Shannon Miya: It's a Small World

A group of Israeli artists just arrived this weekend and there’s been a very strange group dynamic happening. First of all, the first group of artists that arrived with me have already began to leave (4 of them only did 2 weeks of the residency). This changed the group a bit, it actually made us more cohesive. Then, with the addition of the new group, our original group has become even more close (and I really love this but it will make it so hard to leave in a week!). As two separate groups, we eat at separate tables, tight in our groups, and we have a different program completely. Although I truly believe that the group is not necessarily the concentration of this residency, and I believe that it’s entirely personal for all of us, I think the group dynamics play a huge role in the outcome of our experience. At the end of the night, we all commune in the dining room and discuss our experiences and our days and our findings. I love being surrounded by artists who all have the inquisitive nature of life that I have, and to share our feelings and discuss things on such a deep level without really knowing each other all that well. Today after lunch I spoke to three of the Israeli artists for the first time. I found a kinship with one of them in particular – she had lived in Rome for 4 years and had to return to home for her own reasons. I felt so connected to someone who was from somewhere so foreign to me, and I truly felt the humanity within my body and felt the “compassion” that the Buddhist philosophies speak of. I felt connected to her, to everyone, and to my environment and experience. It was a true moment of grandeur within me. I call these moments little bits of enlightenment, because for a moment in space and time, you feel completely and utterly secure and grounded in your world. These are great moments, revelations, enlightenment, knowing, wisdom, whatever it is you want to call it, and I’m always thankful to notice them.

This morning I painted Andrea again. I really wanted to capture the strength of the back – the pillar of human strength. This is called Costruzione (Construction).