Original Artwork:
To Be Collection
“To Get What You Need and Be Who You Are”
by Artist, Jess Tinsley
48x60 oil on gallery canvas with resin finish. 1 5/8" profile. (Original artwork: SOLD)
2020
 
Limited Edition Art Reproduction:
Each limited edition print is on high-quality paper, and comes carefully packaged with a copy of the story behind the painting. Hand signed and numbered. 11"x14"
 
We don't often get everything we need to be happy and feel fulfilled - still we hope and work to get what we need. Even though we won't find complete satisfaction - even though our needs will never be fully met - in those moments when they are - it is pure joy. This piece is about enjoying the moments where we get what we need.
Similarly, we come into this world as we are and we are shaped further by the people and circumstances in our lives. We never can make everyone happy with the way that we are - no matter how hard we try - so the best thing to do is to be okay with not pleasing everyone and instead, focus on being true to who we are and enjoying it. Recognizing our intrinsic value, being thankful for who we are and what we have are on the path to happiness.
 
My work is about the tensions in life – about the difficulties and struggles we face – and how we respond to them. My hope is that when you are faced with your own struggle, my work will encourage you to have hope and joy. The figures in the pieces may feel sad, but they also dance. They may have limitations in their surroundings, still they push through. The plants and flowers are symbolic of growth and persistence. The change that plants experience – from seed to bud to beautiful bloom – is an example of how change can make us beautiful – if we allow it. To me, the most important things in life are the people around us and the decisions we make in response to what life throws at us.
 
You may see in my paintings the hardness of life – the grief, sadness, anger, and hurt – while also offering the idea that there is hope for healing and growth through the struggle. It is intended to inspire you to live at peace with the complexity of a world full of storms and sunshine - while we mourn the deep loss we each experience, we still seek reasons for hope and joy.