Stephanie McDairmant’s journey to connect with her artwork was as much spiritual as it was a physical one. She struggled to portray the images in her brain onto canvas as she saw them and struggled to express the emotions that felt too large and imposing. It wasn’t until she let go of the control and precision separating her from her artwork that she was able to develop her own unique method of creation, a technique she calls “ruach,” a word meaning breath and spirit. With nothing between her and the canvas, she utilizes her breath to move paint around the canvas, “breathing life into bold abstracts,” manipulating colors and layers to show waves of depth and movement.

Looking at one of McDairmant’s paintings, that suspension makes the viewer feel as if the image before them is a snapshot that might disappear at any moment. The paintings relay a human touch while at the same time evoking fleeting and natural occurrences, like the arrangement of tiny cells under a microscope, scattered stars in a vast galaxy, and drops of ink suspended in water, that the viewer is lucky enough to catch. The depth created by McDairmant’s breath technique encapsulates the range of positive and negative, which has allowed her to legitimize the emotions that once felt too large to handle.

After finding Glennon Doyle’s writings on hypersensitivity, McDairmant adopted the name Canary Artwork, referring to the practice of coal miners, who would have a canary fly ahead of them into the mine, to warn them of airborne toxins in time to allow the miners to escape. Rather than seeing her sensitivity as a detractor, McDairmant believes that her connection to her emotions and to God allow her to act as that canary, warning the world of the dangerous spiritual and cultural toxins present, as Doyle described.

Another author, Anne Lammott, inspired McDairmant’s more recent work, included in the show Prayer Requests. Lammott’s book, Help, Thanks, Wow, covers what she calls “the three essential prayers.” The simplicity of a cry uttered or a mouth hung open in awe are sometimes all it takes— and all we can offer. McDairmant’s work allows us this opportunity for connection, as both the vibrant colors and the starkness of a monochrome palette act as a fingertip pressed into the soul, as the piece shocks you briefly, and then washes over you.

HELP! Acrylic, 12 x 12Inspired by Anne Lamott’s book “Help, Thanks, Wow.” “Help is an all-encompassing cry from the heart kind of prayer that, for me, has meant anything from  please save them to I can’t find my keys and everything in… — HELP! Acrylic, 12 x 12
Inspired by Anne Lamott’s book “Help, Thanks, Wow.” “Help is an all-encompassing cry from the heart kind of prayer that, for me, has meant anything from please save them to I can’t find my keys and everything in between”

McDairmant’s art, both the method and the final product, has taken her on a journey of healing. The meditative, prayerful nature of painting via breath has forced her to slow down, focus, and allow the emotional expression to unfold before her, as if she is a participant, carrying out her role in the creative process. The result is the beautifully amorphous series of intimate and resonant artwork that we are invited into experiencing, even more than simply viewing.

Prayer Requests by Stephanie McDairmant will be on display in the Harrison Center’s Hank & Dolly Gallery for the month of February. The exhibit can be viewed by appointment as well as in our online gallery, where all pieces are available for purchase.

Find more of McDairmant’s work on her website and on Instagram, @canaryartwork. See McDairmant utilize the Ruach Technique in this video.