That’s how the light gets in.
Acrylic Painting on Paper by Mary Lou Dauray, 9”w x 12”h, 2022
These days, even a small mental shift can help one disconnect from the tensions and sorrows caused by constant ingesting of extremely troublesome narratives. I wondered how can I disengage, even for a short while, and bring some healing light into my life?
Thankfully I remembered that for some time now, I have been signing off my emails with four lines from Leonard Cohen’s song “Anthem”:
“Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in”.
Nothing is perfect — everything has one or more flaws. His words (some people say the original idea came from the poet and mystic Rumi) helped remind me about the existence of hope and healing. So, instead of painting about nuclear trauma and other seriously negative worldwide traumatic events, I decided to try and reach into that sense of light peering through the dark. I have found that in these challenging times, creating art of any type helps provide me with tools to help interpret what is happening in a deep way.
Art Tip
Try to create a series of artworks using only three colors. The last image in a series of 10 abstract pieces painted only with white, micaceous iron oxide and burnt umber acrylic paint, surprisingly showed light peering through an enclosure.
Voila! Light—Hope—Healing! Thank you, Leonard!
Experiment in your artmaking by limiting your tools—be they the paint, paper, surfaces, etc. Create many pieces with that limitation and I guarantee that you will be surprised about a transformation that occurs – from the first piece to the last.
Until next time…