Art Highlight: Mira 1 + 2 ("Sight")

Mira 1 + 2 by AVM Hawkins

For those who follow my work, one will notice that I rarely paint solely in black and white. I typically gravitate to an expansive, color-filled, vibrant palette. However, every now and then, something truly special happens, where energetically, I tap into something I did not know was there. These are those rare moments, I live for as an artist. The moments when I step outside my comfort zone, expand, and express emotions and ideas begging to rise to the surface.

Mira 1 + 2 represents a new way of seeing and believing. Perception rules reality. And hopefully, I am creating a new way of seeing for myself and the viewer.

The eyes are truly the windows to the soul. What we see affects us, for the good and also for its opposite. It is my hope to create more beauty and positivity into the world through art.

There is so much more than just black and white. What’s in between is nuanced and filled with slight varieties, and even subtle deviations. Here, tints of beige play a role in this series, providing a potent yet latent influence on the final feeling one receives from seeing it.

I wish I could say that I did all of this knowingly and intentionally within the time of creation, but this would be untrue. In the moment, I just was.

When I painted Mira 1 + 2, it was dark. It was night. I was outside my studio, painting at my workstation, canvases stapled to my work horse, that was lit with a table lamp. I recall thinking, “this must be what Pollack felt,” as paint dripped from my brush handle, onto the canvas below, my finger tips drenched with paint.

The anger I once felt moments before, forgotten…

I felt gratitude for my emotions, for they led me to this moment, to translate movement into something beautiful.

Mira 1 + 2 were created simultaneously, back and forth, with my perspective rotating around the canvas as a clock. Mira 1 + 2 are siblings with distinct personalities. Both with the ability to stand on their own, but always best when together.