The 99th Year

Count your blessings

As you would the twinkles in a constellation

Or the candles on the birthday cake

Of your ninety-ninth year.

Thank yourself for your limits

And your boundaries

And your reckless abandon

And your mistakes. Your beautiful mistakes.

Bundle up the very best seconds

The most powerful lessons

And lock them in a place that you'll come back to

When you are too proud to remember

That you are human.

It's those voids within us that we try most to forget

But they love us so much

In ways that we will never understand

It's time to admit that we know nothing and

To close our eyes to be able to see everything.

Why don't we sing as though the world is deaf

And live as though we're dying

And laugh and laugh

Until it is time to count the candles

Of our ninety-ninth year.

"First Kiss In Fall"

Well...here's another.  Hot off the press today, this little (well big, rather) piece is called "First Kiss In Fall".  I had a charming response from my friend Bill today when I sent him a photograph of this one via text. He said, "Wow! I love that...but today is the second day of Spring..". It's funny that I felt so compelled to do an Autumn piece when we have drifted away from the season.  Perhaps it's that I miss it so much already...

Fall is so special to me.  It feels like a magical season and I don't really know why.  Something about the air, you know? There's this crispness that's locked into place.  Rainy, misty quietness that blankets everything.  Not too cold, not to hot. The colors on the trees are just about as calming as you can get...and when they touch they ground it makes me think a whole lot more about falling. Maybe it's not so bad, after all.

This piece, like the rest of them, just sort of...came to.  I've been thinking and dreaming about bridges a lot lately--and when things are restless in my mind they usually translate into a painting.  The Autumn atmosphere just felt appropriate...and the two focal characters balanced on their separate stones...well, they represent personal emotion and memory.

I think this one is my favorite piece since "Sophie".  It touches me and takes me back to at least three instances in the past year where I can relate to its solemnity and passion.  I know what it's like to desire something inherently beautiful--to be so close to it that I can almost touch it...separated by just the smallest of obstacles. Small in appearance but huge when realized and approached.  I can relate to the silhouetted scenery of the piece; everything closing in on me while I'm oblivious to it's nearing...blinded by own nervous anticipation.  There's so much intricacy in the scene--so much happening in the background.  It's like the entire world is watching as they inch closer to a pivotal moment in their lives.

Enjoy :)

Audensity

Here's another new piece! I painted this one for the lovely Sierra...

Boy at the End of the World

Newest Piece, completed March 5, 2011..