A Little Magic

Last Sunday, our family watched the new Disney Pixar movie that just came out, Soul.  I loved it.  It might be my favorite Disney movie right now. I won’t spoil the plot, but I’ll give you the takeaway:  enjoy the little moments, for they are magic.  

Little things can remind us of the beauty of living.  Remind us that it is a glorious thing to feel the sun warm on our face, feel the breeze ruffle our hair.  It is great to be alive.

When I started painting, I looked for inspiration to fuel me. I was reading “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron and one of the prompts is to notice the things that make you feel alive. A few of my painting titles from that time: “Sun on my skin” “Sunshine on my shoulder” “Sun kissed.” Noticing a theme here? I love the sun.Thinking about it makes me marvel at the perfection and beauty of the star that we orbit, that gives us light. warmth, and energy. (In a very real sense!  All forms of energy can be attributed to the sun, except Geothermal.) Then I get sidetracked thinking about how chloroform can turn light energy into chemical energy (fuel for body and billions of years later, fuel for cars.)  The more I learn, the more I marvel.

Painting helps me capture the magic of the small miracles of life.  It’s helped me be more open to noticing the little things. I am often inspired by other artists work.  I make an effort to understand just what is it about a certain painting that draws me to it. The ways lines cross each other, the contrast between a dull color and a vibrant color. Sometimes it’s just the way a certain color makes me feel. I make note of them, and then try to incorporate them into my own work. 

I’ve always naturally appreciated beauty in nature.  Most of us do. Right now I’m enthralled by the way the sun casts shadows on the mountains, and how the view of something so ginormous changes so quickly depending on the angle you’re looking at it, and how close you are.  I’ve probably taken hundreds of photos in the last week, but I digress… 

 (notice how the shadows make the snow appear blue!)

This habit of noticing little things, I don’t really know what to call it, has brought me great happiness and contentment.  Art is my way of sharing that with others. It is the work of my heart, and I am lifted by it.  My biggest wish is that it will lift someone else too.