"Who has not wept/ that love can offer us so little? And wept again/ that it can do so much?"
--"This Blessing" a poem by Michael Blumenthal (excerpt)
"Snow Shadows" by Barry Koplowitz, oil on linen
I returned home Monday night from a spontaneous and much-needed weekend vacation, cross-country skiing in the Berkshires with my husband. A few days of skiing through quiet, snowy forests was definitely therapeutic, maybe even soul-cleansing. And of course, I kept thinking how wonderful it would be to return someday with my easel and paints, and make some snowscape paintings! In that spirit, I've selected a few such landscapes painted by artists I admire, to illustrate today's blog post: some musings from my diary on the last morning of our mini-vacation.
"Path Through the Snow Under Golden Skies" by Walter Launt Palmer (1854-1932)
The roles of Mother, Wife, Daughter, Sister, Neighbor, Friend, Artist, and Writer... I would like to regard these as beautiful gifts to be received with gratitude, and taken on with a good mixture of responsibility and playfulness...
My intention, when we return home from this sunlit, tree-filled, blue-sky snowscape, is to re-enter my life with grace, not taking any of my roles for granted, nor suffering beneath their burdens, but rather, to take them gently by the hand, and dance lightly with them through all the days of my life...
However many days are given to me...
"Winter Afterglow" by Peter Fiore, oil on linen
I'm looking out the window at the morning light, feeling a joyful anticipation for another skiing adventure before we leave to pick up the kids and return to normal life. But even normal life is good. It's difficult to remember when you are "in the thick of it," so taking time to pause and reflect is going to be a big part of moving forward.
my favorite detail from "The Magpie," which is my favorite painting by Monet
Everything feels possible...
I do believe I am always growing, moving, and changing...
I strive for the artful management and balance of:
Solitude and Family,
Art and Duty,
Passion and Integrity.
This is my goal, worthy of all my energy, all my heart, all my soul.
"Frozen Lake New Galena" oil on linen, another painting by Barry Koplowitz
(Side note: Barry is one of my favorite artists, and he has some plein air painting workshops coming up in Yardley, PA which are sure to be fantastic.)