My Featured Painting - "Hope Floats" - Lori McNee

Recently, I have had many requests to share the inspiration behind my paintings. The creative process of art and what goes on in the mind of the artist has always intrigued me. With that in mind, I have decided to feature a painting of mine at least once a week with a brief description of the original meaning, concept or inspiration. I hope you enjoy learning about my art…

~Hope Floats~
by
Lori McNee

Hope Floats
30×24
oil/board
$4,400
SOLD

This painting was inspired after my family and I heard the Dalai Lama speak about ‘Compassion’ in our mountain community on the anniversary of September 11, 2005.

I am not a Buddhist, so I truly appreciated His Holiness discussing the importance and commonality of compassion in all religions. He went on to send a message to all the families that lost loved ones on September 11th and offered a healing to all Americans who were traumatized on that sad day. Participants came from all over Idaho and the United States. The event was broadcast live by CNN.

“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.” ~Dalai Lama

To date, the Dalai Lama’s own efforts to bring about a peaceful solution to the Sino-Tibetan problem have been thwarted by Beijing’s ruthless policy in eastern Tibet. His Holiness calls on China to respect the human rights of Tibetans and their right to self-determination

I was so moved by the Dalai Lama’s gentle, kind, but powerful message. His Tibetan people have suffered for many years, yet are full of compassion. After hearing him speak, I felt compelled to paint a symbolic work of art. The butterflies floating freely from the newly opened Tibetan butterfly box atop the larger closed Chinese box, symbolize the hope I feel for the freedom of Tibet.

With compassion, Lori