Love is nebulous. Love is a vapor, a puff of smoke, a fiery explosion. And like an explosion, every love begins with a spark.

Maybe it’s an atomic explosion or maybe just a single firecracker. Maybe it’s a slow burning ember, or a dark cloud of smoke. Love is such an indescribable experience, unique to each lover, that sometimes words are hard to find.

So instead, I painted love.*

Atomic Love.  Not evil love or bad love, just intense love. Let’s admit it. Love is super powerful. Life-changing. Some love can burn on and on for an eternity. That is beautiful. And some love just burns. But that too, is beautiful.

Because without love, without that BIG BANG, what are we doing here?

HERE”S WHERE YOU COME IN… Let’s talk about Love, Baby.

Look through my twelve “Love Explosions” and tell me which one relates to you…and why? It’s like a Rorschach Test for relationships. I’m trying to encourage more people to talk openly about love, so let’s start sharing! It could be a past love, a friendship love, a head-over-heels love or an unrequited love. Talk about it’s beginning, middle, end(?) or how it makes you feel. Talk about what it taught you, or why he/she was an asshole in the end. Talk about how funny or pure or brilliant it was.  Thank you!!!

[I did this experiment live at an art opening here in San Francisco and asked people to vote in person. If no one was around, people would freely approach the work and vote, even write their story on a slip of paper, but as soon as a crowd filled in, NO ONE wanted to talk about Love! Somehow, we are embarrassed to talk about Love. It’s so personal! It’s so vulnerable. But it is also SO REAL. So let’s try to create a dialogue here!]

*All paintings are watercolor on paper with a sprinkle of magic. 2009

Rachel Znerold is an artist and independent fashion designer living the good life in San Francisco, CA. www.rachelzart.com