Flower Power! New paintings for open calls!"Flower power" emerged as a vibrant cultural and political movement in the 1960s, epitomizing peace, love, and harmony. It symbolized a rejection of violence and war, advocating for social change through nonviolent means. The term originated from the use of flowers as a form of protest against the Vietnam War, where protesters offered flowers to soldiers and police as a gesture of peace. Beyond its origins, flower power became a broader emblem of countercultural resistance, promoting environmentalism, civil rights, and anti-authoritarianism. Its influence extended into art, fashion, and music, shaping the iconic imagery and ethos of the era. Today, flower power continues to resonate as a symbol of hope, unity, and activism. It reminds us of the power of collective action and the importance of peaceful resistance in addressing societal injustices and fostering positive change. Whether expressed through art installations, community gardens, or grassroots movements, flower power endures as a timeless reminder of the enduring strength of love and compassion in shaping a better world. I drew and selected a picture about Flower Power, which is the title of this Mills ㅔPond Gallery's open call. Even if there is no political message, flowers have artistic and symbolic value and image in themselves. The beauty of flowers lies in their exquisite diversity, delicate petals unfurling in an array of colors, shapes, and fragrances. Flowers symbolize love, renewal, and the transient beauty of life itself. From the intricate patterns of a rose to the cheerful faces of daisies, they inspire wonder and joy, adorning gardens, weddings, and celebrations with their enchanting presence. In their fleeting existence, flowers teach us to cherish the present moment. I focused on the energy these flowers gave me. And flowers definitely convey to us hope, excitement, and joy in life. Looking at flowers makes you feel relaxed, motivated, and makes you forget about your current difficulties and worries. Flowers are like a festival, like a party, and sometimes like a quiet lake. I think the energy these flowers give is like the human heart. Flowers excite our hearts and make us feel our heartbeat. Flowers are a collection of small heartbeats 18 x 24, Pattern tape and watercolor, 2024 So, I drew the first of my paintings, 'Flowers are a collection of small heartbeats', based on the energy these flowers give us. This painting was created using patterned tape and watercolor paint on 18" x 24" paper. I am not limited by materials when it comes to drawing and expressing my inspiration. That's because when I start to limit things, I feel that the wings of creative inspiration are broken. Therefore, whenever a thought or image comes to mind, I look for materials that will best express that inspiration. Above all, the inspiration this time was pattern tape. This is because it is good for expressing the power of each small individual piece, like a small mosaic. Flowers are small mosaic-like individual pieces that come together to create one beauty. There is no better material than pattern tape to express these flowers. Waltz of flowers Acrylic, 12 x 16, 2023 The heart of flowers 9 x 12, watercolor, 2023 After preparing an open call and submitting the work, the results are sent to each artist. There are things I learn every time that happens. These works are curated and presented to the public in the form of group exhibitions.
I had very little time to draw and prepare this work. While preparing these works, I also had to prepare for national open calls. Personally, the classes I teach for students sometimes make me burn out. But there are fairies that I meet at times like this. My fairies give me strength like an energy drink when I am tired and having a hard time preparing my work. I am very grateful to them. And I promise to continue my work with even more strength. I was planning to cut down on my classes as work has been difficult recently. But I will have to be more patient when teaching my students. I need to work harder to create more classes of students on the waiting list. Looking back, I clearly need a lot of energy for myself. For the time being, I plan to supplement this energy through drawing.
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Spring! The shorter the season, the more brilliant and beautiful it is.There is always something to look forward to when spring comes. They are beautiful tulips blooming from 50 bulbs given to me by my friendly next door neighbor, Michelle. My husband buried these tulips, spaced 30 centimeters apart, deep in the freezing ground before early spring. And ever since he planted these tulips, my garden has been a beautiful sight every spring. Our tulips come in a sort of shapes and come in a variety of colors including red, pink, white and yellow. It's so beautiful that joggers and walkers passing by my house stop and look at it. Every spring, the tulips given by Michelle bring great joy to many visitors and passers-by. I sometimes think that our tulips are more beautiful and impressive than the tulips in the tulip parks I visited in the Netherlands. This is what Michelle said when she gave me this tulip bulb. “Anna, the shape of the bulb is the same, but when it turns into a flower, no one can tell what color or shape it will be.” Since I heard that, I waited for the flower to bloom with strong curiosity and anticipation. And I quickly learned that Michelle was right. Tulips must be buried deep in frozen ground before spring arrives. The firmer the ground, the fresher and more beautiful the tulips that come up through the ground. Before I knew it, I was looking forward to spring. Spring is a dazzling season. In a world where everything seems to have frozen and disappeared, spring seems to be trying to show the beauty and warm that never disappear. In the spring, the turtles in the pond on campus where I always walk dry in the warm spring sunlight. Birds sing in unison with various sounds and the fish in the pond wake up. Spring is clearly a wizard who announces the birth of new life and wakes up everything dead in the world. In the spring, I always take pictures of the cherry blossoms on campus while I walk. It's the same color and shape, but the feeling is different every year. When I feel the spring breeze and the warm spring sunlight, the gloomy darkness in my heart seems to be lifted. So when spring comes, I become diligent without even realizing it. I clean for no reason and go for walks often. I frequently open the window and become busy taking in the beauty around me. And there is a reason for this busyness. That's because this beautiful and brilliant spring is so short. The beautiful tulips that make my heart flutter will one day drop their brilliant petals to the ground. And I'll have to wait until next spring. Because of this brilliant and short time, the wait will be deep and earnest. As I turned 50, another change occurred to me. It means that I no longer struggle to understand what I used to struggle to tolerate. In the past, I understood that people said hurtful and harsh words to me. I tried to understand people who lacked metacognition, were inconsiderate, and had no manners, tried to understand their situation, understand their environment, and treated them leniently even when they were like that. But at some point, I realized that all of that was pointless.
The most important thing is the present I live in, and the most precious thing is me and my loved ones. When I encounter an energy vampire who steals my heart away from enjoying the beautiful cherry blossoms, I no longer try to understand or tolerate them like I used to, but I keep my distance from them. Because I realized how harmful it is to lose love for the nature and life around us. And every day, I try to maintain my routine of drawing, spending precious time with the beauty around me, talking with loved ones. I no longer put my energy into other things. And if possible, I will try to conserve my energy and draw as much as possible. And I know this is what I need to do. I have so many pictures to draw this year. First, I need to draw three strong images that come to mind. Once these paintings are completed, I will feature them again on this blog. I hope to present another new painting before this spring passes. Congrats! 2024 Fish Art Contest Winners!Two of my students, Olivia and Cindy, performed well in the 2024 Fish Drawing Contest. This contest was created to raise awareness among the public about loving and conserving nature by drawing wild fish and linking nature conservation and art.
Excellent students from each region in the U.S. and abroad compete with each other to select first, second, and third place works. My two students were selected as second place. Once again, I sincerely congratulate Olivia and Cindy. In particular, it is a truly amazing achievement that two of my students were selected among the second place students. Above all, Olivia and Cindy showed their love for nature through this contest and their ability as artists by translating these feelings into beautiful messages through watercolors and conveying them to people. In the future, I look forward to seeing these two students hone their talents and skills so that they can grow into amazing professional artists who can convey their beautiful messages through their paintings. Statue of Liberty TourI decided to take advantage of the warm, sunny spring break and go see the nearby Statue of Liberty. Last year, I prepared a 'Constitutional Day Poster' drawing contest with my students and child, and my daughter who was deeply moved by it wanted to visit there. Above all, as an immigrant, I wanted to tour here again, especially Alice Island. It felt as if coming to this place, the first land that immigrants coming to New York entered, would help me find clues to something I had not realized before. Ellis Island is an island at the mouth of the Hudson River. It is famous as a place where immigrants trying to enter the United States underwent immigration screening from January 1, 1892 to November 12, 1954. It is located in New York Harbor, just 0.8 kilometers north of Liberty Island, where the Statue of Liberty is located. The island is named after Samuel Ellis, a merchant and farmer who owned the island during the late 1700s. The U.S. government purchased the island in 1808. American icons such as the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island represent centuries of American history. It is no exaggeration to say that more than one-third of all Americans have someone whose ancestry passed through Ellis Island. Located near the port, the Alice Island Immigration Museum features many historical records of the millions of immigrants who aspired to start a new life in the Americas. America, the land of freedom, has been the dream destination of countless people from all over the world who left their hometowns for a better life. Around the 20th century, many immigrants who crossed the Atlantic Ocean and entered New York Harbor would have been lost in many thoughts while looking up at the Statue of Liberty. Those who set out with their own stories buried in their hearts must have dreamed of a big and beautiful life instead of poverty, despair, and the shackles of tradition. But there was a gate they had to pass through. It was the immigration office on Ellis Island. It is said that the issue of handling immigrants in the United States began to be discussed in earnest in 1847, when thousands of Irish people suffering from famine due to a severe potato crop failure flocked to New England and New York. Afterwards, as immigration gradually increased, an immigration office that could systematically manage it became necessary. The dishes that were used to briefly eat food by people who had to undergo screening to enter New York were on display. As an immigrant, I can somewhat understand how they felt about eating this food. There must have been a mixture of wonder and anxiety in their minds. This is probably how most immigrants feel when they first set foot in an unknown land. After suffering from seasickness for several days, they finally arrived in the land of dreams, but had to wait again for the final judge's decision at this temporary stop. While they were waiting, they drew pictures of the ships they had boarded. I could feel more intense energy in the picture of the ship on this wall than any other work of art. The Statue of Liberty has served as a beacon of direction and hope for countless immigrants since 1886. The statue was created by two Frenchmen: painter and sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi and Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, an expert metal engineer and later creator of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The torch held in the right hand symbolizes illuminating the light of reason throughout the world. In addition, the Statue of Liberty stands on a broken chain, a method chosen by Bartholdi instead of wearing the Phrygian hat that traditionally symbolizes 'liberation from slavery'. I was lucky enough to meet someone with bright and beautiful energy and was able to take a family photo with a wonderful composition. He was doing construction work nearby and offered to take our picture. Then, he took a picture of the Statue of Liberty, almost lying down, so that the entire Statue of Liberty and my family were in one angle. The construction helmet came off for a moment while I was taking pictures while lying down. Our family was deeply touched by his kindness and brightness. And I think this energy is what is making America what it is today. These are people who love their work, are kind to strangers, and live positively every day with deep passion and sincerity. I don't know the name, but I want to express my gratitude once again. The Statue of Liberty looks like a sculpture, but inside, there are stairs and an elevator. Auguste Bartoli's memory of his mother. It is said to have been sculpted from her model. Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi was a genius sculptor and architect born in Colmar, and Bartholdi's representative work is the Statue of Liberty that stands at the entrance to New York. Below is a photo of the birthplace of a genius architect in Colmar that I visited in 2013 before moving to the United States from my time living in Germany. In a city I happened to visit, I came across the Statue of Liberty, symbolizing New York, where I would move to. This was very impressive to me. The bronze sculpture supporting the sphere in the center of the museum yard is also his work. The title of this work, which was displayed at the Paris Salon, is ‘The Great People who Support the Earth’. The three statues holding the earth each have scales, a sword, a shield, and a hammer, representing justice, patriotism, and labor as a trinity. It is a wonderful work that captures the thoughts and soul of Bartholdi's heart. It was the moment when the Statue of Liberty, which I discovered in a small, beautiful French city called Colmar, which I happened to visit in the past, overlapped with the current Statue of Liberty in New York. As if my life itself had been planned in advance, we left Germany and came to the United States as if it were fate. And when I was suffering from a slump and put down my brush for a while, I met the Angel of the Statue of Liberty and gained the strength to get up again. Can I, too, become an artist like the angel who took our picture today, delivering bright energy to someone else and leaving that energy behind in a painting? I think I want to become that kind of painter. And this will be why I came to New York.
Healing and self-care through paintingsKindness is considered one of the key elements of interaction, communication, relationship building, and culture, and has a positive impact in a variety of situations.
First, kind behavior induces positive interactions within society, reduces conflict, and helps maintain harmonious relationships. Kind people provide a sense of security to those around them and help reduce stress. Therefore, kindness has a positive effect on physical and mental health. Additionally, acts of kindness can give others confidence, and trust is essential for successful relationships and collaboration. Kind people have a positive impact on others and make them feel good, so kind people spread happiness to those around them. Kindness is a virtue that everyone needs and emphasizes. I also try to be kind to everyone. I like to share the pie with others, even if I lose a little. But I also feel depressed for days when I meet people who react differently to this kindness. When the other person is kind, instead of sharing this kindness and making it bigger, there are times when they abuse this and cross the line. There is no way the person showing kindness is unaware of this. So I try to be kinder to those who are kind to me. Because I know the pain when others cross the line and try to take advantage of kindness. And in fact, there are cases where people distort this kindness, accept and interpret it with their own twisted minds, and say hurtful things. “Life is not made up of any sacrifices or duties, but rather small things. A bright smile, kindness, small daily duties and habits are what open people’s hearts, protect happiness and bring happiness to life.” by Dr. Humphry Davy |
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