the girl - flow and rhythm

Salut! Hey there! I'm continually discovering that life is a series of moments. In some of these moments, huge parts of myself are revealed to me. It's as if, as D.H. Lawrence wrote: '...one sprang awake, a new part of the soul woke up suddenly, and the old world gave way to the new...' In other moments I am lucky to find, and grateful to discover, individuals roaming this planet who demonstrate such hope and inspire such courage, that in addition to becoming more awake and hopeful, invite me to become more brave. I am also learning that within these moments lies choice. Who we become and who we are is largely about the choices we make. How we treat people. How we treat ourselves. And how we treat this planet. We all have a choice.

Sign language is a living, growing language, a graceful form of gesture. When one is signing, each letter should be clear and distinct, and yet I've learned that it is as much about rhythm and flow as it is about clarity. This knowledge influences the spirit in which my work is created. I am using fingerspelling as I believe that most of us could recognize the letters if we were to see them. Even if it is only one or two letters, they are easily decipherable. The alphabet itself mirrors the English alphabet with 26 letters, some of which are exact representations of a printed block letter. This work is so artistically and spiritually satisfying as I am a witness firsthand to the triumph of someone with a hearing impairment. I've watched him shine bright and it truly does inspire.

I hope to challenge our preconceived notions of what a painting can communicate and make the invisible - a hearing loss - become visible. For the deaf alphabet is indeed the alphabet written in the air instead of on paper. Free and soaring. Space around the form.

The process itself of making art has me supremely concentrated in the present. This to me is when life is most real. The words I choose to represent are born out of this real moment. This attention to process not only plays a vital role in my art but in the way I move about this earth.

This ravaged earth looking for a little love.

Synonyms for:
            Patience: perseverance devotion
            Strength: ardour, courage, greatness
            Stillness: silence, peacefulness
            Sustain: be a source of strength for, to carry on
            Clarity: lucidity
            Hope: dream, ambition, look forward to
            Real: honest, true
            Love: delight in, treasure, hold dear

These are the words I am currently engaged with using fingerspelling.

I am also currently exploring the abstract concept of waiting and of our ever growing need for patience in our fast moving culture. It would seem that in this world, all we do is wait. And so what is the quality of this waiting? Wait in line. Wait for the perfect job, the perfect mate, the perfect life. Wait for enlightenment. Wait for packages. Wait for change. Wait for our turn. Wait for the war to come. Wait for peace. Wait for our time. Wait for the answer. Wait for someone to speak up, to shut up, to put out. Wait until the trees are all gone. The water too. Wait for forgiveness. Wait for tolerance. Wait for unity. Wait to decide. Wait to move. Wait to wait. Wait for family, lovers, friends, the world, to understand us. Wait until we know ourselves. Wait for someone to come. Wait for someone to go. Wait to be inspired.

This web site is designed to give Internet visitors an idea of what I can do (however, this is only a glimpse, there's much more to come). Please feel free to contact me anytime by snail mail, phone or e-mail to inquire about a possible project, my current work, for pricing or to purchase one of the available paintings seen on this web site.

      Art to soothe your soul + lift your mind...

Andrea Michaluk
andrea.artgoddess(at)gmail.com