CHAPTER 3
Nov 2023 | Paintings 22-26 in My 100 Dresses
The Story
Life is both longing and living. It is recognizing something is missing while living in the moment we are given. So often, though, we depart from our today in order to imagine life in our tomorrow. But every once in a while, in those places of first kisses and golden sunsets, of sibling harmonies and painful goodbyes, the sun glimmers just right and our heart’s recognize a startling truth; life is only ever lived in the present, and we would do anything for just one more moment of it.
With the desire to capture presence in the very artwork itself, Chapter 3 was created as an Alla Prima collection of 5 paintings and poems.
The Alla Prima process...
Alla Prima, meaning “at first attempt,” is a style of painting wet on wet, where the artist must begin and finish the piece all in one sitting. Since oil paint can take days or even weeks to dry, the process requires a high level of mastery or the painting can quickly be muddied and ruined. In this, the artist becomes fully engaged, always recognizing the fleeting reality of time while, second by second, leaving her mark carefully and boldly on the canvas. When done well, the Alla Prima process creates a piece that is wildly organic with bleeding colors and bold strokes.
Each painting, in essence, becomes a time capsule of a life lived fully in the present.
Painting 22
The Poem
Take a break, my darling,
from all your planning and striving and wondering and worrying,
it will all still be waiting for you in the morning.
Come, visit with me
in the present,
where the flowers both bloom and wilt,
a dazzling romance passing through time.
- Andrea Jacobsen Poetry
Painting 23
The Poem
My darling, don’t you know,
between the longing and waiting
there is still life to be lived.
It is sweet like honey,
alluring like cinnamon,
quickly now,
before you miss it,
a grand story is unfolding.
- Andrea Jacobsen Poetry
Painting 24
The Poem
And when the sun shifted low,
with her golden glimmers
and beseeching warmth,
the earth suddenly tilted,
and darling,
my heart slipped quietly into yours,
as if we had lived our whole lives
longing to be right here.
- Andrea Jacobsen Poetry
Painting 25
The Poem
My darling,
sit at the table,
smell the spices and taste the honey,
a banquet has been set
and dinner will not outlast the evening.
So come,
dine with me
while there are still candles to burn
and stories to tell.
- Andrea Jacobsen Poetry
Painting 26
The Poem
Darling, there is beauty in the wilting,
in the passing of what is,
a breath
caught
between sunset and sundown,
between autumn and the first frost,
let us sit here forever,
two souls held together in goodbye.
- Andrea Jacobsen Poetry
A note from the Artist...
Thank you for taking the time to experience The Flower Harvest! This collection comes from many years of living within my own longing. I was introduced to brokenness early in life, and in God’s mercy, he gave me the gift of hope through a metaphor. The image was of a deck of cards, each of us holding a unique hand we are dealt. Many of us never envisioned the cards we are given and would give anything to reshuffle. But the question is not can we reshuffle, the question is, "Will you play every card you're dealt in this one precious life you're given?"
And in God’s kindness, asking this question is a large part of why I am an artist today. There is still life to live within your longings. Make sure you are present enough to experience the goodness of truly living.
- Andrea Jacobsen