Our Chosen Paths

Life is full of paths. We could consider each path we’ve taken as a new chapter in our life. My chosen directions have impacted my life in ways that created magical chapters that beg for reminiscing, while other choices were . . . I was going to say, not so wise but that wouldn’t be accurate. In those times I thought I could have made a better choice there were always blessings and lessons learned.

During and since the pandemic I find many of my paintings often include a path, whether that path is on land or water. Here is a compilation of paths that began in 2020.

Pic: The Buttercup Path 12″x12″, Dogwood Path 16″x20″, Calm After the Storm 12″x9″, Daybreak in the Rockies 16″x20″, The Wildflower Path 20″x10″

 

Not having been drawn to landscapes until spending days and months alone, I find approaching a landscape to be as challenging as a still-life.

The distance can be more complex than the nearby. The latter can be just outside the frame or partially out of sight. The foreground, midground, and background not only need to coexist but must exist on their own. This is a challenge I’m learning to welcome.

When I begin a painting I have a destination in mind. The initial inspiration always evolves. Last week I gave myself permission to do something I’ve never done. I painted out two-thirds of the painting! Changed my mind about the colors of the sky and water, and the kind of clouds, increased the sandy area, and added another section of weathered fence. Maybe that was indecisiveness or perhaps it was curiosity as to what could be. This painting began with a view I remembered while strolling to the shore at Myrtle Beach.

Pic: A Winding Path to the Shore 12″x12″

 

A Painting Close to My Heart

Did you ever have a dream that you never forgot? Well, this is one of mine . . .

It was two years after my late husband passed. Awakening to an unusual dream wasn’t unfamiliar to me but this one has seldom left the forefront of my memory.

In my dream, I’m looking at a large dark body of water and ever so slowly a large leafless tree emerges. Water was dripping from the branches and trickling down the trunk. It felt as if it were rising from a lake of tears. I now see it as a sign of new beginnings. Many of my murals and paintings have come to me in dreams. This one was different. I mentioned my dream to a friend and she said, “You have to paint it!”

Fast forward sixteen years, I received an email announcing a juried show at a gallery about an hour from me. The theme of the show was Myth Magic and Mystical. Nothing came to mind except the tree in my dream of so many years ago. The ideas flowed. I painted without hesitation. Mystic Waters was accepted into the show.

When I walked to the open door of the gallery my painting was hanging below the name of the show. I was thrilled and knew this painting would be special to me for years to come.

The blessing in painting this dream is that I am painting nearly every day. Something I haven’t found easy to do since 2007. This painting released something quite wonderful. Call it a blockage, pain, or just old sh!t, painting truly can be healing. I am grateful.

Mystic Waters, 16″x20″

 

I smiled when I first read that. I still smile when I read it. One might think whoever wrote that was indecisive but I think it is plain and simple . . . curiosity. I hope I’m always curious. There is so much to see and do on this beautiful planet and less time than we ever imagined. A realization that sneaks upon us as we age.

In no way am I insinuating that one needs to travel to satisfy their curiosity. Being in nature stirs mine as much as traveling to new destinations and starting a new painting quenches a thirst for something new and different. Each painting is a journey to a new destination. I always learn something along the way.

Thanks, again, for allowing me to pop into your mailbox every now and then. If you know someone who would enjoy hearing about some of the paths I’m traveling and the things I’m creating along the way, please feel free to forward it!