There is Gold in Our Brushes
I HAVE GOOD NEWS! A little Ring Tosser sat on my shoulder yesterday while I was in the studio, deep into a large cityscape. She tossed several rings of whispers into my ear. I couldn’t hear them, but I felt them. I’ll tell you another time what a Ring Tosser is, but for now, I want to stay with this story.
This morning I woke up with a sound, and then it formed into words: there is gold in your brushes. That is what the Ring Tosser said. It simply took a good night’s sleep for the message to become language.
What does that mean? I believe I read that line years ago in a book about Salvador Dalí. I loved it then and used to imagine it while painting. Somewhere along the way, our culture turned gold into money, surface-level wealth, numbers, and status. But I feel the gold in my brushes is something else.
For me, it’s the feelings and emotions that come with the act of painting itself, the highs, the lows, the wrestling, the breakthroughs. These are the same kinds of feelings we often seek through other experiences: a beautiful meal, a trip to a faraway place, a movie. Moments that move you, then pass.
One of the great gifts of being an artist is that I get to experience all of this internally and continuously, and draw it out through my brushes. And still, when I am paid for a painting, it fills another end of the spectrum of richness, one that, as an artist, can so often be uncertain and variable. That exchange matters. Just as people may find it difficult to reach the inner, emotional place where art lives, I rely on that physical exchange to keep moving forward. We meet each other there.
When I sell a painting or when I receive feedback about what a painting has stirred emotionally, I immediately see the receiver as a guardian of the arts. I imagine the gold from my brushes becoming gold in their life. When I receive money or emotional insight, it allows me to keep creating more gold, and they receive something that lives with them in a quieter, deeper way. In a sense, we are helping one another along. We make the gold together.
If any of this resonates with you, I’d love to hear your thoughts. You’re welcome to reply to this note or explore the art on my website and the available artworks. You may add thoughts and comments through the “inquire” button near each piece. And you can also leave your comments here on this blog page if you want to share your thoughts with everyone. If you are interested in a piece, let me know and I can reserve it for you! I also offer payment plans so the exchange can unfold in a way that feels supportive and accessible. And, I will continue sending fresh new art out in these emails first.
Thank you for being with me in this golden journey within!
With Brushstrokes of gratitude, Katie
