“From the Ashes” – Oil Painting Complete

Here is the next painting in the new collection! This painting is called “From the Ashes” and is a difficult one to share online as it is so detailed that a lot sadly gets lost on the screen (so if you’re in the Skara area – do come check it out on the 31st of May at the Jula Hotell!) This painting started purely as a depiction not only of the destruction of our own planet, but this painting has an inwards human message as well – what happens when life as we know it burns all around us?

I painted this piece in 2 separate periods and I think that actually made quite a difference in my thought process and how it turned out in the end. I started this painting when I was super pregnant and super overdue. By the time by daughter graced us with her presence, I had a hard time getting back into the supreme details this painting required. Then in March when I put it back on the easel, I had already completed 4 paintings and the bullfinches had made an appearance in another work. They became a symbol of spirit guides and I felt they needed to be in this piece as well.

There have been times in my life when absolutely everything has changed. I think this happens to everyone eventually. It is also often when you begin to feel the most comfortable! The universe suddenly will test you and you have to decide who you are and how to continue.

This can be so overwhelming, but I do believe we all have guiding forces that help us along our path. But much like the girl in this image – sometimes we do not see them or know that they are trying to warn us!

I think we all deal with sudden change differently. Some of us are angry, others are sad, frozen, still, panicked… but eventually at some point we have to look around us and think, “What can I do next? Where do I go from here?”. That’s a lot easier said than done, so I added in the toadstool mushrooms as well. These to me symbolize poisonous thoughts that can crowd our mind as we attempt to heal from the ashes. When dealing with an overwhelming situation we can often revert to negative thinking…. how could I have done something differently, blaming other people or yourself. It serves nothing and changes nothing – but the head is like an echo chamber, reverberating back to us all our deepest wounds.

As you see – this painting is as complicated in meaning as it is in actual painted detail!I have to chuckle about that as it goes to show how much I, myself, live in my own head at times.

Our nature and our planet lives within a delicate balance and we mirror that within ourselves. However, Mother Earth is incredibly resilient, as are we.

We have the power to heal, to ask for help, to listen to our intuition… to brush off the dirt and ashes and rise up again. That is how we grow, on a deep soul level.

So thank you for taking the time to read this blog post! I hope it resonated with some of you out there! Let me know your own thoughts and opinions on this piece in the comments below ^_^

This painting will be on view at the Jula Hotell in Skara from May 31st – June 6th and is currently available. Hope to see you there!