Kriya

About the Work

This painting was entered into a juried Museum show. I’m not sure why it was rejected, except that the curator must have had something else in mind. There’s been a lot of extremes going on in our world lately. Emotional responses to these events reverberate throughout our psyches. In “Kriya,” we see a calmer stance which possibly depicts how many of us continue to navigate through these difficult times… practicing calming techniques such as yoga, while in harmony with our beloved pets.

About the Artist

I have been making art for basically my whole life. My work has elicited all kinds of reactions. One of the most difficult things I’ve had to face is rejection.\

In graduate school, we were taught that once we released our artwork “into the wild,” so to speak, we had no control over how the viewer saw it. If I entered a juried show or a gallery and was rejected—while difficult—it didn’t mean that my work wasn’t good. The rejection wasn’t personal; it simply meant that the curator was looking for something other than what I had to offer at that time.\

But being refused still stings. It’s sort of like life, in that you can’t please everyone all the time. I believe the point is to dig deep within and always be—and do—the best that you can.