I am intrigued by the concept of Stimmung. The origin of this word is German and in the dictionary it is defined as ‘mood.’ I like to add to this definition the words ‘energy, flow, and abundance.’ With a focus on emotion and vulnerability, I am moved to create a sense of mental space within my paintings that have vivid personal importance. I find that Stimmung is a necessity within the abundance that I reach for in the internal transcendent space I bring myself into as I create.
I am motivated and inspired to manifest relationships and conversation with the audience and the viewers who are intrigued by my art so that the mood of my art may offer an opportunity to feel something deep within themselves. Mood, meaning, and abundance are the essence of love and manifest the ability to make a statement, to foster change and to make an impact. Often, when I paint, I make notes on a piece of paper next to my painting, allowing a meandering stream of consciousness to evolve. My mood, feelings, and thoughts of what are engaging to me and what is bringing me into the experience of creating emerges. This tells a story and narrative that is a window into my personal Stimmung.
Color, texture, composition, and sacred geometry all have abundant energy that are intrinsic with value in a painting. Each to their own manifest depth and they have their own relationship to each other. Mood and abundance in my brush strokes, in my laughter, in my final work or just the moment to moment process allows me to be true to myself with unencumbered creativity, prowess and light. Artists of the past, such as Kandinsky, Matisse, and Cezanne wrote and expressed in depth about the importance of meaning and emotional quality in every part of there artwork. Who are the contemporary artists where Stimmung is evident? Is it just artists? What about musicians? What about activists?
Last night as I was putting my daughters to bed I was struck with connections. With my youngest we were reading about the life of Martin Luther King Jr. I felt his mood and his longing and passionate energy to create a ringing energy of change at the highest level. I could see a connection to that of the artist through the activist. Then as my older daughter was playing guitar and singing about her life experiences I could see another connection, again Stimmung. On her wall she has a personal letter from a grammy award singer songwriter that also speaks telling the deepest of your personal story so that you are able to connect to and also tell the story of other. Again, another connection.
Vibrancy of mood in transparent in writing, painting and sculpture; looking to the heroes, the visionaries, the changemakers, the risktakers and the mountaineers where there are no boundaries and the mood is abundant in themselves, within their craft and their own mastery. It is perhaps in life itself that this is the fire, this is the energy that makes a meaningful day or a meaningful life or the making of something beautiful. Putting ourselves out there in a way that is real, in a way that is full of passion, in a way that pushes the edges and finds the space of love.
Here is a glimpse of my stream of consciousness writing that occurs during the process of making a large abstract painting called ‘Breaking Free,’ seen below.
Intentions:
Love
Fear
Antagonism
Beauty
Resilience
Letting Go
More vibrancy
Reductino
Showcase
Ayla
Refinement
Flight
Growth
Acceptance of Angst
Go Deeper
Break and Breathe
Twisting Mind
Fragility
Challenged
POW
BOOM
Big Distractions
Rage Against the Machine
Smell Food for the Soul
Hungry for Answers
Making Space
Finality
Grounded
Breathe
Calm