Artist: Opposition in All Things
Title: Lena Phillips
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 18 x 24 inches
Price: $4,500
Artist Statement: As a woman, at times I may appear timid, hesitant to fully unveil the depths of my soul, yet beneath the outward insecurities lies a fierce determination a burning passion that fuels my creative fire. It is with quiet courage I confront my vulnerabilities and fears head-on, channeling them into my art with unwavering intensity and conviction.
As demonstrated through the opposing techniques of this delicate portrait and its chaotic mane, the soft relaxed lips and the intensity in the eyes, I embrace the duality of being both gentle and wild, timid and fierce, finding beauty and power in the fragile balance between these seemingly contradictory elements.
I think God would want us to know that there is beauty in the failures - there’s beauty in the mistakes - and there’s beauty in the corrections. Heavenly Father sees the struggle, the heart, the tears, the sleepless nights, and the agonizing days - we see those as failures, we feel them as failures, but our Heavenly Father sees them as successes because we’re still moving forward! I find liberation in the freedom to show up in whatever capacity I’m able, to push through the inadequacies and to be confident enough to not be confident.
When I’m feeling timorous I can remember that when I couple my cautious efforts with God, His influence has the ability to fortify my efforts turning them into something truly extraordinary, allowing me to fulfill His purposes and the measure of my creation, in art, in motherhood, and in my very being.
