I WEPT! That’s what my current wife, Robyn, tells me now.
Five years ago when I first met Robyn, I had recently been divorced. I was in pain. Divorce is hard, regardless of how good or bad the marriage is. Although I had experienced one of the bad marriages, it was a hard time for me.
Sometimes your life becomes so bad, and you don’t know it. Your reality is only a mirage in your brain. When I was still with my ex-wife, I tried to ignore her monstrous ways, so I could stay with her. But when I left my marriage, I saw who she really was, and my vision of her was not the best. For the first time the mirage disappeared, and I saw reality. Unfortunately, the children were unable to escape the mirage, as I was, and they allied with my x-wife, inflicting more pain on me.
To deal with the pain I went through with my divorce, I decided to attend classes to cope. In one class, I heard you need to make all new friends in order to move on and start over. My initial reaction was that seemed ridiculous; however, as I coped with my divorce, these words held true. When you go through a divorce, mutual friends seem to think they must choose between you or your old spouse. Ultimately, this was a good thing for me, as it let me begin my new life by shedding my old skin.
From all of those deep feelings during that time, I painted my first series of paintings, “On the Road”. In the end, there were 15 paintings, 2’ tall by 4’ wide, on gesso panel. Each painting used murky blue-grey colors, and was completed in a crude and rough manner that reflected my emotions at the time. These pieces comprised a journey I later named, “my dilution to reality.”
The series of paintings was a breakthrough for me, as I was doing something I desired but was not able to previously do. I wanted to focus my new life on fulfilling my desires, as a painter, and allowing my belief in God to take care of the rest.
Looking back at this series, I see subtleties in my work. I now see them documenting the hard decisions I made during that time. The fifth piece in the series illuminated my exit from my old marriage. Happenstance, 5 is Robyn’s favorite number.
Each painting in the series moves toward more clarity. The series ends with a more dramatic, colorful painting. I see that painting as my relationship with my soul mate, Robyn. Different viewers have their own opinions about the meanings of this series. But as I always say, “that’s what art’s about.”
This work quickly received many shows. One of my galleries was the Toledo Art Museum where many pieces showed for over 2 years.
I wrote a poem to go with this series that you can read on my website. To paraphrase it:
The road, we are all on it. Together, we cannot leave this amazing interconnected highway. Signs are all around us if we can stop, take time to notice them. They are here to guide us, not to rule over us, for our good. Obey the signs, and live. God doesn’t leave us. He has a plan for all of our lives. It’s not always an easy road, but a road that will bring eventual inner peace and strength.
To view more paintings
Recent work: https://www.darylurig.com/2010-paintings.aspx
Blog: http://DarylUrig.com/blog
Website: http://DarylUrig.com
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Price: Contact: Robyn@DarylUrig.com
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American Oil Painter Daryl Urig is a member of The Portrait Society of America, Oil Painters of America and Cincinnati Art Club. He has taught at the University of Cincinnati for over 8 years and is president of Total Media Source Inc.
View his Exhibit and Awards by clicking here.
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