I do not think a day passes in my life in which I fail to look with fresh amazement at the miracle of nature. It is there on every side. It can be simply a shadow on a mountainside, or a spider’s web gleaming with dew, or sunlight on the leaves of a tree. I have always especially loved the sea. Pablo Casals (Cellist)
Peaceful Morn Pastel over Watercolor
There are times in our lives when things happen that knock you off your game. At those times we undertake certain spiritual exercises to achieve alignment with our creative energy. The last two weeks have been that way for me. I have had the need to go to the garden to get rid of my angst over the world’s problems and find some primal beauty in the world.
When I was considering what to write my first thought was, I should be writing a gardening column instead of an art blog. Not that gardening does not need a “creative spirit”. It does! Along with pulling weeds, transplanting, planting new flowers, and re-potting, so I can see life anew; I have been gathering parts of palms to use in new collages along with other natural objects that will create and interesting note in my work when I start working again.
By no means am I saying I have lost my lust for creating art. I just need to touch some primal beauty first. The ideas are there, the need is there, but it seems with each day, I need the earth first.
We have all been wounded and we are tired of the restrictions placed on us. It is a major life change we must adjust to. We need a place to rest and regenerate. For me it is the garden. What is it for you? What regenerates your creative spirit?
Even under usual circumstances our art ebbs and flows, and sometimes there’s more room for the work than at other times. Maybe I am letting my art percolating between the roots and flowers, as I find strength and goodness in the soil and watch things grow.
You know the worst thing about wearing a mask after sucking in fabric when you talk, or your glasses fogging up? It is you can’t see people smile. Sometimes you can see it in their eyes, but more often than not, you see pain, concern, or discouragement. And if they are not wearing a mask it is usually a face of belligerence. Don’t they know we are all in this together.
It would be wonderful if we could all live in love and avail ourselves to the beauty that surrounds us when it comes cross our path. We need to serve something greater than ourselves and live by being a loving part of the “One Human Family” we all are.
This week I am sharing my garden, and a pastel of a place I love to walk with a friend, and gather ideas for creative works of art. I look forward to that day coming again soon. Stay safe. Carolyn
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