Afterwards Nothing Was the Same – New Painting – joy murray

I’ve spent some time painting with my son, Timothy Allen, who’s work is much more intuitive and free flowing than mine, and at times more precise and geometric:

echoes and the sound of growth by Timothy Allen — Echoes and the Sound of Growth by Timothy Allen

The Day My Cages Turned to Smoke — The Day my Cages Turned to Smoke by Timothy Allen

Watching his techniques gave me some ideas of my own. I did a bit of paint pouring and worked without really thinking about how the finished painting would turn out.

20190329_172208 — Re-purposed canvas on the table

I sleep in my studio, so I just left the canvas alone for a few weeks, let myself look at the shapes and colors and flow of it. I turned it different ways. I thought it might be something I would paint over.

Then I found a figure wandering in the chaos.

So I painted her in and added layers and textures. As I painted, I thought about how much about life we don’t understand. I thought about disability, trauma, and how little sense life seems to make sometimes.

I thought about the grace of being given a path that allows you to think in ways that others can’t fathom. But life does that to everyone, not just those who have veered into long-term illness. We all feel a startling sense of aloneness at times. And sometimes, we can’t fathom our own thoughts or our fate.

Any way, I finished the painting and then it told me what the title should be.

20190414_122709 — Afterwards Nothing was the Same, 12×36″ by Joy Murray, acrylic on canvas

20190414_114531 — Afterwards Nothing was the same, detail

20190414_114545 — Afterwards Nothing was the Same, detail

What do you think?

I’m planning an open studio and art sale at the end of May here in Memphis. I’ll keep you posted on dates and time.

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