Stick With Love
I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Awakened
An elderly woman stopped to see my artwork one day while I was open-air pastel painting. I felt slightly annoyed that my work was interrupted. I had made a commitment to paint for an hour before other obligations pressed my day. I only had about 30 seconds to decide how I was going to respond when this woman first approached me.
When she asked if she could see my work, I invited her to come closer. To my surprise, our conversation quickly grew serious. She confided that her husband had had several mistresses. So they divorced.
The next year, she said, her daughter gave birth to premature twins. Her daughter had been complaining that she didn’t feel well before the delivery, but her doctor dismissed her problems. She died one month later of cancer.
“I’m all broken up on the inside,” the woman said.
Fifteen minutes into our conversation, she suddenly stopped talking and peered into my pastel box with childlike wonder. “But this,” she said, “fills my soul.”
It amazed me, after hearing about her profound suffering, that a few pieces of colorful pastels could bring joy to this woman. I felt nudged to give her my painting. But a struggle ensued in my mind. I didn’t want to give it up.
Over the next few minutes, I didn’t really hear any more of her words because a conversation was taking place in my own head. Why not give up the painting? I can’t give it up because it is an important work. I don’t even have my camera to chronicle it.
I waited a couple more minutes—for my will to catch up with my heart. Then I took the plunge. I said, “I would like to give you my painting.”
She refused my offer. But I persisted.
Then I saw her smile. The woman left with my painting in hand. The elderly woman had awakened my heart.
Start with Your Heart
While exhibiting ArtPrize Courage Ablaze—to help raise awareness of the plight of the Congolese women, visitors kept asking me if I had seen the documentary, Half the Sky.
Don’t miss this documentary. It is a real eye-opener to the terrible abuses that women and girls face all over the world. Half the Sky shows well the problems—and the message of hope. In challenging the viewer to help bring about a positive change for women and girls at risk, I love what one former sex slave said, “Everyone can do one thing. Just start with your heart.”
Congo’s Silent Heroes
As part of the Courage Ablaze exhibit at ArtPrize 2012, this window sign honors the two million women who suffered from the consequences of rape in Congo.
Mass rape is cheaper than bullets, and it creates instability. The women feel defenseless; the men are rendered powerless. The goal of sexual violence is simple: Shame the women. Break the men. Destroy the nation.
For their sake—to honor their pain and courage, I dedicate this work.
Why do I paint?
It’s my passion. I can hardly get through a day without painting.