I have always been drawn to the things that are overlooked, or at least not celebrated. The small things. The old things. I take lots of pictures of spent seedpods or wild brambles in forgotten corners. In this noisy world, the quiet things often get overlooked. One of the gifts from the creative life though is that creativity requires attention, a sort of devotion.
Have you ever watched someone sit for hours painting a flower? That’s attention. Presence. Devotion.
There is the paying attention to the subject matter, but there is also paying attention to the self and one’s inner voice. That is probably the hardest part, honestly.
“Attention, taken to its highest degree, is the same thing as prayer. It presupposes faith and love. Absolutely unmixed attention is prayer.” -Simone Weil
When I was working on this piece, I made a reel. It’s over on IG if you want to get a glimpse of the process. I will be bringing this new painting to an upcoming show at Manor Mill in Monkton, MD soon.