"Wabi Sabi Love" - The Backstory of an Abstract Painting

"Wabi Sabi Love", 16x20" acrylic, ink, oil pastel on canvas board, Available

"Wabi Sabi Love", 16x20" acrylic, ink, oil pastel on canvas board, Available

So this is Day 8 of my 30 paintings in 30 days challenge but really, it's been weeks in the making. I started this piece right before I went on vacation in November and I'm happy that it came together in a way that I wanted. 

It evolved into a vibrant piece with lots of negative space. The teal drips of enamel paint were some of the last and final touches. A few days before I finished it, I knew what it should be called. The title emerged and I immediately decided to add black ink into my work, a rare move for me. I don't use black often, and certainly not in such a definitive manner as ink strokes.

I first heard the term "Wabi Sabi Love" when I was listening to an interview with Arielle Ford on love and marriage. Arielle married the term "wabi sabi" which is the Japanese tradition of restoring and honoring the worn and used, with the idea of self-love and love in marriage.