“Healing started as a stream of consciousness sketch and was originally titled ‘Nurturing’ (I had scribbled the word next to the original draft). Whilst sketching her torso the image of a halved avocado popped into my mind (the dark circle in the belly-bowl-centre of the figure is a loose echo of an avocado seed) and from here the belly bowl reminded me of a voice exercise I learned while studying a BFA of Acting at QUT.
The voice exercise was a sort of guided meditation based on the teachings of vocal coach Kristen Linklater. During the meditation we closed our eyes and imagined that at the base of our spine, deep within the chasm of our belly, was a well of water. As we would hum we’d imagine the sound would vibrate in this rich chasm and ripple across the water. As I remember it, the purpose of the exercise was to teach us that we had this rich resonance chamber within us where our voice, truth and power lived. From this place we could speak embodied in our truth, fully rooted in our power and effectively deter us from speaking in strained voices that were inauthentic, ‘performed’ and detached from ourselves.
After the well of water image presented itself in the sketch a betta fish followed. I had the company of one years ago (I feel odd saying I ‘owned’ her as a pet - she may very well have thought she owned me!) and I was mesmerised by how beautiful she was with her intense colouring and her delicate veil of fins that would glide in the water yet I acknowledged that she could attack another fish if one was placed in the sanctuary of her bowl.
In the painting a figure embraces flowers the roots of which are nourished by the bowl of water. An open glass jar cocoons her: she is not hiding or hidden, simply sheltered in a safe retreat.
This painting is about celebrating time alone to recharge and reconnect to ourselves. ‘Healing’ is about savouring both the power and peace within our centre.” - Cynthia Howard