"Vessel of Life" Painting

Seascapes Collection, "Vessel of Life"
 Title:  "Vessel of Life"
 30"x30" Acrylic Mixed Media on Thick Canvas Artist:  Kimberly J. Franklin About "Vessel of Life" Painting A vessel is ultimately nothing more than a container.  Yet containers are very signifficant in our lives.  Wombs are the vessels of human beings.  Our bodies are vessels for our souls.  We live in a vessel, go to work in a vessel, drive in a vessel, and sleep in a vessel.  When we die, we are put in a vessel. This painting uses vessels as metaphor for life.  We are here, and then our vessel becomes empty when our soul leaves our bodies.  Water is a lovely carrier of all vessels, even of the fetuses in the womb.  Kimberly uses water and vessels to convey a sense of purpose and meaning in an abstract, watery world filled with constant currents and changes.  Created with sketches in charcoal, Kimberly renders gestural shapes from her head and then begins to create form in acrylic paint.  From there, she adds collage textural elements to add dimension and shape.  Once the fabric and paper elements are added, she then blends paint to unify the painting.  The results are ethereal, calming, colorful, and uplifting.  Enjoy this piece in any space whether in your home, office, studio or restaurant.    Artist's Statement
 In a world where dreams and water merge and flow, where reality and the surreal morph into one, “Water Dreams” is metaphor for life.  Continuously shifting and evolving with the tide, the soul too is transformed on its journey to the summit.  Often times, the path is not clear, but rocky, murky, dark and unknown.  We encounter experiences that can leave us fragile and spinning to find the direction of the light.  Yet, if we can find stillness, the element that connects us to the Divine, we find ourselves floating in the tranquility of the present.  By simply, “letting go,” it is in this space that we discover peace and are free. Artist's Biography
 Kimberly Tracy (Franklin) was always mesmerized by color and creativity since her early childhood, and she was always creating something whether it be costumes to handmade books and drawings, as expression was her first language.   

During college in New Mexico, Kimberly's studies of Biology and Chemistry fascinated her as she became particularly enamored with the intricate, pattern-filled cellular structures under a microscope, all throughout nature, and forms within the human body.  The lovely surroundings of the dry yet colorful deserts of the area also captivated her, as did the work of artists from the region like Georgia O' Keeffe.  She feel in love with Georgia's folded flowers, sumptuous undulating landscapes, bending hills, and splendid color and light.  After taking several art courses, Kimberly's love of art inspirations and the patterns and forms from Biology began to be articulated in her artwork. 
Flowing, colorful, decorative and ethereal, Kim Franklin's work conveys a sensation of life.  The ebb and flow of life from landscape to ocean has shaped her artistic language and vision.  In her own worlds, "these rich experiences and relics have found their way into my dreams and onto my canvases."    "May these paintings transform you as much as they have transformed me." 
 Kimberly J. Franklin