My Favorite Painting that I have done - by Tasha

Each piece that I have created means something different to me, but this particular piece just came to me rapidly and felt like it was meant to be on the canvas.

I was going through a particularly difficult time in my life - I was living in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and over the course of about a month my life went through a roller coaster.  One moment, I was pregnant and with a partner that was not interested in raising a child - to breaking up with this individual and then eventually having my first miscarriage.  

My job was extremely busy with new employees starting that I had to ensure were ready for their summer jobs.  This was one of my favorite parts of my job and I had to ensure they were as excited, too.  My younger sister's wedding was also right after all of this.  It was a lot of ups and downs.

Somehow, I was in good spirits.  I believe this was because in the back of my mind, I trusted that there was a different path in front of me.  I remember actually vowing to change my dating habits from that point moving forward...and oddly enough, I met my husband only a few weeks later.

The painting itself is on canvas that has not been stretched on a frame.  I have quite a few pieces this way because I was gifted a roll of canvas.  This was the end of the roll, so I decided to use what was left.  It is large enough that it did not fit on my large drawing easel.  So, I sat in my less than 600 square feet apartment in my living/kitchen area on the floor making this painting.

I had the vision in my head.  Sometimes, I paint from what I see, but this time I only referenced a picture of the Grand Tetons.

I remember being completely at peace when painting.  It is the feeling when each step seems to fall into the right place.  It took me a few days to complete the piece.  I wanted a bit of "Starry Night" by Vincent Van Gogh over the Grand Tetons and this is what I ended up with.

It was around that same time that I picked up 2 website URLs with the thought in my mind that maybe someday I would curate a website of artwork to share with the world.  This may have also been how I came up with the name "Painting the Starrs" with also the play on my last name as I was painting a lot of stars during this time.

This piece is now framed and in my youngest son's room, alongside many other pieces of artwork.  It is a pretty bold piece for a nursery, but I think it fits his cute little personality.