Two years ago I came across a book of 100 Love Sonnets by Pablo Neruda, and, as I read through the pages I was awe struck by the intensity and commitment of the love that this man felt for his wife. Imagine 100 love poems for one person. Celebrating every inch of her, the way she moved, the sound of her voice, their connection, their laughter. When I finished the book, I will admit I felt a little envious. What would it be like to have someone love you like that, what would it feel like to love another person with such passion and devotion? I began to think…have I ever loved like that—enough to write 100 sonnets? I love my children enough that sometime my heart feels like it encompasses the world, but I don’t think I’d write them sonnets, a limerick or two and some very heartfelt letters, but not 100 sonnets.
Sonnet I — The Dawn First Opens – 24″X36″ Oil on Canvas © Soleil Mannion
Then it came to me—I love painting that much. I love the colours, the dance of the brush, the scrape of the pallet knife, the smell of the paint, the textures, the challenges. I could paint every day, all day. When I stand with my brushes and paint, I am one with the universe, I am complete. I walk on beaches in my paintings, I smell roses, gaze on stars, moons, storms, waves, wild horses. I feel truly alive. As Walt Whitman would say: “I defuse my flesh in eddies and drift in lacy jags.” I defuse myself in paint and drift in azure glazes
Sonnet XIV — I Lack Enough Time to Celebrate – 48″X36″ Oil on Canvas © Soleil Mannion
.This inspired me to paint 101 paintings of gratitude, I chose to do 101, not to outdo Neruda, but because I wanted to base each of my paintings on one of his sonnets and then do one that was completely my own.
Sonnet XXI –Tell Me the Hour of Light – 48″X72″ Oil on Canvas © Soleil Mannion
A sonnet has a strict structure, this structure creates a constraint and a constraint makes one break into areas of your creativity that you wouldn’t find if you just did what-ever. Neruda chose the sonnet and so did I; his are written in four stanzas of iambic pentameter, my paintings are divided into four sections, each section having a different type of paint application. All of these paintings have a similar form, yet they are unique within this strict structure. I have tried to capture the feeling of each sonnet in my paintings, I have tried to be completely open and present—to just express gratitude.
* * * * * * * * *
“As Neruda feels about his beloved, so I feel about my painting; without it I would cease to be me” – Soleil Mannion
I am currently at painting # 52
Image Credits
All Images Are © Soleil Mannion
Soleil Mannion Artist Bio
Born in the Netherlands, Soleil Mannion’s formative years were spent in Vancouver, B.C. Her travels through the dramatic landscapes and seascapes of the Pacific coast awakened her artistic insight and personal aesthetic.
In 1991, Soleil moved to London, England to engage in multidisciplinary art studies – drama, dance, and costume design. As she went on to work and teach in acting and costume design, she refined her sensitivity to lighting and spatial dimension – elements which have played central roles in her paintings and mixed-media works ever since.
While overseas, Soleil traveled through Europe, cultivating an openness to aesthetic discoveries along the way. One year in the Netherlands inspired an increasing love of open spaces – for their aesthetic possibilities and meanings, and also for their emotional potential. Two years in Greece and Italy rewarded her with a sharp sense of the various powers of warm light and subtle colour.
In 2003, Soleil moved to Vancouver Island and completed fine art studies at Vancouver Island University. Soleil is an artist who seeks to call forth an initial feeling response with her work, which can soften armour and open doors to imaginative and thinking engagement with art.
Soleil began mounting solo exhibitions in 2005. Her work is in many private collections world wide and can be viewed at The Gallery at Matticks Farm, Sooke Harbour House, Brentwood College School and her home studio in Mill Bay.
Website: SoleilMannion.com
Blog: Soleil is Painting
Follow Soleil Mannion on: Facebook | Linkedin
Recent Guest Artist Articles:
- "Listen, I Have Something To Tell You"
- All The Art I Will Never Make
- From My Sketchbook
- When Machines Dream
- Why Did A Bored Call Center Rep Turn Her Art into TikTok Puzzles
I love the feeling of the outdoors in all of these paintings, you can almost feel the breeze in the air, the sun on your skin and only in this medium can you actually see the wind.
To me they appear to bring the outside inside like a window to a view you would like to have.
Keep being inspired.
Inspiring and interesting.