"The Strutting Rainbow", watercolor & ink, 8x10, copyright Erin Rogers PickeringOver the weekend I got gluten through cross-contamination. It was no one's fault, but accidents happen if you don't live in a bubble. Unfortunately, it brings me to a very dark place.
It goes far beyond the physical discomfort to a dark, dark place where possibility, joy and playfulness no longer exist. Where extreme fatigue and discouragement rule the day. It is a colorless place... and I have to claw my way out. Luckily, the longer I am gluten-free the quicker the rebound becomes.
I created this painting today, as part of my process of return. Originally I planned to paint this rooster in muted, vintage colors. But, when I sat down and faced him... he begged to be painted in vivid and extreme color. Color that vibrates, pulses and lives. Color that can't be missed, or ignored. Color that overflows with possibility, joy and playfulness.
He is a strutting, squawking rainbow. And, he is proof that I am back.
