Heroes Con 2022

 

This is my first time exhibiting at Heroes Con in Charlotte, NC. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting. I was hoping to find a new audience and meet new collectors. I was pleasantly surprised it actually happened. It was not overwhelming but my audience is out there and I’m so happy to make many new connections with those who enjoy viewing the same chaotic and emotional images that I love to create. 

Several of my originals found a new home, to include “As the Pendulum Swings”. This image captures an emotional state I feel I am constantly in, of swinging back and forth from darkness to light, in perpetual motion and never reaching a resting state. I found out that many of my audience connect with this piece.

I had some great conversations with a variety of convention attendees. I talked to an abstract art admirer who commented on how misunderstood and under-appreciated abstract art is as an art form. A common misconception is that abstract art is created without thought and just laid in a random manner on paper or canvas. My process for creating my semi-abstract art may start with chaotic randomness but each mark in my creations are guided by my subconscious thoughts and feelings. This particular admirer noted that their love for abstract art comes from having the freedom to look at a creation and interpret the images for themselves, rather than being confined to just what the artist may have intended to convey. It felt great to talk to someone who admires art and to hear their thoughts. 

A topic I discussed with many visitors to my gallery was my thoughts on capturing light and darkness in some of my lesser abstracted images. One particular visitor commented that many of my images are dark or about darkness. Although my images at a glance may appear to be about just darkness, they are actually equally about the light, about being uplifted, and coming out of the darkness. In my piece titled “Awaiting Dawn”, the darkness is shrinking from the lone figure who is slowly being enveloped in a sunrise as darkness fades. It is a commentary on how we all have moments of darkness, but the sun always rises and the light shines through. In my creation titled “Broken”, there is an image of an angel holding her broken wing. Again at first glance the situation looks hopeless, but if you look closer at the image you will notice there are spirits all around the angel that represent the angel is being uplifted. This is such a personal image for me because there are times in life we feel broken, but we can all be uplifted with hope. 

I met so many fascinating people at the convention it is hard to remember all the great conversations. I enjoy and valued tremendously the positive feeling I get from all my interactions and I appreciate all who collect my art.