The Painting Spectrum - Breathtaking Moments; A Year In Review

   The morning I wrote today's post, the weather was a balmy 40 degrees and it was raining. For coastal Maine in late December - this is balmy. My husband and I ventured outside and walked to our church service. When we reached the parking lot, we realized the storm drains in said parking lot we're clogged and the surface was a skating rink covered in water. To traverse or not to traverse... we paused in the pouring rain and wondered. If we turned around now, there was no chance of slipping, falling, or getting my clothes soaking wet when I fall on my ass. The distance, while only approximately forty or fifty feet, seemed like an eternity. My husband Dave started making his way over what was left of a rain-soaked snow bank, while I looked one last time at all that ice. Near the snow bank were some rough tire tracks that were now formed in ice. With the help of the snow as well as the uneven surface of the tracks, we made it safely to our destination.

   Once inside the warm, dry building, the priest who was leading the service asked me to sing the opening hymn as the organist was running late due to the weather. For the 2nd time in approximately 10 minutes, I was at another decision crossroad. I was honored he asked me, but my heart was pounding from nervousness. It was then as if I heard a little voice that stated, "Trust me." I was filled with confidence. I began singing the opening hymn acapella, and the rest of the church joined in. It was quite moving, breathtaking - and not because I was the one who led it.

   Later on that day, I was pondering certain events over the past year that were also breathtaking. Everything from my grand children's birthdays, going hot air ballooning during the summer, as well as attending a Veterans Day memorial service in honor of my deceased father who served in the Vietnam War, In addition to those moments, I thought about all the beautiful sunrises and sunsets, flowers, smiles on all our friends faces during too-numerous events to list over the past 12 months, to the first snow fall in mid-December; it all adds up to an amazing life.

   Now - what do all these "breathtaking" moments have to do with art? Another one of these moments came as I stepped up my creative process as well as my works to another level. Have you ever had that feeling when you've taken your passion to the next level? It's hard to describe, but you feel it in your heart. One aspect of this next level are more shows in 2017 - my husband and I have three months worth of shows already lined up with more on the contract negotiating table. Another aspect is I've honed in on my style and colors. I've even taken my oil spill inspired series to another level.

   In my paintings, I hope to show that there is still beauty in ugly things - man made or not. In viewing small-scale oil spills, (parking lot small scale), the light brings out patterns that we might not have witnessed otherwise, or if we weren't paying attention. In the end, if we become more aware of these problems, we may come to ways that decrease our inhumanity to nature as well as ourselves. That right there, friends, is beauty.

   I  am grateful for my life and the time I have to explore my world. I took a hiatus from painting for the month of December until January 6th. After that time, all the Christmas season decorations will come down and I'll get a large part of my studio back! I was talking with two other local artists last week, and they as well are not painting until after the holidays. I actually felt relieved that I was not the only one. One of these artists occasionally paints with nail polish. I had a dream recently that I painted one of my oil spill paintings, and then added nail polish over it.

   At first, I thought it would be too time consuming. In reality, it would be if the work was a 16"x20" in size or larger. Also, on a freshly painted work, the oil paint would have to dry first before applying the nail polish - and that would take at least several weeks. I decided to give it a go on two older works that are both 5"x7" in size and I was amazed at the outcome. I used sparkle nail polish and only applied it to certain areas. The result was breathtaking.

Here's to more breathtaking moments in 2017! Happy New Year!
The Intrigued Painter,
Jill