Here’s the story of this piece, Shekhinah.
I had been making drawings using water soluble graphite, where the curved shapes naturally unfolded.
When I started Shekhinah, I was inspired by a visualization exercise from Shakti Gawain, imagining a paradise place you can return to for centering, grounding, and strength. It was easier to feel the place than to see it, and the colors came first: earth and forest alongside brilliant, vivid color. A juxtaposition of two fantasy worlds that both felt like home.
I started with the same graphite, then masked areas with vellum and poured green watercolor. I moved the piece between the wall, the floor, and a table, spraying it with water to see how the color would move and merge.
At times I used various sized medicine droppers filled with watercolor to apply the paint.
The bright colors began in pastel. I wasn’t satisfied, so I covered each shape with gesso and a watercolor ground so I could keep working in watercolor from there. It really came alive.
When I was asked to show the work, I hemmed her edges, leaving a pocket at the top to hang her like a tapestry.
I felt elated seeing her up. She fit so well in her spot, and it’s always wonderful to see a painting begin its life outside of the studio.
Install at Armstrong World Industries
Shekhinah comes from the Hebrew shakan, “to dwell,” and describes the close, indwelling presence of the Divine, often associated with the feminine. For me, it holds a powerful unfolding and expansion.
