The shape of change is indistinct.
A transformation that folds and blooms into itself infinitely.
An unpredictable death of echoing patterns and shapes.
An inevitable rebirth with deep set roots.
A foreshadow of time.
An idea emerges. Sometimes years go by, other times a moment to birth. The sweet anticipation, not knowing where it will lead but it will change something or everything. The exhilaration felt on a roller coaster, looking down at that first great descent. As this idea emerges, so does exhilaration. If we follow it we change our lives in millimeters or miles but choose to lead our lives.
I had the good fortune to host a watercolor lesson at Stoneway Crossfit as one of their community building ladies’ potluck and sip nights on December 6th. And if Success = fun + learning – I’m confident this night was successful.
This was my very first attempt at teaching others some painting techniques and definitely a challenge for someone that largely paints intuitively. But with over a dozen years of experience teaching I could hardly plead that I didn’t have the skills to tackle it. And I’ve always loved teaching, so why not?
To begin with the supplies we used:
supplies
Arches 140lb 100% watercolor paper mounted on 11″ x 14″ panels. The best watercolor paper is necessary for success and to really experience the full characteristics of painting with watercolor!
Winsor and Newton Student Grade watercolors: Cadmium Yellow Hue, Ultramarine and Cadmium Red Deep Hue
daVinci #6 round, #2 round (and a #4 flat that we didn’t use) synthetic brushes. These are stiff brushes that are easy on beginner hands, but need a bit of water massaging to loosen up. I recommend getting familiar with only one or two brushes in the beginning.
Q-Tips and cotton pads for dabbing up water and pulling up mistakes.
Jars of water
Strips of paper for testing the paint before painting
Wash cloths for cleaning off the brushes.
Because this was a crossfit night, I was asked to teach a crossfit theme and used my Lady of Power, the Overhead Squat, as a template.
A Healed Body is a Fit Body: Overhead Squat copyright Marika Reinkepainting party template
I used tracing paper to trace the basic composition for the class and this allowed me to focus the course on techniques of watercolor.
This exercise allowed us to walk through some very basic techniques circle by circle, letting everyone build skills. Then we combined skills to create more advanced effects. We were able to cover:
Wet on dry washes
Wet on wet techniques
mixing colors in the palette
layering colors on the paper
using gravity to paint
planning painting
fixing mistakes
combining wet and dry techniques to create shading
By the time we worked on the final shape, the difference in confidence and technique was apparent as everyone tackled the nuances of shading.
Some lessons I learned:
Show how to fix mistakes first to build confidence in painting from the beginning.
Beginners like lots of guidance, they want step by step and examples.
A end goal and final picture kept everyone focused and motivated.
Focus on less for quality in the final product. These students want something they can hold up and be proud of creating.
Repetition is always good.
Get permission to post pictures of people on my blog!
Overall, the night was fun, satisfying, challenging and a learning experience for everyone.
When our bodies betray us what works suddenly fails. It leaves frightening, crippling, questions and an uncertain future. A hole in the heart chambers mixes oxygenated red cells and de-oxygenated blue cells and causes fainting, weakness and an erratic heart beat. The brush with the unknown couldn’t be unthinkable death?
And modern medicine is the answer. Heart surgery, an ablation procedure and a little synthetic fan-like device can re-gift a healthy life, strength, a rhythmic heart, a singing open spirit, laughter and revived perspective.
But more, a perceptive soul listens closely to a failing heart. It speaks and wisely leads the way to a renewed identity of meaning, humanity and faith.
Watercolor 16″ x 12″
The Story
This painting was custom work for Kristen Johnson who asked me to paint her heart. The 26 year old had two heart surgeries to fix the hole in her heart. After her first surgery at 22, she woke and knew that her future needed to be helping others with heart problems. As a result, she finished nursing school and is now a cardiac ICU nurse. This commission is one of the first gifts she has given herself with a “real paycheck” since becoming a nurse.
Creating this painting was a mutual gift. It was an honor and joy to celebrate Kristen’s story.
“I have to say -I got it home and read the thing (story card) and looked at the painting and cried a good little cry. It is perfect. You did an amazing job and I love it.” Kirsten Johnson.
Kristen sent me the following images to work from.
Closure DeviceHeart EchogramEKGBurn Points on Misfiring Electrical Pathways
After reflection, I sent Kirsten a quick watercolor sketch of where I wanted to take the image.
Follow Your Heart Sketch
Upon agreement, I began the painting process, updating her everyday with progress reports.
Follow Your Heart Stage 1 – by Marika ReinkeFollow Your Heart stage 2
Until the final one emerged with a lovely glow than rightfully matches Kristen’s spirit.
Overhead Squat II copyright Marika ReinkeOverhead Squat copyright Marika Reinke
A vision is not only of healing which includes a bouquet of “nots”; not injured, not scared, not limping, not hurt, not in pain. Recovery is a loud resounding life-affirming “Yes!” It is power, strength and courage. It is willfully taking back, becoming wiser then achieving goals deemed impossible while pain ruled.
Watercolor 24″ x 18″
BUY HERE
Currently all my prints will be ready to ship no later than November 24th, 2014. All orders will be shipped in 1-3 days with standard shipping included in the price. Please contact me directly at marika@marikareinke.com for other shipping options or if you need to ship internationally in which case there will be an additional charge.
Overhead SQUAT I
Original Painting Overhead Squat I: $325
Personalized Limited Edition Print Overhead Squat I (of 25) : $65 What’s special about a limited edition print? Click on my Print Options
OVERHEAD SQUAT II
Original Painting Overhead Squat II: $250
Personalized Limited Edition PrintOverhead Squat II (of 25) : $65 What’s special about a limited edition print? Click on my Print Options
Injury happens in many forms; of the heart, body or mind. It is rare that one injury doesn’t affect all three. In each case, a pattern emerges that changes our psychological, biological and perceptual landscape ushering in transformation, learning and new perspectives.
My disc herniated and impinged my nerve root. A small fissure that stole my ability to walk, gave me daily pain and new relationship with my husband and children. The once strong, both physically and mentally, was torn and weak. Tears. Despair. Fear. Pain. Retreat. I clung to painting, to ground me and reflect, to create artifacts of injury and healing and to learn and recreate.
What is left after injury?
There is gratitude. I am grateful to be pain-free, for progress, walking, my husband’s care, my daughters gymnastic meets and Pokemon with my son.
There is discovery and re-creation. I have grounded myself, created a new vision, a plan for healing and settled in a new identity.
There is hope. That I emerge stronger, wiser and gifted.
There is acceptance. The world that was is no longer, a new unknown one is beginning.
There is memory. The heart, body and mind will not forget.
Road to Recovery (Fall 2014) copyright Marika Reinke
Some days the winds wrap us up so tight we become the eye of the tornado. Trapped inside, the world collapses on itself and there is no gust we can grasp. The storm picks us up and ponders what it will do while we uselessly fight, kick and scream against the assault and injustice. Then we let go of trying to rein the wind. The chaos unwinds. The winds unfold and beautifully reveal unexpected surprises.
At times, our most beloved feel most distant and those closest most mysterious. Their landscape is illusive, incomplete, and barely graspable. The more complex, the more unknowable. The more loved, the more blind.
What gives me strength when I am weak? Courage when I’m scared? Confidence when I’m uncertain? Heart, humor and spirit written gently on each finger. Because floating in an unknowable sea is just a lovely, bumpy, mysterious dream.
About three weeks ago, on October 11, I made a trip to the ER with ear-ringing pain in my leg. For about four weeks, I had been recovering from a herniated disc and moderate sciatica. After getting a new mattress a week and half before, the pain had been getting worse at night until that morning when it knocked me off my feet. I couldn’t handle it any more, I needed help. The sciatica was acute and I could barely walk.
MRI herniated disc prolapse
What followed was two weeks of limited and painful mobility, lots of sleepless and angry nights and a slow and constant ingestion of Vicodin. I was invalid, needing help with everything from getting dressed, to eating and walking. And I was haunted by the sense that I was transformed. I wouldn’t ever be the same. But I’m still not clear on how.
So I painted. I sat in bed, when I could, and painted in whatever position my body would allow. I researched painting, I blogged about my painting. I ingested more art than pain meds. And I painted my injury.
Here is my herniated disc:
Herniated disc copyright Marika Reinke watercolor 24″ x 12″
That red bulge is what is pressing on my nerve root and causing shooting pain all the way to my toes. And yes, beautiful because any life experience is.
This MRI shows the compression even better.
MRI Herniated Disc – the white oval is the squished nerve root.
Here is my rendering. Interestingly it is like a mirror showing the prolapse on the right but actually mirroring my body as I paint. And the prolapse is exaggerated…like the pain.
Herniated Disc 2 copyright Marika Reinke watercolor 18″ x 12″
Because pain, after time begins to feel as much psychological as physical. The fear of the pain is as debilitating as the pain itself. Every sensation is amplified.
Of course painting an injury begs the question, what about painting a healed Marika?
A healed body is not the same as a healed Marika. I don’t thinking painting a repaired herniated disc would represent a healed me. The answer made me think but, truthfully, it was obvious. It just wasn’t obvious until I began to emerge from the debilitating pain and detoxed.
I can walk now and tackle my rehab exercises. I can see the future. I have a vision. I love being fit and active and I’m ready to do what it takes to get back to it. Ican’t wait to return to crossfit and rock climb.
A healed body is a fit body copyright Marika Reinke watercolor 24″ x 18″
Give me my weights back and a pain-free crossfit workout, then I’ll declare myself healed.
Personalized Limited Edition Print (of 25) : $70 What’s special about a limited edition print? Click on my Print Options 
You must be logged in to post a comment.