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My Interpretation of Paper Towns and Losing Self

For years my artwork has focused on self growth, the spiritual journey, and how we walk in this world, so how perfect the creative challenge was when 20th Century Fox issued it a few weeks ago. The challenge asked to create a piece of artwork that reflected the theme of their movie "Paper Towns" and the quote "You have to get lost before you Find yourself". 

The concept of feeling "lost" and figuring out who we are  has touched most all of us at least once. 

When I began painting I thought about my own personal times when I have felt lost in this world, when it felt like I had lost my connection to everything and everyone. Usually in those moments I had some great realizations about the people around me, understanding that my perceptions of them had been wrong when the veil was lifted and I could see the truth. These were the moments when I questioned who I was and had lost my grasp of purpose. 
I learned that the Being lost, while unnerving, allowed me to strip away the things I no longer needed  and to take some quiet time to decide where I wanted to go. 



Now that I had personally connected to the theme of the challenge, I knew that I could bring forth that contemplative loneliness to the canvas. There was symbolism in the movie of "paper towns and paper people", which was fitting , and I used this concept by bringing a mixed media addition to the painting. Using sheets of canvas, I created "paper houses" that I layered on the lower half of the canvas. Rising from the paper houses I painted the young woman who is contemplating a direction. I transformed the sky into her own personal map, with a compass that glowed over the moon and alternate routes within the stars. 
While the woman is in fact lost, I created her to be thoughtful and sincere, not fearful and confused. This was important to me, for the moment that we allow fear to slip into our thoughts....the harder it is to make choices for our highest good. 

While this painting's creation was urged into existence because of a creative challenge, I appreciate the soulful meaning that it brought me and its message which was ever so timely. 

This painting, "Lost in a Paper Town" is listed in my Indiemade shop here
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