Volatile Dream

Volatile.
Red shirt. Black pants.
Sitting still. Staring
As if catching your breath,
Calming your soul,
Quietening your mind.
Aware of your inner volatility.
Taking in each breath
S l o w l y .
Half smile hides immense pain
And the awareness
Of how quickly things can change.
But for now
Enjoying the moment,
Being present,
That is all there is.

And then you were gone…
It was only a dream.

By Kaz Clarke

Soul Smile

Sometimes when your whole soul smiles it’s such an amazing feeling that there are literally no words to describe it - that’s when expressive painting is my absolute go to. There is nothing better than lashing out on a big canvas with lots of colourful paint using a big brush (and of course my hands!), listening to my favourite music. Time seems to stand still but I definitely don’t - it’s a whole body and soul experience!

So Happy...

Since opening my heart, I’ve found it much easier to just go and paint whenever. Sounds crazy but for many years, when my heart was blocked, I wasn’t able to - it took a lot to get me into the studio and even then, sometimes I would just pace the floor and feel uneasy and not be able to do anything, as if someone had tied my hands behind my back. It used to take a lot of work to break through that invisible barrier, sometimes I did it but other times it beat me.

I look back on those days with sadness. Now I just go and paint whenever I feel like it. I don’t even have a proper studio (my old shed is going to be my painting studio as soon as I get that leaky roof fixed!) but it doesn’t matter, as long as my music is playing and I’m outside because my style of painting is very messy! The music that speaks to me at the moment is Pete Murray - LOVE, love love it! He gets me through my day, through my work and is fantastic to paint to. The painting above is called ‘So Happy’ and I’m happy to say there is no black paint used whatsoever, which is very unusual for me but definitely speaks volumes about where my heart and soul are right now. A few years back I remember doing a painting that was basically all black!!! That was a very bad time…