Beyond Ideas

Why name this week’s painting and post Beyond Ideas? I can’t wait to share with you! But, before I do, here’s information about this blog. This is a place where, each week, I share my paintings, process, occasional infuences from art history, and inspiration. Whether this is your first or millionth visit here, hiya, hello and a warm welcome! I choose a theme to guide my paintings each year. To read about this year’s painting theme, check the description in this link here. To subscribe and get a weekly dose of color for yourself, subscribe here. Ready for beyond ideas? OK! Here goes!

The Setting

This week I was lucky to join a hearty group of painters. We all travelled to eastern Wake county early Saturday morning. The temperature was a brisk 42F. A fellow artist invited us to paint on her family farm. The setting is just beautiful. There are barns, a house that has been in this woman’s family since 1780 and vast views of fields, trees and sky.

Big decision time! What view should I paint? If you were a bird flying over this property, you would see a pretty goofy sight. As more painters arrived, we all did a variation on the same thing: oohhh and aahhh’d. And, then, we each start walking like frozen frankensteins with one arm outstretched; view finder in hand. Our view finder arm is outstretched in front of our faces to help us pick that ‘just perfect’ spot.

Me? I steered clear of the barns, even though they are a beautiful sight to see. Eventually, I settled in where a grove of pine trees behind me offered shade. And the field and forest and sky in front of me called my name. Here’s a photo taken after a few hours of painting.

No Thoughts

As I dove into this painting, I only knew I was lucky lucky lucky. Why? This type of effort requires so much focus, time and attention that the rest of the world slip slides away. The only external event that distracted me periodically was the changing light.

See how narrow that band of shadows from the trees are on the right? They extended beyond my easel to the left when I first set up. So, two or three times, I moved my easel to stay in the shadow.

I remember packing up this painting, hopping into the car and feeling a bit overwhelmed as I re-adjusted my attention to the ‘real world.’ Why? Well, there’s just so much of consequence happening in the world today. It can lead me to feel as if things are spinning out of control.

A Gentle Re-Entry

When I got home, I decided to grab a current favorite library book entitled “Felicity” by Mary Oliver. Confession: I am not a big reader. But! This sweet, small book of poems suits me just fine. The book’s cover is a beautiful simple landscape painting. And, she includes a few gems from Rumi along with her own poems. Here are the words that caught my eye as I navigated my attention from painting paradise to reality:

These words describe the feeling I experienced with this painting. Here it is! It’s a 6×12 inch oil painting on panel. For Sale for $197 + $14.28 taxes + free shipping if you purchase before December 10 = $211.28. Tap or click on the PayPal button below to make it your very own.

How About You

Is there something you do to help navigate the difficult times we face in this world? If so, I would love to hear from you. Please share in the comments below. And, thank you for reading and looking here today.