#somarts

As the year slides to its conclusion, the season of autumn is a special one for artists, especially for this reporter who began a journalistic venture more than 25 years ago, covering the Open Studios event in San Francisco’s Sunset District. 

Among my first articles about artists in the neighborhood at that time for The Sunset Beacon Newspaper, back in the fall of 1993 was surrealist Cynthia Tom. 

Her work was then and still is in my mind a touchstone. Back then, I was entering my 30s and her work, as I now realize, opened a door to me. My article about the Open Studios via ArtSpan was my third article or so, for the Sunset Beacon which serendipitously brought me to it. 

Yes, there were other artists I covered, like the eclectic and at times whimsical Murai. But, even in spontaneously playful art pieces, Cynthia, even back then always express a purpose. 

Over years I have had the privilege to witness her work grow and become more profound with each step of her own inner-journey. Cynthia has continuously illustrated how important it is for art to help the community in which it is expressed. 

Whether she was uncovering her immediate family’s past in her art or trying to unlock the secrets of a culture’s ideas and social mores, Cynthia has remained true to herself. 

As a philosophy major in college, as I struggled with academia, I clung to the saying of Blaise Pascal. “The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of... We know the truth not only by the reason, but by the heart."

And from that saying, I recognized that the subconscious made conscious is what a surrealist is all about. But unlike Salvador Dali and others, Cynthia’s surrealist art only wants to illuminate the human and restore its sanity, not pull it a part and leave it on the floor. 

At least, that is how I understand her work, especially now. Cynthia emphasizes healing, restoration and empowerment. Whereas, Dali mostly shocked people. 

That’s not to say that some of Cynthia’s work is not thought-provoking, it is! But  for me, her work has always emphasized the key elements in humanity, which is the soul or spirit. That aspect is what brought her into doing retreat-workshops and conferences, like “A Place of Her Own,” utilizing art and art skills, that promote healing. 

It intrigues me that Open Studios occurs in the autumn when celebrations like Halloween and Day of the Dead are in full swing. “The lifting of the veil” or the time of the year when the divide between the physical tangible world thins and gets close to the etherial or “other side” is what autumn brings. The entire season hints as it were that there is something much more to life than what we encounter day to day on the surface level. 

To me, it seems that Cynthia’s surrealist art and sensibilities, while universal and for all seasons, coincide very much with the autumn. She has participated in Day of The Dead celebrations and art installations over the years, either as one who has presented an art installation or helped other artists in their works. 

Busy as she is Cynthia is not resting on any laurels as she says. “I have so much more work to pour out of my soul.”

In addition to her annual Open Studios this coming Nov. 10th and 11th, she has been be participating in the 2018 SOMArts Dia de Los Muertos Group Exhibition, a multicultural community celebration of inclusion and strength, which will conclude on Nov. 9. 

Cynthia's piece entitled: Hungry Ghosts: Our Ancestral Patterns is partly based upon the research and study she conducted delving into the complex history of Angel Island - often referred to as ‘The Ellis Island of the West Coast.’ And, it has been on display since Oct. 6. 

“To Heal, Grow Strength and Power Cynthia says, you must explore your ancestral patterns. What happened to twist your family's coping mechanisms? What historical event reshaped your family forever? You can change the trajectory, she says. Wake Up!”