Stephanie – When things become rough and uncomfortable in life I turn to my art. Facing what is present instead of trying to hold it back or pretend it doesn’t exist feels like alchemy to me. When I meet difficulties head on in the studio things have a way of transmuting and reinventing themselves creating room for other things to occur. It was in this spaciousness where I found the image for Open. Words came along with it:
Head in the clouds. Feet on the ground. Heart wide open.
Tim – I’ve always associated green with the heart chakra, that space where the more grounded lower chakras meet with the more spiritual upper chakras, and it is through the heart that we experience our connection to the world. I loved how that came through in Stephanie’s work, and in the expression on her character’s face. I chose a green mandala with earthly ‘plant-like’ movement to compliment this, added in the stars and light to bring out the chakra idea.