Inspired to paint

Finding a way to convey emotion in my paintings, a sense of something beyond me is a challenge I delight in. I often find when out in nature something I am going to call “the whisper of love”. This morning, for instance, a robin decided to sing a few perfectly beautiful notes from a branch near me as I was walking with my dog. I stopped to listen because it was so beautiful. I looked him in the eye and then walked on. A couple of minutes later the same thing happened again. Was it the same robin? I have no idea.

Other times, if I am out in the forest, I catch a glimpse of a deer and hold my breath. The deer notices me and we look at each other. I want so much for it to know that I won’t harm it, that I am just struck by its beauty. My senses seem to wake up when wild nature is so close and in this moment we are connected. It’s a moment of hushed stillness – a sense of deep connection to creation and the creator.

“I see you”

Capturing stillness, a moment of beauty or wonder feels a bit like mining for treasure. Making a painting is a process of making multiple decisions which lead back and forth as things are added and then covered over. This is the journey I am on and I invite you to join with me.