In 1994, I was skipping in the streets of Paris, hand in hand with my best friend. A passerby comments, "L'amour, l'amour". In 2005, I look back on Paris and it is night time and dark in my mind (as this friend is no longer in my life for sad reasons, like drugs and her abusive husband) and I have become ill, what the doctor's say is bipolar disorder. Safe at home, I paint the nightfall on my dreams and the beginning of something new When anyone falls upon a disability, as I have, they make this journey: the nightfall on their dreams and the creation of something new.
The gold reflects the light and is permanent, as it is acrylic paint. The black absorbs the light and is temporal, as it is tempera and is easily wiped away by water. It is pliable and moveable in creating this piece, while the gold is steadfast. A friend pointed out: in the same manner depression is moveable. In creating these pieces, I hope to move out of my depression and go forward with life. I wish to remember all that is sad about love in Paris for a moment and leave it behind to see the light in Paris at Night. Perhaps, others disabled by sadness will see this work and find a medium to move through that darkness and leave it in the past.
Thank-you,
Carol A. Coussons, MS
