Fleeting Moments, Lasting Impact: The Courage of Creativity

Hey, Art Lover!

This issue delves into the power of artistic resilience, transformation, and the legacy of those who redefine how we experience art. From Monica Shulman’s layered journey of reinvention to Helen Frankenthaler’s groundbreaking innovations in Abstract Expressionism, these stories celebrate the courage to trust the process and break convention. We also remember Sarah Cunningham, whose evocative landscapes continue to resonate with profound beauty, capturing the fleeting and fragile moments of life. Together, these narratives reveal the enduring impact of artists who navigate the delicate balance between control and surrender.

Monica Shulman: Trusting the Process

Talking to Monica Shulman feels like stepping into one of her paintings: layered, colorful, and full of surprises. Our conversation unfolded much like her creative process—intuitive and dynamic. Monica, a former corporate lawyer turned full-time artist, navigates the intersections of art, life, and parenting with a blend of discipline and rebellion.

Her studio is her sanctuary, a place where she chases the elusive flow state that every artist craves. She keeps the door locked—not out of antisocial tendencies, but out of necessity. “People would just knock and open the door,” she explained, comparing it to someone walking uninvited into your living room. Once her focus is broken, it’s hard to reclaim, so she’s learned to guard her time and energy as fiercely as she approaches her art.

Monica’s artistic process is both structured and instinctive. The structure—showing up every day with a plan—is a habit she honed during her years as a lawyer. But once the paint hits the canvas, intuition takes over. Painting, for her, is an act of trust: trust in herself, trust in the process, and, when working on commissions, trust from her clients.

Her journey to becoming a painter wasn’t linear. Though she loved painting in high school, she took a different path in college, eventually becoming a corporate finance lawyer. Her early career unfolded during the turbulent financial years of the late aughts, with grueling hours on Wall Street. While the work challenged her intellectually, it left her longing for a creative outlet. After leaving the legal field, she rediscovered her passion for photography—a love she’d inherited from her father—and began sharing her images on a blog. This led to freelance opportunities and fine art photography sales. Yet, it wasn’t until a chance visit to a craft store, where she picked up a sketchbook and acrylic paints, that she reconnected with her first love: painting.

Picking up a brush again was like uncovering a lost piece of herself. Her husband, who had never seen her create art, watched as she explored colors and textures, translating her experiences and emotions onto the canvas. Over time, her work shifted from being intensely urgent to something softer, more deliberate. Now, as a mother of two and someone nearing 50, Monica’s life—and her art—reflect a quieter confidence. She no longer feels the need to control every detail. Whether in her paintings or her parenting, she lets things unfold naturally, embracing the unpredictability.

Her approach to painting mirrors her own layered identity. Born to immigrant parents, Monica grew up navigating multiple cultural influences. Her mother, a Cuban refugee, and her father, an Argentine who left medical school during turbulent political times, taught her resilience and creativity. These dualities—logic and emotion, structure and freedom—are deeply embedded in her work.

While Monica respects the rules and discipline she learned as a lawyer, she revels in breaking them in her art. She refuses to be bound by conventions about color or form, instead letting her instincts lead the way. Her paintings often balance warm and cool tones, creating a visual tension that feels alive and dynamic. “There’s no right or wrong color in a work of art,” she says, embracing the surprises her process often reveals.

To Monica, her paintings are records of her life, snapshots of particular times and places. She likens her work to an album, with each piece as a song—part of a larger collection yet capable of standing on its own. This perspective allows her to appreciate her past work even as she evolves as an artist.

Parenting has also profoundly influenced her creativity. Raising two children with starkly different personalities taught Monica the value of flexibility. Early on, she realized that what worked for one child didn’t necessarily work for the other—a lesson that shaped both her parenting style and her approach to painting. Like her children, each painting demands its own unique kind of attention, and Monica has learned to listen to what each one needs.

Monica’s ultimate goal is to create connection through her art—she strives to craft pieces that resonate on both personal and universal levels. For her, the greatest compliment is hearing that someone discovers something new each time they look at her work.

Her story is one of transformation and trust—trusting her instincts, trusting the process, and trusting that the layers of her life will continue to inform her art in unexpected and meaningful ways. In both her life and her paintings, Monica has embraced the beauty of letting go, and the results are nothing short of extraordinary.

Helen Frankenthaler: Redefining Abstract Expressionism

Helen Frankenthaler didn’t just stand out in the male-dominated Abstract Expressionist world—she soaked the canvas, broke the rules, and redefined the game. While the macho artists of her time threw, splattered, and slashed paint, Frankenthaler quietly revolutionized abstract painting with a softer yet bold and contemplative approach that was anything but timid. Her work was unapologetically her own, challenging the conventions of the era with ingenuity and grace.

Born in New York City in 1928, Frankenthaler grew up in a household rich in intellectual and cultural influence. Her father, a New York State Supreme Court judge, and her mother, who nurtured her love for art, laid the foundation for a young Helen who, by her teenage years, knew art was her calling—even in a field overwhelmingly dominated by men.

After studying at Bennington College under the guidance of painter Paul Feeley, she immersed herself in Abstract Expressionism, absorbing lessons from titans like Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and Hans Hofmann. However, she rejected mimicking their intense energy and bravado, choosing instead to forge her own path.

In 1952, Frankenthaler unveiled her groundbreaking Mountains and Sea, a work that introduced her signature “soak-stain” technique. By pouring thinned oil paints onto unprimed canvas, she created luminous compositions where the canvas itself became part of the painting. The result was an ethereal blend of control and spontaneity, organic yet undeniably abstract. Critics and artists alike took notice, and Frankenthaler became a pivotal figure in the emergence of Color Field painting.

Navigating the art world of the 1950s and 1960s was no small feat. Abstract Expressionism was synonymous with machismo, dominated by the aggressive gestures of Pollock and the muscular strokes of de Kooning. Frankenthaler faced skepticism, condescension, and outright sexism as a woman in this exclusive boys’ club. Yet, she handled it all with a measured grace, letting her work speak louder than the bravado of her peers.

Frankenthaler’s paintings often drew criticism for being “pretty,” a word loaded with both praise and dismissal. To some, her work’s beauty was seen as less serious than the forceful intensity of her male counterparts. But she defied that narrative, proving that softness, delicacy, and emotional depth were just as powerful as brute force.

Her personal life intertwined with her professional world. In 1958, she married fellow Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell, forming an art-world power couple. Their home became a hub for intellectual and cultural exchange, though Frankenthaler’s work diverged sharply from her husband’s cerebral, monochromatic style. She continued to explore vibrant, dynamic colors, creating paintings that invited viewers to lose themselves in their complexity.

Throughout her career, Frankenthaler stayed true to her vision, weathering the rise of Pop Art, the dominance of Minimalism, and occasional dismissals of her work as insufficiently avant-garde. She remained unbothered by external definitions of success, focusing instead on her love for painting.

By the time of her death in 2011, Helen Frankenthaler had exhibited internationally, earned numerous accolades, and inspired generations of artists. Her legacy endures, not only through her art but through the quiet, steadfast courage she brought to a world that wasn’t always ready to embrace her vision.

Remembering Sarah Cunningham

On a brisk November night in 2024, Sarah Cunningham disappeared, leaving the art world in shock and disbelief. The 31-year-old British painter, celebrated for her evocative and ethereal landscapes, was last seen near Jamestown Road in Camden, London. Witnesses reported seeing her enter a car, but beyond that, the trail went cold. Appeals for information flooded social media, with friends and family clinging to the hope that she would be found safe.

Two days later, that hope was shattered. Sarah’s body was discovered on the tracks at Chalk Farm Underground Station. Authorities described her death as “unexpected but not suspicious,” a conclusion that left more questions than answers. The art world reeled, mourning not only a talented artist but also the silencing of a voice that had just begun to make its mark.

Yet Sarah’s life is not defined by tragedy. Her story is one of extraordinary artistic vision, an unwavering pursuit of beauty, and a deep reverence for the fleeting nature of life.

Born in Nottingham in 1993, Sarah grew up immersed in the English countryside—a setting that profoundly shapes her work. From a young age, she was captivated by the shifting light across a field or the way a forest hums with unseen energy. Her signature style? Landscapes that blur the line between reality and abstraction.

Sarah’s use of bold, sweeping brushstrokes and vivid, layered colors imbued her work with a kinetic energy that seems to ripple off the canvas. At first glance, her paintings appear chaotic, but closer inspection reveals a delicate balance of structure and intuition.

Her art carries a duality that makes it uniquely poignant—vibrant and alive, yet quietly haunted. Sarah once described her work as “an attempt to hold on to moments that are slipping away,” a sentiment that deeply resonates with her viewers. Her canvases feel as though they are caught mid-breath, suspended between permanence and transience.

Although her canvases are devoid of human figures, they feel undeniably human, imbued with a vulnerability that only an artist as sensitive as Sarah could convey.

Sarah’s career is marked by an urgency that now feels almost prophetic. Her passing has left an undeniable void in the art world.

Though her life was tragically cut short, Sarah Cunningham’s impact endures. Her paintings remain as vibrant and alive as ever. Her legacy is one of wonder, tenderness, and the unshakable belief that beauty—no matter how fleeting—is always worth pursuing.

On a Personal Note…

A few days ago, my assistant casually mentioned going to a party where she met an actor I’d never heard of. She looked at me and said, “You know, he’s like your age, but still hot…” Gen Z, honestly, is out of control.

See you next week!

Pato