Hope acts as a source of inspiration for many artists, however it is difficult to define due to its abstract nature. To better understand the essence of hope and how this concept relates to the process of painting and drawing, my research examines the symbolism of fight for its correlation to hope. Flight, like hope, relates to the transportation of self. This physical movement of flight from one place to the next exemplifies the emotional movement of hope. Additionally, flight requires a specific biological design much in the way that hope requires a faith grounded in doctrine. To engage flight, first, the structure has to be agreeable to flying, such as the hollow lightness of bird wings or the particulars of maple seeds. Next, one must wait for a particular set of conditions, such as the catching of wind observed in birds in flight or in the aerodynamically designed maple seed. Maple seeds are constructed to oppose gravity by way of a leading-edge vortex. This waiting acts as a liminal space that can be difficult yet transformative. Alterations to self begin to take place by way of partnership with a larger force such as the wind contributing to flight, or how one’s faith devotes hope. Both are rooted in order but allow for freedom. My research about hope and flight is directly connected to my approach to painting through my artistic process, which is built on a balance of compositional structure in drawing and the magnitude of possibilities found in instinctive brush strokes. In my recent exhibition The Flyers: A Symbology Of Hope, I developed my images by rendering the subjects such as birds and maple seeds in a representational manner and then immersing it into a non-representational atmosphere free of restraint. This allows me the freedom to explore the canvas with color and form while also being grounded in technique and purpose.
