Capturing an Essence

Artists often talk about the story the painting is telling. I sit here looking at photos that speak to me. “Paint me! Paint me!” they call, often vying with one another. But I struggle with finding words to explain why these scenes draw me in, or why this one over that one.

What story am I telling? I stare at a photograph waiting for words. Why does this scene inspire me? Most of the time, I am clueless to being able to explain my feelings about it. Is it my story or the scene’s story? Maybe it’s an interaction? I just know something in my gut is pulling me.

Words have yet to come to explain what I experience. I just feel compelled to do these scenes. Maybe it’s just an affinity to the beauty of Mother Earth. Maybe that connection is what grounds me. I can forget life’s issues and become immersed in the beauty of a landscape or a flower.

Hmmm, maybe this is my answer. Maybe all my work is a series of “Escaping from Life’s Pressures” or using a dozen other words that might fit the moment. The scenes I choose might often be off the beaten path, places where one can let out a sigh of relief, just wanting to sit, relax, contemplate, and forget about life’s stresses. 

But even that term, or close to that term, isn’t quite resonating with me yet. Like coming up with titles for my paintings. For someone who writes every day, sometimes the right words just won’t come to mind.

So, after a month and a half hiatus from painting much while I worked on the big summer guide project, the muse has hold of me again. During my time off, I got out and about for a few photo ops and have five scenes already with initial sketches. Plus, there’s still one almost completed on an easel.

Now, I just have to buckle down and paint. Yay!