"18 - the shadow holds the heart" (sold - prints available)
"What was revealed to me while making this piece was my own journey through family systems work in therapy, and understanding what the shadow truly means to us.
"The shadow is made up of the parts of ourselves that we push away, often because they were rejected when we were kids—maybe because they didn’t perform or felt too strongly. But those parts don’t simply burn away in the fires of purification. On the other side of the painting, you see love and light, but that dissipates over time. The less connected you are to your roots and your so-called shadow, the less real you become on this Earth.
"That might be fine for some; maybe you’re okay with just being intangible. But in this painting, the part that remains solid after the fire is your heart—your heart is fire, so it stays just fine. The robot, unchanged and always watching, holds the heart. The message is: make friends with your shadow. Don’t just float away."
—Brandie Starr, April 2025
(Click image for full view)
media: acrylic paint on canvas
"What was revealed to me while making this piece was my own journey through family systems work in therapy, and understanding what the shadow truly means to us.
"The shadow is made up of the parts of ourselves that we push away, often because they were rejected when we were kids—maybe because they didn’t perform or felt too strongly. But those parts don’t simply burn away in the fires of purification. On the other side of the painting, you see love and light, but that dissipates over time. The less connected you are to your roots and your so-called shadow, the less real you become on this Earth.
"That might be fine for some; maybe you’re okay with just being intangible. But in this painting, the part that remains solid after the fire is your heart—your heart is fire, so it stays just fine. The robot, unchanged and always watching, holds the heart. The message is: make friends with your shadow. Don’t just float away."
—Brandie Starr, April 2025
(Click image for full view)
media: acrylic paint on canvas
"What was revealed to me while making this piece was my own journey through family systems work in therapy, and understanding what the shadow truly means to us.
"The shadow is made up of the parts of ourselves that we push away, often because they were rejected when we were kids—maybe because they didn’t perform or felt too strongly. But those parts don’t simply burn away in the fires of purification. On the other side of the painting, you see love and light, but that dissipates over time. The less connected you are to your roots and your so-called shadow, the less real you become on this Earth.
"That might be fine for some; maybe you’re okay with just being intangible. But in this painting, the part that remains solid after the fire is your heart—your heart is fire, so it stays just fine. The robot, unchanged and always watching, holds the heart. The message is: make friends with your shadow. Don’t just float away."
—Brandie Starr, April 2025
(Click image for full view)
media: acrylic paint on canvas