Colleen Pearce
MFA ’12 Fine Arts 2D
A man stood outside the White House with a single candle to protest the Vietnam war every night for years. He was asked, do you really think you are going to change the policies of this country by standing out here alone with a candle? “Oh”, Mr Muste replied, “I don’t do it to change the country, I do it so the country won’t change me. I will not allow the steady onslaught of insanity to wear down my humanity.”
Painting is how I light up the darkness. Whether that darkness is caused by personal heartbreak, or the pervasive anguish of so many in our country who
have been seduced into demonizing others in order to entrench power for the wealthiest, even if that means giving away our cherished democratic rights such as Due Process and Freedom of Speech.
I find myself seeking solace in the rocks. I find power in looking back to the ancient and elemental rocks that are literally shaped by all of earth’s upheavals.
And yet they endure.
I have been captivated by the rocky shore where water, air and rock exist together. These very formations were scrambled over by the Abenaki people for over 10,000 years but came into existence before even a human whisper. I find solace in the grace and dignity of these primal places and seek the courage in Maya Angelou’s words to Rise Up.
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Colleen Pearce received her MFA from MassArt in 2015. She has a BFA from Tufts and the Museum School and a diploma from Gallery of New South Wales. She was a recipient of a Mass Cultural Council grant. She had a solo show at Fitchburg University and has exhibited around New England. She is represented by Three Stones Gallery.
