Expressions of the Cosmos is a painting series by abstract artist Mari Glen, a former resident at the senior living community in which I work. Mari created this series of paintings completely on her own at the age of 91. Despite living with severe arthritis of the hands, Mari made about 50 paintings in the span of six months.
Throughout this time, her work evolved and flourished: her pieces became more and more adventurous, vibrant, and beautifully unexpected. I watched her grow as an artist, breaking through preconceived ideas of limitations and barriers. I witnessed her barrel right through those blocks, experiencing absolute creative freedom and the joy that such freedom brings.
And then, sadly and unexpectedly (but through absolutely no fault of her own), Mari’s painting stopped as suddenly as it began.
After several conversations with Mari about what the act of painting meant to her, I wrote the following essay to help articulate the emotions, thoughts, and intentions behind Mari’s paintings.
Although Mari no longer resides at this particular community, I will always remember and cherish, with the deepest appreciation and warmth, the artistic journey that we embarked upon together.
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Mari’s paintings embody the endlessly expanding nature of the universe. Some of her work resembles galaxies and cosmic collisions, while others are abstract impressions of aerial perspectives of Earth. Inspired by cosmology, ecology, and geology, each work of art by Mari is astoundingly original, absolutely impossible to ever be recreated.
When gazing upon Mari’s work, different people experience different feelings and reactions; no two people will see the same thing. In this way, Mari’s paintings are reflections of the viewers themselves. A desire for authenticity and a certain amount of courage is required to peer into the mirror that reflects aspects of the psyche. Those who take the time to truly gaze upon Mari’s work will undoubtedly learn new things about themselves.
To fully appreciate the experience that Mari’s paintings have to offer, allow your focus to soften. Resist the urge to analyze and categorize. Instead, gently allow yourself to enter into a dreamy, meditative state of mind. It is in this state of openness and receptivity in which the right hemisphere of the brain becomes activated, thus allowing the mind to freely wonder and explore.
There is so much delight in imagination and in the exploration of possibilities, but sadly, as children grow into adults, they tend to slowly lose this ability to dream and to imagine with such vividness. Viewers who emotionally interact with Mari’s work can reconnect with that vibrant inner child that longs to play and be free. Mari, who began her painting journey at the age of 91, has successfully reconnected to the light of that inner child.
Although Mari chooses the colors and guides the movement of the paint, the end result is a surprise each and every time. As with life, the outcome can be directed but not controlled. Like Mari’s paintings, life is fluid and constantly in flux.
While the completed paintings are beautiful in their strangeness, it can be argued that it is the actual process behind each painting that takes precedence over its finalized creation; as Mari enters into a state of total immersion, she temporarily merges with the painting on which she is working, experiencing deep connection with some unseen creative force.
In other words, although not every single painting can be beautiful in its end result, the process is beautiful, authentic, and deeply enriching, each and every time.
In these paintings, chaos and unpredictability are embraced, while rigidity, constraints, and conventionalism are wholly rejected. Mari’s work is about finding the beauty of absolute freedom, creating meaning in the darkness of primordial chaos. Her paintings are reminders of the unseen connecting forces between us all. ■
Concoctions 