Words are not enough to manifest our experiences and states of mind. I believe the only way to become truly free is through the means of creative expression.
Before I take you on a journey through the paintings prepared for The Silent Storm Exhibition, I would like to invite you to find your own language of expression. Whether it be through art, writing, singing or dancing. Anything that can inspire your imagination is valid!
Through my acting training I've learnt that all the painful and unbearable events of our lives are there to be used in order to create something beautiful and bigger than ourselves. To escape. What may happen in life that feels a struggle, I believe we should use it in order to connect and strengthen us, not isolate and weaken our souls.
The Silent Storm Exhibition
All four seasons have a way of affecting how we feel, and because of this we can take them as inspiration to create artworks that accompany each.
SPRING
Violent Disappearance of Ophelia is a tribute to Monet's Water Lilies (Nymphéas).
Sinking is the painting that originally inspired the entire series due to its enormous popularity during the Rum Freeman Exhibition.
Thin Air requires a viewer to look closer in order to see the outline of the face submerged under water. The piece is a balance between gentle and calm blues and greys, and aggressive black and red cuts coming from the left, expressing the moment our thinly-veiled peace is interrupted by brutal thoughts, or a darker battle within.
SUMMER
Ashore - We see a character that’s washed away, sleeping or meditating?
Distant - A character with their back turned, seeking isolation. The viewer can’t read the expression on their face. This creates a duality of separation and connection; the viewer is detached, but curious to reach out to the figure.
Dual - Painting plays with the idea that we are not just one, we are everything. Forcing us to be defined by a singular adjective is like cutting out other parts of ourselves, eventually leading to a drastic end as we are not able to exist as just a part of ourselves.
FALL
Mechanical - At the back of the painting there’s a sentence saying “Wish I was mechanical-chasing after future, never hurt by past.” Violent cuts are an expression of mental as well as physical wounds that we carry around with us each day. Closed eyes indicate waiting for the storm to pass as well as searching for peace.
Fall - This painting correlates to the film The Hours, directed by Stephen Daldry, particularly with the last scene, when we see Virginia Woolf step into a river with pockets full of stones.
Untiltled no 3 - Inspiration was taken from a photograph by Jae Storer. In the picture the girl is submerged in a milk bath with red liquid slowly reaching the surface. Stained water distracts from her tranquil demeanour, andmakes us wonder about the horrors she must have witnessed.
WINTER
Blindfolded: Complete Title: I Walk Across This Universe Blindfolded, Never to Understand the Meaning of My Existence. Created while artist was looking for a meaning in their life and grappling with ideas of control.
Shadow - Feeling of not being your brave and powerful self.
Awakening - The idea of finally embracing who we truly are. Recovery from years of abuse and living in fear. Realising one’s strength.
Fear - The feeling of fear. I wanted to capture a moment when you believe to be safe and secure, when suddenly your peace is disturbed. Ghosts from the past come back. You can hear their voices through the door. The door opens and there's overwhelming fear. Work on this painting started on the day of the terror attacks in Paris in 2015.
Ophelia I - Inspired by Shakespearean character from Hamlet, as well as the painting by Sir John Everett Millais. We delve deep into aspects of mental struggle in regards to dealing with loss, self-harm and eventual death. The body is finally at peace and rests on the bed of flowers. The colours are used as a reminder of a sunrise or sunset. A new dawn; keeping the viewer wondering.
I would love to see your beautiful creations and connect. You can find me @rumfreemanart on Instagram, at http://www.rumfreeman.com or email me at rumfreeman@gmail.com.
In partnership with SANE a UK's leading mental health charity.
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