I realize there has been a stall in several paintings, I'll say it without any hesitation, without any apology, we will not let a painting go, unless it is the "one" The thought we place into every painting, is the same amount of thought someone puts into selecting their wedding dress, or choosing their newborn's name; this is such a serious and sacred space, if it takes a year, then it's part of the story behind how important the Warrior it was made for is to the two of us.
One of the greatest challenges is we are both self taught, so any of you who have the opportunity to go to art school, do it. For every painting made, there are a dozen that came before it, pushing us to start over because the mood, the color pallette, and the painting itself does not hold the enormity of our respect, love, and admiration that our Warriors deserve to see when their painting is held for the first time. Every single day, Joe and I learn new ways to make our paintings both fundamentally better as well as spiritually connected.
These paintings are a reflection of what we feel, who we are, and show an image that does not exist outside of the space our Warriors occupy; a space where we have learned some of their most difficult moments and are present while they fight for their lives.
Our goal is different than artists who paint for money, fame, notoriety, or relevance. Our goal is to show our Warriors that their nomination was received by someone who loves them so uniquely, they had a painting made for them. Then, our goal becomes to create a moment so joyful, so memorable, so beautiful, that those few seconds holding their painting for the first time, and the love so abundantly present, becomes a part of the painting forever more. We like to believe every painting embraces its recipient every time they pass their painting, to remind them of a day where love, and art, conquered all.
My mental health became a question last December, losing four Warriors in one month. You cannot understand the grief we encounter, it is like we lose a child, a sister, or each other. The tears turn my heart Into eggshells, the smallest of things breaking me down, the level of depression is paralyzing, literally putting me into a state where I don't want to paint, or post, or do anything at all, sometimes not even changing my clothes or speaking for days. In the past I would develop a sort of amnesia, in order to move on, but none of my coping strategies would work because as soon as I would lift my phone to post, or call, or exist again, the shoe would drop and another upset ripped my positivity apart.
Today, is a good day. And, that's all I can do, take each day, one at a time, undoing the negligence of the last six months, trying again, starting over for the final time, and finally giving a gift that cannot, and will not, exist without the love, of the truest form, that can only be found in our beloved studio. Today, we finished paintings that haven't seen the light of day and even accepted a new nomination. Today, we printed a dozen labels, even though the paintings are not yet done, it's a forward step from what was my self-made quicksand.
Thank you for all your support, it's the one thing people struggling with finding joy need most. Being surrounded by people who do not leave, who read these posts and relate, who know how fragile happiness can be, standing alongside us, donating, celebrating, and being a part of our climb, it's your name I write on the back of my life's most respected, most appreciated, and most notable people of my life. Its you who made the climb worth it. Thank you to Joseph, he is why I decided to write this today.
Let's cross our fingers tomorrow brings the love that today showed, God, be here. In the next two weeks we will be moving, we will be opening two programs for artists who want to use their art in a charitable environment and for art couples who would like to paint together. We are also writing a magazine, I think everyone will enjoy. The book is done, then not, then not what we want, my views are it's not ready to be written, because we are experiencing what the book should be about right now. We have a free 20page downloadable coloring book, for free, on our Www.thewarpaintproject.com website. And, we have a new interview coming up on Friday. One foot, in front of the other, one breath in, one breath out, another step, another breath, and soon enough we walked a mile. We are all in this together, we wouldn't want it any other way.
If you would like to support our efforts, please visit Www.thewarpaintproject.com/donate-here
With all we are, every day,
Aubre and Joe
Warpaint Project, Inc is a 501c3 Nonprofit organization EIN 84-5125650
Www.thewarpaintproject.com/donate-here
Artists celebrating Cancer Warriors
#319 since 2019
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