Year end and New beginnings.
Its been a long year for all, for me that seems longer than other years have been. I feel its been because of the changes and challenges and frustrations. Moving continent, climate, society and way of life. leaving close relationships, friends and acquaintances behind, I have felt a mix of both lost and found, anxious and hopeful, doubtful but knowing I took action that was right at the time to break out of my rut and grow.
I did received my all shipment from St. Maarten. It was such a relief, I was worried it would never get here. It took from February till October but at least it got here.
With my canvases with me again I was happy. Many of the works were still unfinished, I can build on them and build a mental continuity to the work I did just before I left and the work I am doing now. That’s going to be a challenge because I myself had begun a big internal shift and transformation before I left the Caribbean.
The common subject of my prior work, which I had thought was solely the emotional effects and personal experience of Caribbean hurricanes and flooding, to burning European heatwaves in my ‘hot earth’ paintings turned to escape into passion and longing with the obvious erotica in my most recent floral works. I thought, how the hell is going on here, where is the continuity to that?. But then I realized, I was not understanding myself. That the story I am trying to tell is just as much as an internal human experience as of outside external events. A strong emphatic response to environment and a deep connection to ones emotions can lead to the feeling they are both merged and mirrored as a whole experience, becoming one with physical nature. Some might think that is path of the shaman, but I am not a shaman, I am a painter.
Incidently: Lincolnshire now officially has the UK’s new record-high temperature after the 40.3°C in the village during the heatwave on the hottest day on record (July 19, 2022). A Lincolnshire weather station that recorded the UK's hottest ever temperature this summer has now recorded the county's coldest temperature so far this winter. The Mercury hit 40.3C at Coningsby in July - but a chilly minus 7.3C was recorded there at 3.42am on Thursday, December 15.
Finding continuity in my work is something I have often found difficult to express and that has kept me from connecting my work to others and our common human experience. I am not as lost as I thought. I have all that I need inside and all it takes is a shift in perspective. I think I began that shift by moving and its still growing.
Below: My video on one of my most recent paintings, ‘Red Pleasure’
‘Sometimes the act of painting can be a pure and simple gentle expression of pleasure and enjoyment that when we reach inside, we bring out from within us to comfort and uplift our spirit. Its a positive act of defiance and salve to the soul facing uncertain, anxious or sad times. This is one of my artworks from my 'hot earth' series. A body of work I am working on where I utilize the techniques of layered decalcomania and sfumato to create intense, highly detailed tropical forest fantasies, populated with ambiguous flora/biological forms , erotically evoking sensual states of floral efflorescence and ecstasy’.
Its December and most days I awake to chilly icy mornings in the old farmhouse with no central heating. No more the aqua blue of Grandcase Bay. I tend to wake early, about 5-6am. Its a challenge to get out of bed. But then I will say fuck it and then jump out of the bed and do 80 crunches. Then throw on the thermals and outerwear, before going downstairs to get coffee and a slice of buttered fruit bread. In the early hours I sit in bed, reading, writing or researching on the laptop before going to my cafe job. Back in the afternoon I paint until the evening. There is also a gym in jogging distance I use for weight training. With the money I saved from my part-time job, I bought a little car. Its great to have the mobility at last. Getting used to driving on the otherside of the road was a little nerve wracking at first, I had not driven on UK roads for 28 years. I have got the hang of the rural roads but have not attempted any cities or motorways but that will come.
The sense of isolation is always close to me. With no social life and limited social interaction I cannot help feeling disconnected from others around me. I am different. However painful and depressing this feels, I wonder if this does not serve a necessary helpful purpose to teach me see the truth about who I really am and I had best make use of this time until I figure a way to change that. Still I cannot help missing my artists group in St. Maarten, where we would meet for one day a week for lunch and an afternoon of painting together at Miss Ruby Butes house in Friars Bay. I will do a post on this. How grateful and lucky I was to of had this friendship. We still connect via group messenger calls to find out what we are all currently working. This kind of connection and support between artists is really valuable emotionally . My thoughts are I will eventually wish to relocate to a major city for more opportunities and connection to the life of the contemporary arts. Another post I will do soon is about the very positive and helpful insights I am gaining from recently starting a course with a life coaching professional who is also an artist, to help me develop confidence and insights to define and reach my goals. I will talk a bit more about this in the next post. In the meantime, Seasonal Greetings! and have a Happy New Year.
Hi!, I am Stephanie Tihanyi, an artist-painter and illustrator. Welcome to my blog. This is where I write about my work, influences, exhibitions and latest news.
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