Out past the rope,
which creates the boundary for the lake’s designated swimming area along the main beach,
I float on my back, eyes to the sky.
A sunset that reflects off of the clouds overhead
Reminds me I am a part of something bigger than flesh and bones.
A brother and young sister play in the water.
They laugh over a few splashes that startles a flock of gulls.
In a round of applause a legion of wings takes off from the beach,
skimming the lake’s surface,
while weaving in and around the siblings
stirring the water in syncopated rhythm.
He submerges,
she is frozen.
From the moment they took off she was on high alert.
The universe setting the stage for wonder to slip in.
Past the defences, that even a girl of seven, has already formed
to feel safe in this world.
Humanity, hard wired to be on guard to varying degrees,
from any number of attacks or onslaughts,
Physical, emotional, spiritual.
In a hyperbolic curve birds swirl into the air,
flip flopping into the sunlight,
tumbling about.
One side, a warm morning shadow over dusty wing,
the other,
shines like the moon.
Amidst the choreographed routine she stands transfixed in waist deep water.
On the edge of emotion, finally she lets out a cry,
“It is all so beautiful”
yes it is kid,
yes it is.
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The beauty, as fleeting as a bird in flight.
A moment that may have been missed,
a universe that gets our attention.
God tapping us on the shoulder and whispering
“hey dude, check this out”
We all have these moments,
whether it is seagulls or sunset,
dappled light upon the driveway,
Or a thunderstorm on the way home from work.
Moments where we are thawed, warmed to the possibility of wonder outside of us.
A break in a world that has become internally mundane with concrete plans, agendas, desires and fears.
The scope of wonder opens.
The amount of times I have been closed off to it,
Only to be gracefully brought back into the source,
By a universe that makes sure I never miss out,
Feels infinite.
This back and forth between wonder and mundanity, has shaped my life, including the way I show up at the easel.
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When painting and drawing, whether study or final piece, this is what I am activating.
I am opening myself to wonder at the beauty in the world that I am apart from and a part of.
For what is an artistic study?
Sitting on a park bench,
sketchbook on lap,
peering into the expansive world beyond my bounds.
This is exploration,
searching to understand.
Lowering the wall I’ve constructed to understand the beauty and wonder that is forever in front of me,
to merge,
to see both ways.
Out and in.
As artist’s we have taken the steps to consciously open ourselves up to the world
to become vulnerable.
And really,
I think that is it.
the key to painting and sketching with a unique voice in a way that activates the viewer,
in a way that comes off as genuine and honest,
Is to be vulnerable.
to be without shield or guise.
Our one foundational element that we all share as artists,
to intentionally become vulnerable and experience the world in its entirety.
We are but scouts for humanity,
venturing into the depths of the abyss so that others may have a map,
even if that map is slowly eroding footprints in the sand.
In the end,
the better I get at painting
The more connected I am to my vulnerability.