Calm, A Journey - New Work by Jan Heaton

Artist Statement:

CALM. Making marks. One after another, after another, after another. The brush is quiet, but I feel the swish and the beginning of a dance as the watercolor marks slowly appear. Repetitive. Calming. Introspective.  Seeking peace and renewal. My focus the past five years has been how line, color, and form can alter our sense of well-being. The new work inspired by living with my daughter during her cancer treatment  in California, and my morning walks on the beach that were my tranquil refuge. Seeking peace. Now. I am slowly healing, learning more about art therapy, grief, and its importance on this journey. Repetitive marks, spheres, color, and rhythmic lines, lifting the spirit, and hopefully communicating a tranquil place.

"Today I'm flying low and I'm not saying a word. I'm letting all the voodoos of ambition sleep. The world goes on as it must, the bees in the garden rumbling a little, the fish leaping, the gnats getting eaten. And so forth. But I'm taking the day off. Quiet as a feather. I hardly move though really I'm traveling a terrific distance. Stillness. One of the doors into the temple."

 ― Mary Oliver