Laura Bollettino's April 2024 Artletter
Welcome Spring!
"I wish to have a house facing the sea,
That brings the spring I love to see." John Luke
IMG_5705
Where Angels Breathe 18x18 oil on linen panel
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Spring Silver Linings
On February 4th I took a tumble and landed hard on my right wrist. A
trip to the emergency room confirmed I had indeed broken a bone and my
dominant right hand, my painting hand, would be out of commission for
at least 8 weeks. I had just come up for air from an intense period in
my personal life and was, of course, looking forward to immersing in
the creative process. As you can imagine, I was really bummed and felt
thwarted, but over the weeks that followed, lo and behold, I started to
see a silver lining emerge.
One thing that happens when you shift to a new paradigm is you have to
focus intensely on what you are doing in that moment to simply get it
accomplished. Getting dressed, showering, driving, lifting a fork - all
of the mundane things come into sharp focus when you can't just blow
through them and you are forced to slow down and be in that moment.
Accepting where you are, the sheer reality of the situation, brings a
real and unexpected gift- the gift of presence.
Being present is something I have been working on, lost track of, and
now, thru this injury have gratefully regained on some level. For years
I have lauded my ability to multitask, but now I see how it has
fractured my ability to tap into a deeper well. I believe presence
informs my creativity and allows The Flow to appear. There is no doubt
that when I am focused in the now, a conduit opens and I can tap into
something richer. I have in these recent months felt that space inside
open up in a big way. Such a gift!
Two weeks in, I felt compelled to try and paint so I went, cast and
all, to a painting class I had signed up for and thought what is the
worst that could happen? Well, "Left Hand Laura" just let it flow and
it was so fun! Fun to just paint with no expectations, fun to see I
could still create, fun to allow myself to create with heart, to be
present, loosen up and let it rip.
Here are a couple of the paintings from what will now be known as my
Left Hand Period. Here's to embracing the challenge of the unexpected!
Image 5597439
Image 5597441
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Come To My Studio Open House!
Image 5575037
Columbia Pike Artists Studios is having their Spring 2024 Open House
and you are invited to drop in! I will be there and would love to show
you my new studio and just see your smiling faces!
Saturday, April 20th 5 to 8PM
Sunday April 21st 2 to 5PM
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Plein Air at the Arboretum Returns
I am delighted to once again be on the leadership team for Plein Air at
the Arboretum! Last year was our inaugural event with 100+ artists
gathering and painting at the spectacular Blandy Experimental Farm in
the Virginia State Arboretum. It was so successful, that we are going
to make it an annual thing.
On Saturday, September 21st you can come and take in the beauty of both
the scenery and the wet paint sale - both are well worth the drive so
mark you calendar now!
Screenshot 2024-04-11 at 10.48.05 AM
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May your Spring be filled with Silver Linings and all the promise of
the season.
Much love,
Laura
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Upcoming Events
Click the button below to get to my event's page and you are always
invited to attend!
Click For Upcoming Events
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