Serendipity

My last post talked about life being an adventure. Believe me if I tell you that the cure for a humdrum life can be plein air. It has been for me.

Because I like to learn all I can about my passion, I attend PACE (Plein Air Convention and Expo) each chance I can. This year it was in San Francisco. I loved it. It was everything that you could hope for such an event to be. We tried to paint the Golden Gate Bridge, but she had a case of the willies and kept hiding in the fog. No matter, I got to practice fog! We painted in Golden Gate Park! And there I had the surprise of my trip.

Those of you who were at the event probably heard me talk about it. I painted at Stowe Lake. It was a beautiful place...seagulls flying past, walkers stopping by to wonder what the heck I was doing,  photographers with all manner of lenses probably costing as much or more than my first car, the whole world seemed to come by this quiet corner of the park. And it had an open parking spot!  My big ticket requirements were all ticked off! So I spent a lovely time painting a quiet introspective part of the park. Suddenly it was time to go. The light had changed and it was getting more atmospheric with each passing moment.

Peaceful Flight
Oil on Linen Panel
7x11 Available

I threw all my things in the car, taking care to not get paint all over the inside of the vehicle. Suddenly a voice behind me tried to get my attention. I turned and thought "oh no, here comes one of those weirdos one hears about in the parks of San Francisco." But wait this person looked very clean cut and was respectful, so maybe this wasn't one of those incidents. As he tried to hand me his phone he said "I have something to show you.'" Oh oh, spidey sense up again! But what he was trying to tell me was that he had taken a picture of me painting the scene and wanted to know if I would like to have it. Wow!
Aside from my round appearance, it was a pretty good picture, so I offered my business card with a request that he email it to me. Upon which it was his turn to be amazed. My new acquaintance said "You're not a Sackett?!!" I said I have been for 51 years! this man reached into his pocket and pulled out his business card... Mark Sackett! Holly cow! What the heck are the chances in a city this size to run into someone with the same family name? Especially a name that is not THAT common. Well the painting was not that special. I don't get a chance to paint water that often in New Mexico so I am rusty. But this painting is my reminder that life is an adventure and even when you least expect it you just might run into some long lost relative. He was a very pleasant person and I thank him for the one memory that I shall always have that makes a visit to a very large city a wonderful memory.

Back in the hotel one of my roomies asked if I always had such a weird life. I think it was simply serendipity. That's what it was. If I had not gone to PACE, if I had not gone painting....the French have a saying 'tant pis', too bad,

Life Is An Adventure

Getting in the car is an adventure. Going to the store is an adventure. Going to a paint competition is an adventure. Yup. Its all about attitude.

Last September Dick and I were in Utah, one of the most visually blessed states I have ever been in. I was painting in Escalante for the first time. Wow. Oh wow. Did I say wow?

The event we were at was so darned friendly, that I forgot we were out of state. But the scenery reminded me. I never used so much Burnt Sienna in my  life! I had a blast making and meeting new friends, painting in  places where divine design was in every glance. You had to hunt to find a lousy view. I never did. My only gripe was the lack of turn offs where the painting view was astounding. It took a bit to get used to the heat of color in those vistas, married to the cool blues of recession in the landscape. It was a true WONDERland. We were like kids in a visual candy store. It was hard to pick out what spoke to you personally to use as a paint motif. Didn't win anything, having been outclassed at every turn. That was fine. To each their turn. Besides the winning pieces were deserving.

Kiva
Escalante Utah
11x14 Available

Kiva Cleft
Escalante Utah
11x14 Available

Dick took time to ride the not often used roads that were not paved. He searched out and found an ancestral dwelling, fallen into ruin, that had been in his family when they moved west with the Mormon Battalion. This trip had deeply personal connections for him. Ghost towns can be so evocative.

At competition's end we left Escalante for Moab. The second of the plein air competitions for me. I had a few paintings under my belt with those vibrating red rocks. Onward!

We camped at Arches View campgrounds and toured Arches National Park, Canyonland National Park and Dead Horse Point State Park.  Go ahead try to pick a favorite. The storage on my camera almost was exhausted.
We had one night and one morning there and the adventure truly began. Not all adventures are as expected. Dick suffered a stroke. Ongoing symptoms required he be air lifted to Salt Lake City. I have NEVER seen such care! I hope to never again have to visit that hospital, but am ever thankful that it and its wonderful personnel are there. I have never been the recipient of such kindness in helping me get ready for the midnight road trip to get myself to SLC. I thought the wonders were in the rocks in Utah. Not so. It was in their people. From the helpers at the campsite to the stroke team at the University hospital each person was caring, supportive, thoughtful and kind. We were both extremely thankful.

Moab would have to wait. Getting him home was the imperative.

Dick is continuing his recovery and is following Dr's orders, but champing at the bit to be back on that bike. I swear if it could kiss, I'd have grounds for divorce! But he is planning to ride Utah again. I am planning to go back to Escalante to paint, having just signed up this morning. We refuse to have that state represent difficulties. It will in our hearts be the place where we had an unplanned adventure that started Dick's journey back to good health. A place that tested our reserves but brought us back to share values and a knowledge that all we have is today and each other.  A place that taught us to accept kindness gracefully. A place that taught us that all we have is our shared adventure.

Life is an adventure. Live it.

Through Love's Eyes

The end of year is come and gone and this past one has been filled with changes. Some of them pretty big and others not so much. The task of another blog entry was more enticing than filling out the late Christmas cards. So here comes my latest blog entry. Besides, baking is out of the question. That would have mean dishes and a wider butt.

I won a couple Best of Shows this year which was nice. I appreciate the vote of confidence from the judges, as any win is nice. And every show gives you another chance to tickle a judge's fancy, or not. But these wins are balanced by other life events that are beyond our control. I lost a friend this year, a  close one, actually a family member. Which brought to mind everyone's time count down. 

I thought what would I change? Not much. I'd definitely keep my husband of over 50 years. Each year with him is more precious than the last. Especially after his stroke and open heart surgery in the last quarter. Yes he is getting better, looking longingly at his motorcycle. I'd keep all my kids and grandkids, as they are turning out to be decent human beings, kind and good people. I treasure my friends and my health. Yeah there's not a lot I would change there. My list of reasons to be thankful seems to stretch every year.

But painting....ah painting. Here a lot would change. I have the feeling that I may not be able to stick around long enough to learn what I need to in order to paint worth a darn. I mean worth a real darn. I try to paint for myself and if others like it so much the better, but I really do paint for myself. For the moment. For the inspiration. To touch that moment where it flows and you are a conduit. 

A lot of painting is cerebral. The scheduling, planning, the forethought. I think its the follow through that 's the thrilling part for me. Lately, I have held a tight rein on my choices as I paint, I guess thinking that I needed more control. 

I taught a workshop last October. I only do one a year. One of my students (they all worked their tails off) reminded me of why I paint. For the happiness of the process. The delight in color. The feeling. The last three landscapes I painted were fall landscapes. Colors were muted and dulled by the oncoming cold. No snow, just browns, beiges, duns and burnt oranges. This one student, Ann, painted the most glorious small piece. Color was bursting from that piece. There was a happiness to be about the painting process that was mirrored in her color choices.  Fodder for thought for sure.

I went back to my canyon today. I decided to paint how I feel about the canyon, not how quiet she looked. You see, to me, the canyon is very female. She has a varied wardrobe, and her garments change with the seasons. Her moods, well they are as changeable as the weather. But I needed to remember how delicious is life, how brightly colored it is. So I looked at my canyon through the eyes of how I loved her.  

This is Glorious Canyon. Mysterious, vibrant, beckoning. No quiet wall flower here, in this wonderful canyon of ours. Now let me tell you, the muted palette was there. But not in my eyes today.

Was it Socrates who said the unexamined life is not worth living?

Thanks for the reminder Ann.