It’s been awhile since I’ve touched based with all of you.
Winter was a very slow and creative season for me. I completed several paintings to form a new collection titled The Edge of Sanity. The collection developed to capture the beauty and chaos occurring in the upper Midwest during the most challenging season.
The winters in northern Minnesota can be brutal; the wind cuts like a razor, and cold north air brings tears to your eyes. Add in buckets of snow and no sight of ever leaving your house, and it can push a person to the edge of sanity. However, sprinkled in amongst the chaos of winter are moments of beauty - those moments represent this collection.
Starting Tuesday, March 29th, I will release the first small batch of paintings I have been working on during this season. I will release subsequent small batches on Tuesdays throughout April.
Every painting in the collection is a special moment in time with a different story. I plan to tell the story of emergence for each painting within each collection release.
The first small batch release of paintings from my new collection, 'The Edge of Sanity,' is live and listed on my website.
The collection is my first collection of all canvas and wood paintings. I can't wait for you to see them and learn more about them!
With this collection release, I'm also offering limited edition prints; check them out here
Keep reading to learn more about each painting.
The cool breeze
Sun in her hair
A wisp of air
Running through the trees
I spend a lot of time daydreaming during the winter months of summer. Bright colors, sunshine, days at the lake. It's easy to get lost in the daydream and paint with colors that bring joy and energy, especially during a slow and somewhat melancholy time.
In the winter, I miss the feel of sunshine on my face and the wind blowing across my skin. I also miss spending time outdoors because, I'll be honest, you will not find me outside when it's -20 with a -40 wind chill.
The Edge of Sanity #1
Dimensions: 30 x 24 x 1.5 "
Medium: Ink
Substrate: Stretched Canvas
Breathe in this moment…
Refracted in time,
faint patches of light,
ice crystals in cirrus,
the moon must be bright.
The second piece in the collection is an abstracted representation of Moon Dogs - If you have been following me on Instagram, you’ve seen this painting before. Back in February, on the way home from a gathering, I witnessed my first moon dog. It was one of the most beautiful evening nature experiences I’ve had in winter to date.
If you’ve never heard of moon dogs, let me share a bit about them with you. A moon dog is an atmospheric optical phenomenon that is pure magic. They are caused by the refraction of moonlight by hexagonal-plate-shaped ice crystals in cirrus or cirrostratus clouds. They typically appear as a pair of faint patches of light at around 22° to the left and right of the Moon, and at the same altitude above the horizon as the Moon. Moon dogs are analogous to sun dogs but are rarer than sun dogs because the Moon must be bright, about a quarter moon or more, for the moon dogs to be observed.
On this particular night, the moon dogs reflected bright lights all across the sky - it reminded me a bit of the northern lights. It was a very peaceful experience. It was absolutely freezing outside, but the calmness is what I will remember most, along with the light smatterings of color drifting across the sky.
Nature is my greatest muse, and I can still recall how I felt the evening I spotted these moon dogs. Recreating moments from nature and the painting process is deeply introspective for me. I want to capture the beauty and stillness of moments, like witnessing moon dogs, to add a calming presence to any home. In a world full of chaos, why not add some peace.
The Edge of Sanity #2
Dimensions: 24 x 30 x 1.5 "
Medium: Ink
Substrate: Stretched Canvas
Murky blue water,
The bottoms edge,
Sand in your toes,
Water moving on the fringe
Painted during the winter season while daydreaming of lake season. Lake season (summer) is the best season in Minnesota (in my humble opinion). I miss the summer months all through winter, and it’s the one thing that helps me get through the terrible season. A sane person would probably find a new home base... BUT no matter where you live, there is always something you don’t like about it. Tolerance is key.
The Edge of Sanity #3
Dimensions: 20 x 32 x 1.5 "
Medium: Ink
Substrate: Stretched Canvas
Created at the same time during a cold weather streak. It is not uncommon to experience a week or more of negative temperatures mixed with very cold wind chills in northern Minnesota. I had just returned from walking my dog outside, and I couldn't stop thinking about the bitter chill in the air outside. When I first left the house, my face felt like it had been struck with a sharp razor blade. It was intense, and I wanted to capture that feeling in a painting—the mix of hot and cold.
The Edge of Sanity #4
Painting dimension: 12x12"
Medium: Ink, metallic
Substrate: Wood
The Edge of Sanity #5
Painting dimension: 12x12"
Medium: Ink, metallic
Substrate: Wood
I really wanted to focus on the seasonal change from winter to spring with this collection. Every painting in the collection is abstract from nature during one of the most challenging times of the year.
Please read the descriptions because they all tell a story. Shop the Collection, and don't forget to check out the limited edition prints with optional embellishments.
That's it from me; let's meet up again.
xo,
Mandy
Spark joy, live well.