Rhoda J.Powers: Artist and Glass Sculptor

Jilli Nel’s paintings are dynamic evoking motion and emotion with color and line, a visual feast for the eyes and nourishing to the soul. Although I personally do not own a painting YET, please allow me to share what a specific dynamic duo currently hanging in the Powers Art House ( albeit temporarily) mean to me. The title of these paintings are “We Will Rebuild”. When I look at them I can see the symbolic destruction of the Twin Towers, the two canvases side by side could certainly stand alone either of them with equal strength and dignity, not unlike the buildings on September 11th prior to the attack. This tragic and horrific event touched the entire nation and I in my own little world in the heart of the nation never felt more vulnerable in my life. The ripples of trauma moved out from New York, Washington DC and Pennsylvania and my unconscious response to it over the months and years to follow was to dream and build a home that felt safer. A place to live and work from, that my boys could return to each day that at least in my mind was safer. I personally was minimizing my own exposure to the public as well. Please don’t think for a moment that these paintings represent a dark period because as the title indicates it’s about determination, hope, getting through the darkness to the good, pushing through to the light to continue the journey that we were each meant to travel.It is with great hope, that I will someday own these paintings but if they are meant to hang in the home of another, I can assure you these paintings will evoke an equal depth of meaning because that is what occurs when you see, fall in love and purchase a piece of Jilli Nel’s creative vision.