jude harzer fine art: Balloon Series: She Flies Alone

JUDE HARZER FINE ART

When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change; at such a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened or in saying that we are not ready. The challenge will not wait. Life does not look back. A week is more than enough time for us to decide whether or not to accept our destiny.”~ Paul Coelho

A young and vital child knows no limit to his own will, and it is the only reality to him. It is not that he wants at the outset to fight other wills, but that they simply do not exist for him. Like the artist, he goes forth to the work of creation, gloriously alone.

Jane Harrison

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Balloon Series: She Flies Alone

I am a little obsessed with the notion of "flying." It is an amazing concept and symbolic of varying states of mind and being. What child doesn't imagine being able to fly at will, effortlessly soaring high in the sky?To "fly" simultaneously implied freedom, breaking away and escaping.I developed an uncanny ability as a kid, in a very noisy and often violent environment, to emotionally remove myself from the existing situation by flying. Well not actually flying of course, but I could disconnect emotionally and physically it seemed, at will. It was through my art and through music that I found my greatest solace. The problem is, that it took me a long while to realize that as I was fleeting and fleeing, protecting and avoiding, I was also escaping the "good stuff"...the love, the care, the beauty and the joy.

It is still through my art that I experience the feeling of flight but it is no longer solely as a means of escape:) It is a much more positive and meditative exercise.To fly, is to succeed, explore and dare to live. For me it has become synonymous with awakening to my true self. When we discover and foster our life's purpose, our abilities and passions,we are destined to "fly." I paint. It is my purpose to create. Often it is because of our own fears that we stay grounded and still. I can't seem to stay very still these days:)

The balloon series was inspired by an email that I received while staying in NYC this summer. The story is lengthy but truly symbolic and inspiring. I'll save it for another time and share it as these paintings progress. I love the idea that balloons float, hover, and soar. They possess a simple but fleeting beauty. If you liken them to people, and this is key to my work, you have to hold on tightly and protect them, in order to enjoy these ethereal, fragile and momentary treasures. I deemed one of my friends, my big fat green balloon who I try to handle not too tightly but with great care:) There's more to come. Wildflowers, balloons and shhhhh! slides and swings! Awesome!

She Flies Alone