I am a firm believer that everything works out exactly as it’s meant to and there are no coincidences in life. SQuire Rushnell calls moments of divine intervention “God Winks” and the story of Eye of the Tigress is one of my favorites to tell. This little painting has taken on a life of its own, and I couldn’t be more excited about it! There’s no way that I could’ve known where it might wind up, which, to me, is a big part of the fun of creating.
What Inspired Me to Create this Painting
My process of finding painting inspiration is similar to writing music. Regardless of the craft, I like to “drop into” my creative space. For instance, I enjoy writing from a prompt, word or phrase; and oftentimes, I begin painting with a thought, inspirational quote, song, or even a specific topic in mind – like setting an intention. I started this painting during COVID when my art studio was closed down and we started to connect over Zoom. The art instructor led us through our fun exercise that involved channeling our spirit animal.
I normally paint in vibrant brighter colors – pinks and purples are this diva’s favorites! I began working with an earthy jungle color palette, and I was pleasantly surprised when I began to see this tigress boldly appear then the wolf lurked below.
What this Painting Means to Me
Being a Leo, I was not surprised that the tigress took the center of my canvas. Her eyes were so bold and fearless, her spirit just reached out and grabbed me. It’s like she just shouted “I have arrived!” She deserved a crown and lashes most definitely! The wolf that emerged signified her strength, power, and survival instincts. She’s such a beautiful royal highness tigress, I just wanted to put on the Rocky theme song “Eye of the Tiger.” Hence, how she got her name.
The Story about the Connections that led this Painting to its New Owner
At an art market in Nashville, a friend of mine was super intrigued with Eye of the Tigress and asked me when I painted it. By serendipity, the original band member of Survivor and writer on Eye of the Tiger, Jim Peterik, had just released a new album featuring women in rock and roll titled Eye of the Tigress. I had no clue!
Then, like magic, through a few hands of industry musicians, my Eye of the Tigress made her way home to her rightful owner. And coincidental as it may be, onto the very piano Eye of the Tiger was written on! Without this picture I don’t think I would have believed it!
I was shocked and so grateful that Jim was thoughtful enough to take a picture and send a note that made its way back to me. Never in a million years could I have fathomed the journey that this bold tiger painting would go on, and even more exciting, an inspiring message from the writer of an anthem that the whole world knows by heart. To me this was a God wink and nothing else!
I expect great things to happen every day in my life and believe that when we are on the path in life that we are destined for, magic happens, inspiring us and affirming that we can make a difference in people’s lives simply by creating. Art is such a beautiful expression of self, and it means even more that I am sharing it with the world.
