I'm planting flowers: my art wrap-up for 2023, plus a peek at what's coming in 2024

‘Clown Flower’ ©Kris Cahill 2023, 8” x 6”, acrylic on paper. Find it here

“I will not give up the flowers in my heart for stones just because the world is a hard place. The world is only hard because it needs more flower hearted people.” -Nikita Gill

I am planting flowers for this coming year.

Some of these will be actual flowers in my new garden. I’m also planting herbs, tomatoes, and maybe another vegetable or two, all of which come with flowers at some point in their growth cycle. I want roses too, the kind that are delicious smelling.

Even though I can’t plant my outdoor garden for a few months, I’m already planting flowers. As an artist, this looks like the new paintings that are blooming in my studio. I started working on a new series of heart paintings - hearts on cradled wood, this past month. I’ve been taking my time on these as I’m winding down the year, and completing the old.

Here’s 3 photos of these works in progress, which are happening under the working title ‘The Hearts of Self Love’. Several are just about done, some need a bit more work. Sometimes that work is to step back and let the painting breathe a minute, wait until I see where to go next with it.

All of them need their sides painted, and a coat or two of varnish, plus a hook to hang them, and their name* and info on the back. So many little details go into a painting.

*Yes, I do name every painting I send out into the world. If it’s a painting I made, It’s never called ‘Untitled’. I am grateful to each one for showing up, and feel they all deserve a name.

I have been sowing the seeds of self love this whole past year.

Sometimes it was difficult, sometimes easy. I’ve decided it can really be that easy to choose to love myself. Game changer.

One thing I do know is that no matter who or what wants to bring negativity into the world, or amp up the lower vibrational stuff already in play, when we choose love, and have the courage to Love Ourselves, that old negative game cannot sustain itself. It cannot make us hate ourselves or others, because we have decided to love.

If I love me, it’s easier to find my love for you, for everyone, for this beautiful planet too. These are my vibes for the coming year.

As of this post, three of these hearts are completed and available for sale in my shop here, the rest are works in progress, to be released very soon!