Q: What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them? (Question from Bold Journey)
“She Embraced It and Grew Stronger,” 2003, the first pastel painting I completed after Bryan was killed
” data-image-caption=”
“She Embraced It and Grew Stronger,” 2003, the first pastel painting I completed after Bryan was killed
” data-large-file=”https://barbararachkoscoloreddust.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/she-embraced-it-and-grew-stronger.jpg?w=382″ src=”https://barbararachkoscoloreddust.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/she-embraced-it-and-grew-stronger.jpg” alt=””She Embraced It and Grew Stronger,” 2003, the first pastel painting I completed after Bryan was killed” class=”wp-image-2003″ />
A: The deepest wound was losing Bryan on 9/11. I resolved not to become another victim of that tragedy and chose to continue living and making art.
Because I depend on reference photographs for my work, my first hurdle was learning to use Bryan’s 4×5 view camera. He had always taken the photos for me. In 2002, I enrolled in a photography workshop at the International Center of Photography in New York. To my surprise, I had absorbed a lot just from watching him, and I went on to formally study photography for several years. In 2009, I was invited to present a solo photography exhibition in New York.
By 2003, I resumed my Domestic Threats series. The first large pastel I completed from one of my own photographs was titled She Embraced It and Grew Stronger. It was autobiographical: “she” was me, and “it” was life without Bryan.
That series ended in 2007, by which time I was finding more peace. But then I faced a new challenge: creative block. For months I struggled, but I kept showing up daily. Eventually, a breakthrough came, and I began the Black Paintings series. The dark backgrounds represented the place I had emerged from; the vibrant figures symbolized resilience and life.
In 2017, inspired by a museum exhibition in La Paz, I began Bolivianos, based on Carnival masks. Many view this as my boldest and most exciting work yet.
Comments are welcome!
