Blog
Train Dreams
She came back. It had been awhile.
Life in North Carolina had been grand. What's better than spending time with artists, traveling through Ireland and France, painting the days away and sipping wine and telling stories in the evenings--most of them true, right?? Living in Paris for a month was magical in a million different ways. And it's hard to beat living in the woods and being a mere four hours away from the ocean and the beauty of Low Country.
As the world turned upside down this year, I found myself searching for balance. For normalcy to return. For a glimmer of hope that the world wasn't going to spin out of control forever. I'm not sure the cross country move to Colorado in the midst of a pandemic was the wisest solution, but we came through it fine. A bit scrambled in the head, but seeing what the world was going through put all of the stress and anxiety I was dealing with on the back burner. The world seemed so sad and so angry. I could not find the energy to paint. It was all so overwhelming. I was exhausted. So I slept and tried to let go of it all. And then the dreams came back.
Giving voice to the dreams through paint, has been both alarming and rewarding. And in an odd sort of way, they brought some relief. Niki de Sainte Phalle once said, "Painting calmed the chaos that shook my soul." Indeed it can if you open the door. Just open the door.
When I let go at night and slept, when I shut my eyes and quieted the voices, the rabbit came back. This time it seemed to take on the role of watcher, a witness to the endless swirlies in my head. I saw windows, not connected to buildings, just windows. And there was a door, not quite open, with promise shining on the other side as a rabbit headed for it at full speed. And the raven. Always the raven. Magical and mysterious and curious. And throughout it all, the swirls of paint kept repeating lines that twisted into symbols. And then the hand appeared, perhaps showing the need to halt the barrage of negative words that assaults daily, asking instead to look past the ugliness and instead focus on life and hope, on truth and its energy, on portals and rivers with the energy to carry us away.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg said it beautifully, "When a thoughtless or unkind word is spoken, best tune out."
Indeed.
It is difficult to keep what is happening to our country from imprinting negativity on our hearts. There is so much at stake this time. I believe it is a challenge worth taking.
And so it goes....
Peace and love. Take care of each other.
She came back. It had been awhile.
Life in North Carolina had been grand. What's better than spending time with artists, traveling through Ireland and France, painting the days away and sipping wine and telling stories in the evenings--most of them true, right?? Living in Paris for a month was magical in a million different ways. And it's hard to beat living in the woods and being a mere four hours away from the ocean and the beauty of Low Country.
As the world turned upside down this year, I found myself searching for balance. For normalcy to return. For a glimmer of hope that the world wasn't going to spin out of control forever. I'm not sure the cross country move to Colorado in the midst of a pandemic was the wisest solution, but we came through it fine. A bit scrambled in the head, but seeing what the world was going through put all of the stress and anxiety I was dealing with on the back burner. The world seemed so sad and so angry. I could not find the energy to paint. It was all so overwhelming. I was exhausted. So I slept and tried to let go of it all. And then the dreams came back.
Giving voice to the dreams through paint, has been both alarming and rewarding. And in an odd sort of way, they brought some relief. Niki de Sainte Phalle once said, "Painting calmed the chaos that shook my soul." Indeed it can if you open the door. Just open the door.
When I let go at night and slept, when I shut my eyes and quieted the voices, the rabbit came back. This time it seemed to take on the role of watcher, a witness to the endless swirlies in my head. I saw windows, not connected to buildings, just windows. And there was a door, not quite open, with promise shining on the other side as a rabbit headed for it at full speed. And the raven. Always the raven. Magical and mysterious and curious. And throughout it all, the swirls of paint kept repeating lines that twisted into symbols. And then the hand appeared, perhaps showing the need to halt the barrage of negative words that assaults daily, asking instead to look past the ugliness and instead focus on life and hope, on truth and its energy, on portals and rivers with the energy to carry us away.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg said it beautifully, "When a thoughtless or unkind word is spoken, best tune out."
Indeed.
It is difficult to keep what is happening to our country from imprinting negativity on our hearts. There is so much at stake this time. I believe it is a challenge worth taking.
And so it goes....
Peace and love. Take care of each other.
Train Dreams oil 36x36
