The story behind "Beautiful Grunge"

I took this photo as the sun was coming up in Venice, Italy on February 15, 2014. It isn't the best photo of the morning. I was taking this photo of the sign for "change" as a man walked by and said something to me in Italian. In my confused and unknowing Italian I muttered "no comprendo." This well dressed man stopped and smiled and said "Beautiful Grunge" surrounded by some other Italian. I will never know exactly what he said, but I smiled back and agreed. "Such Beautiful Grunge". He hurried off to his early morning destination and I was left with two words that would paint my life ever since. 

The photo didn't really capture the moment as I hoped. But I was profoundly changed on that trip. The following days I captured so many moments of Beautiful Grunge that it became my search. I looked for the beautiful grunge in a bench covered in moss, the paint pealing off walls, the grunge on the church walls from centuries of incense and candles. I found beautiful grunge in the country surrounded by history so deep it is literally crumbling off the walls. And upon my return to reality, I have found it in my artwork and search for meaning in my life. 

Little did I know that the next few years my life would become more "grunge" than beautiful. And as I made my way back to myself "Beautiful Grunge" would become the thing that showed me all the lessons I am learning. There is SO much beauty in the imperfections. The "beautiful grunge" is where the good stuff lives and is revealed. The gifts of imperfection are forever given to me to show me the beauty in my own Grunge. 

My name is Gina Barry.
Check out more of my art at ginabarry.com
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