MAY
PENTIMENTO
May is the best month of the whole year. It is also my birthday month. Funny thing, i never felt myself being any particular age, I’m just me, same age any year, different any hour. I don’t feel that age is linear and calendars got nothing to do with it.
I think life is a lot like a painting that gets reworked over and over. The canvas is the same but new layers added everyday. In classic arts it is called pentimento - an alteration in painting evidenced by traces of previous work showing that artist had a change of heart, perhaps a better idea emerged during the process of painting.
I follow traces of paint, peeling away layers. I’ve been so many different people. I’ve changed my mind so many times and will again - I don’t see it as a betrayal of my principles, only as a natural process of growing and expanding. I love this process. It’s uncomfortable but necessary. Opposite of expanding is withering because nothing is ever still, and nothing ever stops. No one asks the snake if it is a pleasant experience to crawl out of its skin. And you can’t keep your old skins, they will suffocate you. And they don’t disappear, either. They’re still there, under layers of paint, becoming foundation of your painting, foundation of your life. Like if a dead body on the bottom of a pond suddenly opened its eyes and met your gaze.
Until June,
Much love,
Larysa XOXO
PS. It’s been busy couple months and I didn’t have an opportunity to make any new works to offer for sale in my shop. I’m working on my solo show pieces for Beinart gallery in Brunswick, Australia - and had an honor to be invited to create pieces for Homo Fiber biennial exhibition “The Journey of Life” in beautiful Fondazione Giorgio Cini in Venice, Italy, this November. It leaves very little time for any other plans. If you looking to acquire one of my works there are three pieces available through Haven Gallery in Northport, NY. As always, thank you for all the love and support, it buoyed me through many rough waters of my life - and continues to do so. Love, LB