Growth is an expression of personal evolution, this painting reflects a period in my life when an old, self-negating paradigm burst into a new more loving and affirming one. In this instance it marks a moment in time when I sacrificed a neurotic need for perfection (to prove that yes, indeed, I am love-able) for an acceptance of loving despite imperfection, both myself and someone in my life. (continue reading below or Contact for Purchase Info)
Jill Joy, Growth, oil on canvas, 48x60"
Early on, I developed a strong need to be perfect as a way of compensating for a difficult childhood — as a means of proving that yes, despite the evidence around me, I was indeed worthy of love. It was effective in someways but ultimately spiritually and creatively debilitating. It was a means of existence based in a lie. During this period in my life I made a major leap forward into a healthier more accepting way of being.
This painting is part of the Consciousness Series but also part of a sub-set of this series I call Evolution.
In my experience, when we grow as people (often by recognizing a truth we have up to that point avoided or been unaware of) there is a burst of energy that occurs inside of us like the creation of a new universe and a new self. We explode outward and inward at the same time and we are no longer the same person. Our consciousness evolves. It’s a subtle process but very real.
Jill Joy with Growth
Painted in oil on primed canvas over 2.5" deep, hand-built stretchers, signed lower right side.