Artist: Kristi Stangeland
Title: Oasis
Year created: 2022
Medium: Acrylic
Height (inches): 11
Width (inches): 14
Depth (inches): 3
Signed by the artist
Signed Area: front
This piece is unframed.
Oasis
I began my painting process in a meditative state with beautiful music playing to let the paintbrush flow and allow an image to emerge. I am very inspired by impressionist painters, particularly Monet. I love the way his colors bled together into a blur. I brought this to my painting.
For Oasis, I began with “hot” colors of red, orange and pink to introduce a feeling of energy and passion to the work - a much needed response here in Toronto of January 2022. As I continued painting, a pool of blue emerged and a sense of serenity became the focal point – an oasis, if you will - amongst the energy. A beautiful reminder of the need for both yin and yang in life. Oasis is a beautiful reminder that life can thrive even in the middle of a desert.
Artist bio:
This, I know for sure: We are all artists! I loved creating art as a young child: finger painting, coloring and drawing. I’d immerse myself in the flow of art, and an entire day would elapse in what seemed like a moment!
As I grew up, the practicalities of life became more relevant, and with the nudging of my sensible parents, I followed their footsteps into accounting. Art became a distant memory.
Fortunately, I was able to pursue new passions after spending many years in the corporate world as a CPA with PricewaterhouseCoopers and JP Morgan Chase. I took up metal sculpture, bronze casting, watercolor painting and drawing on the right side of the brain. I enjoyed these endeavors but discovered that I am an entrepreneur and networker at heart. This led me to launching a series of small businesses. With each entrepreneurial success, I found myself taking stock of the lessons learned, both professionally and personally.
It soon became clear that my business success was tied to personal wellness, self-awareness, and the ability to find balance in life. So, I founded My ParaVita to share my knowledge and insights and to serve more women in a deeper way with meditation, self-development retreats and feng shui. (FYI, I hold a diploma in Mindfulness Study by the NLP Centre of Excellence and completed the three-year BTB Feng Shui Masters Training Program™, begun by Professor Thomas Lin Yun, one of the most renowned Chinese philosophers of our time.)
More recently, during the pandemic, I discovered Abstract Painting. I fell in love with this expression! It has connected me with my long, lost kid – when I paint, I feel the pure joy of “playing with paint.” And it is enabling me to grow as an adult. Reconnecting with art has reminded me of important life lessons:
Go with the Flow: Letting go, silencing the inner critic and painting intuitively puts me in my “happy place”. Throw paint on the canvas, get into a groove, and see where it goes.
Happy Accidents: Something that was not intentional can emerge from a “beautiful mistake”. Like penicillin and chocolate chip cookies.
Things can always be changed: Okay, maybe that accident wasn’t so happy. Just paint over it. After all, Mona Lisa wasn’t smiling in Leonardo’s first version.
I’m painting solely for pleasure not profit and looking to donate my creations where they may be an inspiration and benefit to others. What a beautiful marriage of joy and service!