Images in the wood

[Riley]

Hello,
I was just wondering does your mood affect the kinds of images you see
in the wood?
For example, if you're feeling sad would you see more sombre images?

[laur...@lauraleekharris.com]

Hi Riley,
It is the wood that inspires me and my Native Culture that altimately
teaches me and puts me in the mood to paint and if I'm not in the
mood, it means that my mind is not clear enough and there are too many
things cluttering it. But mostly, if I'm not in the mood before I
paint, afterwards I am better. A theme seems to fit a year's theme,
for some reason and not a daily occurance of emotion. As every theme
it seems for the most part happens over a year's time of pondering
either my life or the world and its political heaviness on my
shoulders. At least that's how I percieve things.

I have to have a clear mind to feel right in the moment like a
conduit away from my physical responsibilities and into that quiet
space inside, unless things of the world invade my space like thinking
on the invasive history of my culture, or the unrest and unfairness
from The Bush Dynasty, that would definately bring about more of the
sombre images, like in ˇThe Day The Order Changed", or "Reflections of
1492" or "Political Plays" or "Blinded Enough to See", "Tecumseh",
"Silent Warrior" etc are some. Those paintings reflect my outrage to
a happening, more then just a mood. 2001 and 2002 was a Sombre time
for me. It was after my dad died and after the Sept 11th event that
created "A Deeper Look Inside" and "Places of Transition" themes.

If I have a sad mood, it seems to be changed more by the mere pleasure
of painting, where the process of painting itself raises me above the
emotional downturn. Sometimes my poor mood has more to do with not
having a chance to create. Putting on music and the very process of
Creating is enough to put me in a spiritual space, but sometimes not
enough to remove the thoughts of the atrocities of the external world
and so I use it in my art to permeat its sombre imagery in my mind, to
bring a balance, because somehow the action of painting it, becomes my
part of its undoing, in my mind. I think, that somehow I've done
something to counteract it by raising an awareness and that I've
somehow done something by playing my part in my art.

I Thank you for your Question Riley,
It made me think,
LauraLee.