I cleared off my studio table and pulled out my oils the week to work on some landscapes that I have been wanting to work on for a while now. I am so happy that I finally got to paint this scene! Last year my family and I went on a 5 mile kayak trip down the Saco River in New Hampshire. We had never done anything like that before so it was quite an adventure for us. The Saco is pretty calm in that spot so was a good beginning trip. The crazy thing was that we did this on July 4th when everyone and their mother and their brother and their neighbor were out on the river or on the shores, blasting their music and grilling their hot dogs. We vowed to come back when it was more peaceful.
Despite the craziness, there were moments of peace on the water. All I had to do, was look up.
A lot of my paintings, whether it’s these oil paintings or my mixed media pieces, are these moments of peace and calm coming from nature, the skies, birds on branches. It may seem like I am living this peaceful quiet life out in a rural area, but I am definitely not! For the past 30 some years I have either lived in a city or a suburb that is right by the city line, whether that was Chicago, Seattle, or nowBaltimore. Some of my most peaceful shots of birds flying have literally been taken from a busy parking lot while I’m out getting groceries or running errands.
My point is, we can find moments of peace and calm if we take a moment to notice what is around us. Just look up. Or sometimes down. Be present.
This is a reminder to myself, fyi. It’s easy to forget especially when things seem to be in so much turmoil.