“Be Boun-TEA-ful” Acrylic Painting

“Be Boun-TEA-ful”
MediTEAtion Series
Mixed Media, 16 x 20 Canvas

PACE Center for Girls Hats, Ties, and High Tea Fundraiser Event
November 5, 2017

I was invited to a fundraiser at the Sunrise Theatre in Fort Pierce for PACE Center for Girls by my fiancé, Manny. Manny had been interning at the center for his human services degree had become very involved in every aspect of the organization. Naturally his involvement leaked into our relationship and I was absorbed into his activities, such as attending the fundraiser which was a poetry reading by the young ladies of PACE.

The event was awe-inspiring. Hearing their stories, shared in front of a crowd of family, friends, and strangers, opened my eyes to what Manny had already come to know about PACE – that it works, and is a valuable asset to our community and young women enduring pain, heartache, and the tribulations of life that, at times, they lack proper support for.

PACE was to conduct another fundraiser event on November 5, 2017, and this time they would be auctioning off artwork donated by local artists as part of the fundraiser activity. Manny requested that I submit one of my MediTEAtion pieces because it played well into the theme of the event: Hats, Ties and High Tea. Up until this point, I had not released any of the MediTEAtion series, other than a one-time display at The River Shop Café of Indian River State College due to a lack of entries for another exhibition.

Original background painting for “Be Boun-TEA-ful”

None of my pieces from that series was really ready for an exhibition, especially one meant to raise funds via an auction. But, I was so moved by the words of the women at last event that I couldn’t refuse being a part of helping that organization to sustain itself.

I agreed to his request and decided to take the piece I called “Be Boun-TEA-ful” and remake it with a little help from the girls of PACE. I requested that the girls write down words relating to being bountiful: concepts of what they wish was more bountiful in their life, or concepts of what they have present in their life that is bountiful.

I received far more pieces back than I could actually incorporate, and the technique I was planning to use was completely new to me, so I was fearful that I’d completely let the girls down – however the outcome, though not completely what I intended, was beautiful.

“Be Boun-TEA-ful”

As part of the MediTEAtion series, this piece is meant to inspire internal reflection,
occasionally requiring a closer inspection.
The Tea Guru is a tea cup that holds within him the finest quality of tea.
He is a metaphor for what I consider human beings to be:
a vessel, available in many shapes, sizes and colors,
all to contain the consciousness of universal wonders.
Consider within what it means to be bountiful and free,
and then also what it means to be meager, held in slavery.

Update: 4/27/18

Be Boun-TEA-ful was auctioned for $200 during a PACE fundraising event in April 2018. Thank you to the gentleman that donated money to PACE and helped to support their cause.