ACEO Mini Paintings

Somewhere during my Jungian Individuation Process, my Inner Child demanded to be seen — and completely took over the job of making art. While all of the work I’ve done over the past three years has been consciously made with the intent to bring my unconscious into consciousness, it wasn’t until I began creating these minis that I realized, unambiguously, that this was the work of my inner child.

The unconscious speaks to us in symbols and metaphor, which is why our dreams are so strange. Dreams are the most direct line to the unconscious. For years I couldn’t dream — or couldn’t remember them — and I believe it had to do with repression. That’s why I began using art as the catalyst for making the unconscious conscious.

Carl Jung famously said, “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life, and you will call it ‘fate’.” He couldn’t have been more right. And once I began the process — difficult as it was — there was no turning back.

So here’s what my Inner Child would like you to know about these paintings:

When I was six years old, thanks to the loving support of my first grade teacher, Mrs. Hershberg, I knew what I was going to be for the rest of my life: an artist and a storyteller.

I was a scared little kid on my first day of school. I can still remember it like it was yesterday — she called off everyone’s name and they all said “here,” except for me. When she finished, she asked if she’d missed anyone, and I just started crying. Right away, she pulled me close and loved me. I don’t think I’d ever felt love like that before — no unspoken transaction, nothing expected in return. Just freely given.

One day she passed around large sheets of newsprint stapled together, with lines on half the page. She told us to draw a picture and write a story about it beneath it. I loved this assignment. It ignited the creative fire inside me, and I wrote and drew like a mad monk in solitary confinement, whipping out the Voynich Manuscript in one night so he doesn’t get executed in the morning.

I finished my pages and turned them in while the rest of the class was still working. I asked for more. I did this so many times that the next day, she made me a “special” book of 25 pages. Then she called my parents and asked them to come in. She told them I belonged in a school for gifted kids.

The following fall, I was in Catholic school — where I would spend the next eleven years. Not exactly a school for gifted kids. More, a school for kids who will one day help pay off some therapist’s mortgage. But it made me who I am today. So there’s that.

I loved Mrs. Hershberg, and I will always be grateful to her for seeing my gifts. I think they saved my life, actually.

After about a week of painting donuts and whatnot, and posting pictures of my mini paintings — with little stories to go with them — on Instagram and Facebook, I realized what was happening. I’m fulfilling the inner child’s dream, just like I did in Mrs. Hershberg’s class. Painting pictures and telling little stories about them. Little vignettes of my life. This is Jungian Shadow Work.

So what follows in this collection is subject matter my inner child would like to either address to the complaint department, eat until she goes into a food coma, or make some smartass commentary with dark subtext that makes her giggle. She can be darkly funny.

While you’re perusing the collection, when you’re drawn to something, consider what it might be saying to you. I always ask myself, “What does this tell me about myself?” — and the answer always brings me in touch with my shadow side. What I realized while painting these is that I’ve historically used food to regulate my emotions. Nothing like a dopamine hit from a Ding Dong, right? Somehow — and it always feels like magic when this happens — I started eating more healthfully and paying better attention to my health after confronting this in my shadow through these paintings. I still find so much beauty in food, even when it’s loaded with sugar and fat. And painting it gives me that happy chemical feel.

Carl Jung called the Inner Child “The Eternal Child.” Here’s what he had to say:

The Eternal Child: “In every adult there lurks a child — an eternal child, something that is always becoming, is never completed, and calls for unceasing care, attention, and education.” This part of the psyche drives our creativity, curiosity, and desire for growth, and represents our highest potential to become whole.

With every mini painting you purchase, you will also receive a mini story that accompanies the work. All works are signed and dated with the month and year completed, and come with a certificate of authenticity. These are all original works of art.

These tiny creations are made with oil paint on ACEO cardstock, 3.5" x 2.5". Some are embellished with crystals and/or glitter, and will be noted in the description. You can purchase just the painting, or add a mat and frame, or just a mat. I have curated a selection of high-quality wood-based 2" frames in gold, silver, white, and black — all satin finish — complete with archival acid-free white backing board, crystal-clear plexiglass, and a sawtooth hanger. Mats are gallery white, acid-free, and sized at 5" x 7" or 8" x 10". Frames and mats are made to order.