Over the last few months, my art practice has had me dive deep into connection with my Instagram followers and their cherished spaces through my Paint My Nook series. I invited people to post photos of places that resonated with them and tell me why. I looked beyond the actual image submitted. I was not looking for perfectly decorated spaces. Rather, I sought REAL life nooks. I collected those images of places and things that matter to everyday people, illustrated them on two different canvases, shared my painting with others through Instagram and then released one of my interpretations of that space back into the life of the original owner as a gift to her. The other painting is available for purchase here.
In the images below, you will see the image submitted on the left and the painting created on the right.
As I painted those treasured spaces and objects, it was as if for a little while I got to spend time in reflection with that person. I got the opportunity to meditate on what’s important to her and in turn think about what matters to me. My intention was to illustrate the owner’s spirit, life, dreams within the image submitted. That is what makes this project matter. If I captured the essence of the space and what it means to that person, then I’ve done my job. I’m on a quest to document and add color, pattern, and celebration to those nooks. I especially enjoyed building color, playing with color. Color is a wonderful way of expressing emotion.
The Paint My Nook project is about the places and objects that have people feel complete and connected to what is meaningful to them. Reading what those nooks and things mean to their owners brought a sense of knowing and community to not only my art practice but to everyone following along. This body of work is one of comfort and knowing.
This series of paintings is a glimpse into how and where ordinary people derive meaning from their everyday spaces and objects. Our environments do make a difference- that chair, that lamp, that pattern triggers something for us that makes our lives matter.
It has truly been an honor to play this game with you and to have a peek into your special nooks and to get to know you a little bit. What a meaningful journey we are all on. Let’s all remember to pause and capture those spaces which remind us of who we love, what really matters and to embrace the beauty of our everyday lives.
To read the text that accompanies each image, please visit the Paint My Nook page here.