I Lost track of time, unaware of my surroundings, no concept of time… just the paintbrush, and the canvas. ..my eyes scanning and jumping focus back and forth from foreground to background… my brush switching from heavy to light strokes… my brain pulling images and shapes that define the background… while forming an image-laden jungle in the background.
In the foreground, the monstera philodendron grows, with smaller leaves just sprouting up from the bottom of the canvas while larger leaves reign visually supreme and claim and dominate the space.
This painting,“Manera Monstera”, was inspired by one of my favorite plants and it’s large canopy-like leaves. These lovely plants require a lot of space and require rich loose soil. In the painting, rather than having it grow in its natural habitat (like in humid tropical forests of Costa Rica) I painted it growing among things that keep it struggling and make it a challenge to stay alive much less grow. The background soil, sinews, brambles, insects, and other hard to find objects represent the struggles of life. To me the beauty lies in the contrast of the vibrant green leaves of this plant that thrives despite its surroundings. I hope it can inspire others and serve as encouragement that beauty and life can thrive in the most challenging and difficult places of our lives.
Did you know?
“Manera” is the Spanish word for “Way”