Welcome to the newest gallery in JAC’s Gallery of the Month series, where we showcase a wide range of art and writing under unique monthly themes. Check back on the first of each month for a new collection of works by the talented artists in the JAC network. To view past galleries of the month, see our Gallery Archive.
Please fill out this form if you are interested in utilizing images from the galleries or portfolios for your own purposes. If you would like to connect with any of the featured artists, contact us. We ask that you do not utilize any of the artwork you see here without requesting permission to do so. We strongly believe that artists should have full agency over their work, so we do not share it with other entities without their consent.
Through creating, artists can explore the limitless potential of their imaginations: traveling to exciting worlds, dreaming of whimsical ideas, and discovering new ways to understand and express their deepest emotions. For many artists in the JAC network, this power of art is especially meaningful, providing a means of refuge, freedom, and escape.
In the words of JAC network artist Chad Merrill, “Whenever I sit down to paint… I’m transported out of this cell and am totally consumed with filling that piece of paper full of my emotions, my stress, anxiety, fear, love, etc. I’m able to let it all out with each little stroke.” In times of darkness, art allows us to find light and purpose. Not to mention, it’s fun!
For this month’s gallery, we are featuring a selection of artwork that demonstrates the plentiful imaginations of the artists in JAC’s network. Through this gallery, we can see the many different ways that artists look inwards and explore various aspects of the fantastic and surreal. Whether it be through colorful abstraction or delightful fairies, there are so many ways to be imaginative!
We hope you enjoy this month’s gallery: Imaginings.
I Heard Them Laughing! by Wind Walker There’s a secret that lies waiting within its cold tomb, It holds stories of legends, and treasures untold. And the ghosts of its owners still stalk through the rooms Though they lost their lives, they still have the gold. And no one has found it, though many have tried, And the stories have faded, like some old, ragged book. Yet soon that mystery shall be opened wide, At the place where no one has ever thought to look. It’s along that river of time, that the centuries carved, Where so much blood and anger’s been shed. Where heroes died of battles, or sickness, or starved And around the campfires the stories about them were spread. It’s along that river of time, that I was given this vision, And I still marvel at what so many can’t see. And while deep in thought, I made the decision, To free the Ghosts and their legends of whatever bonds there may be Or, will the chambers be empty, And all the walls bare, And all the ghosts laughing, If nothing is there?
Do you have feedback or an idea for a future gallery of the month? Submit your suggestions here.
beautiful pieces