue, and over that I painted interference orange, so in some light the sides appear blue, and in a different light they appear orange.
Acorns 3
A California Scrub Jay is experiencing too much of a good thing! What do you do when acorns larger than your head fall from the sky? You could run out and catch them, incredulous at this sudden abundance, but most likely you’ll duck and hide. How do you cope with the dangers of excess? There is so much going wrong in the world. There is so much you could do to make it right. How are you going to choose just one thing to help others when so much needs doing? But choose you must! If you try to do it all you will duck and hide. Isn’t it a beautiful thing that there are so many ways we can help?
8x8 inches on wood panel 6/8 inch deep
Across the Crowded Sky
We are surrounded by chaos...and beauty...but unique minds crave a unique beauty. There is one thing you find more beautiful than anything else, something just for you. Are you seeking a like minded bluebird in a crowded sky? Out of all the birds there is one that sings exactly your song.
Birds featured in this piece: Mountain Bluebird, Orange-Fronted Yellow Finch, Green Honeycreeper
11x14 inches on canvas 3/4 inch deep
Concerned Tanager
Like this Western Tanager we are all concerned about the children today. This bird is so concerned he can’t see the light all around him. The kids will be ok if we can notice the goodness around us and show it to them. Be the light you want to see in the world, and show the youth that they can be the light too.
8x8 inches on wood panel 6/8 inch deep
Flock Together
The Blue Winged Warbler is known to form mixed species flocks: all sorts of birds partying together! These two Western Bluebirds aren’t sure what to make of his intentions yet, but they will be pleasantly surprised. Healthy trust is essential to making the world a better place. This piece encourages you to stay optimistic and open when meeting new people.
8x8 inches on wood panel 6/8 inch deep
Protect The Light
This is the first “large” piece I’ve ever made! It required me to make a larger bird template, and it took me a while to figure out how to think larger too. Protect The Light is modeled after Miriam Schapiro’s heart shaped canvas entitled Heartland. I was entranced by the idea of an emerging darkness coming from the center of the heart, though Heartland leaves it unclear if the darkness is enveloping or if the flowers are growing over it.
In Protect The Light the light is emerging from the center. The outer corners aren’t completely dark though. I see this piece as representing how we can all come together to protect all manifestations of heaven on earth. We must protect love, beauty, human rights, civil liberties, the sanctity of all life whether rich or poor, legal or “illegal.” Wherever light appears it must be encouraged and protected.
20x20 inches on canvas 1.75 inches deep
Small Joys
A pair of Saffron Finches flit across the most colorful and cheerful sky I could depict. This is the piece that launched the Luminescence collection because I love this color combination! For me these colors are pure joy, and these finches invite you to think about what small everyday joys keep you going. How can you stay grounded and optimistic in the midst of chaos?
11x14 inches on canvas 3/4 inch deep
Ugly Bunting
An Indigo Bunting stares at his baby, wondering when he’ll grow out of his awkward phase. So many baby birds are surprisingly ugly, there’s even a fairytale written about it! I often hope that the United States is just going through growing pains right now, an ugly duckling phase. While that doesn’t make things less scary, it does provide hope that the reason we’ve slipped so far into darkness is because we were making so much progress, and that means we can do it again. Keep moving forward, keep growing. Together we can make this nation a beautiful bird.
As a special note, this canvas was created by my father, Alan, for my mother, Sherry, as part of her never-quite-started art collection about figure skating. She got as far as gessoing the canvas and painting it over with a coat of pearlescent acrylic. I recovered the canvas after her death, and seeing that the canvas had warped ever so slightly, I figured gluing a collage on top of it would help straighten it out, which it did. Now this finished piece is truly a joint Brandon family creation! In fact, it is my mother’s under painting that inspired me to paint the sides of each piece in the Luminescence collection with opalescent acrylic.
11x15 inches on canvas 1.5 inches deep
I was really hoping to have another piece done before I released this collection, but it will have to follow a little bit later. It truly will be my biggest artwork on canvas yet, measuring 2x3 feet! It's called Beethoven's Revenge, and honestly, it deserves a blog post in its own right. Stay tuned, and stay optimistic!
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