Focus and Intention

Coming up this November, artist Kim Valentine and I will have an exhibition of our artwork at The Mims Gallery located in The Dunn Center on the campus of North Carolina Wesleyan University in Rocky Mount, NC.  For this upcoming show, Kim and I decided on the theme of Connections.  Much of our existing work already examines the many aspects and importance of connections.  With time drawing near, concentrating on the theme has become even more important for me.  In order to stay focused and to really start streamlining my focus, I decided to create a mood/theme board on connections and what it means to me.

I started by writing a definition of sorts for “connections” and why it’s important.  Next, I zeroed in on key words and phrases that really spoke to me or seemed more powerful with what I want to convey. 
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Next, I searched through magazines and snapshots for visuals that symbolized and/or related to my ideas.  In doing this, I was also looking for common threads between the images.

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Finally, I considered the colors.  Asking myself, how do I see color in regard to connections.  What are those colors?  So far, I’ve added green, blue (Prussian blue to be exact,) and golds.  Why these colors?  I’m thinking of green for its lushness and growth much like a well cultivated garden.  Blue comes to mind because of its symbolism to deep wells and life giving water.  Last and certainly not least, I’ve included golds because of its warmth and energy. ​

Will my mood/theme board change as I continue to work on pieces for the Connections show?  My goodness, I hope so.  I have to believe that as I continue creating, more will be added as things inspire me and as I refine my focal point even more.   I’ve left plenty of open space on the board and in my mind to do just that. ​