i wept...

this past week, i received the third painting that i have bought from Heather at Bad!Kitty Arts. as some of you know, i worked in a picture framing shop for years and have looked through thousands of pieces of art. nothing came close to this. nothing.

as i started to unwrap the box and get closer to seeing the painting in person, my hands began to shake. i could feel tears creeping into my eyes and i didn't know why. i thought to myself how opening that box felt like having sex for the first time. you want so bad for it to be everything you thought it would be, but somewhere inside, you're terrified that it will be awful. the excitement and possible dissapointment blur together in some mixed media of emotion.

after i cut away all the wrapping and went to remove the piece of cardboard that was hiding my treasure, tears started spilling down my cheeks. my hands shook violently as i finally got to see, and feel, the painting that had spoken to me so strongly in just a blog photo. i sat in the floor of my kitchen and wept. there is a distinct difference in crying and weeping. crying can be caused by anger, happiness, fear and a whole host of other emotions. weeping comes from somewhere deeper. that place in your gut that hurts when life reaches in and touches it. it's soulful and passionate. i cried when i won my first skating competition, but i wept when my great grandfather passed.

every last emotion that she felt when she painted it, i felt when i saw it. i understood it and loved it and was embarrassed at the nakedness of her art. she laid herself open for me in this wonderful creation of art. the colors are far stronger than on her site and the paint just flowed like blood across her creation. it is amazing, awe inspiring and humbling.

after i took it all in, i called Heather to thank her. to say thanks for creating such wondrous art. to say thanks for being my friend. but more than all of that, to say thanks for turning a piece of plywood into a true representation of so many emotions that i have felt for so long, but was unable to express. please, buy her art. it will touch you, it will reach you and, most importantly, it will inspire you...