Acrylic on canvas 

30” x 40”

2019

(Partner painting to The Smell of Green)

This painting reminds me what it’s like to lay in the grass, body to the earth, as low to the ground and as small as I can be. It reminds me of how it feels to notice the sheer height and sprawling branches as I walk beneath a tree and of how it feels to take time to notice the glowing gold streaming through the brightest green leaves. This painting feels like making the choice to see it all, to feel it all, to treat each emotion and moment with the energy and wisdom it needs.

Sometimes we’re responsible for moving through moments of unadulterated wonder at lightening speed, completely missing powerful encounters with feelings of elation and fulfillment. Even more likely is our custom of brushing past what feels uncomfortable or painful and we’re often eager to move beyond doubts that we fear could be threatening to our belief system or lifestyle. 

What if we just stopped for a while? What if, instead of numbing ourselves in self-protection, we stared our doubts in the face, trusting our emotional intelligence enough to face the questions that have been gnawing at us? What beauty and strength would we find if we were able to remember that we have been given the capacity to wade through the very heart of pain with eyes open and soul ready for new wisdom that could be waiting there. Acute feelings of sadness or confusion or pain are just as innate and enlightening as moments of joy. See it all, feel it all.