Seasons of Water
Fall (an excerpt from Seasons of Water)
“Summer currents lull us to a new season. The lake beckons and welcomes with the wilds of change. Fall water is deeper water that calls for deeper commitment.
The long push and pull between land and wave, sienna and cerulean. A good tossing about with a chill in both air and water.
Golden light and the smell of lake and cedar. The fish run the river to spawn. A love of what was and what is to come.
Mesmerizing whispers of let go and wait, wait for the new. Over and over. Let go. Wait for the new.”
Hard to believe I painted and published this book a few years ago. I remember I was unable to paint at that time. Grief had really stalled my creativity. I decided to just splash around and explore simple paint and water and see what happened before I tackled some bigger canvases to hang in the house.
I spent a lot of time waiting for “the new” and this is it! I’m painting more seriously than ever before. I’m selling work and exploring new exciting partnerships even as we speak. This work birthed one of the most creative seasons of my life.
I’m reprinting Seasons of Water in a hardback version, the same size as my The Blessing of Blossoms book as there’s some interest in carrying it commercially with a new round of paintings I’m working on. I can’t wait to get it from the printers! Looking at it with fresh eyes, I’m glad to see how well my work holds up. I can see so much progression in the painting itself, but my style is there. I recognize my own marks and brushstrokes. And so much of my healing I learned from the water. I remember how this project evolved. It was just following one hint after the next until it matured into what it became. Little did I know how prophetic it would be to my process as an artist, how intuition would lead me from one idea to the next as I found ways to express the depth of my experience visually.
I’m working on a large series of water paintings right now too. I’ve not painted this large before and I’m finding it a challenge. To make big marks, you have to have big tools and move your whole body – not just your hand or even just your arm. I’ve had to make room for it, find the rhythm of it. I’m finding space and a familiar landscape mixed in with this water influence and I’m enjoying the challenge. There’s some interest in hanging these in commercial spaces here and that’s exciting too!
It’s good to take a moment to take note of simple progress, of the journey and document that progress. I don’t take one minute of this for granted.
