Daily Paint

"Abstract Landscape VII" (a study) - ink on aquabord, 6" x 6"

Daily Paint-a-Thon and back in the studio with landscape studies.  This one emerged after two others today.  The others?  Already in the paint-over pile.  Were they failures?  Absolutely not!  They brought me to this piece and another valuable lesson in studio play: when something isn't working, let it go.  Letting go makes room (in my head, in my heart, on my work table, in the studio) for better things.

Too many times, letting go brings thoughts of loss.  We've had a lot of letting go in our family this past year.  Letting go of people and pets we love, letting go of homes and neighborhoods and surroundings, letting go of plans and aspirations.  But with the letting go came new things - opportunities, amazing surroundings, inspiration and rejuvenation.  Letting go made room for situations and experiences we could not have otherwise enjoyed.  

Yesterday, my dad and I were making our daily outing (part of his world tour and bucket list extravaganza as we let go of a certain future and make room for seizing every day instead), this time to Home Depot.  This is one of the places he loves to go when his energy is low but he wants a little something exciting.  We putter around from aisle to aisle, reading labels, commenting on gadgets, people watching - as long as he has a cart to lean on, he is a happy camper.  Yesterday our goal was orchids.  We spent 45 minutes examining every orchid and deciding which lucky plant would grace the table for Thanksgiving.  Ultimately, two orchids and a bromeliad came home with us.  It was a lovely afternoon, and my dad was quite tickled with our purchases.

If it were not for the letting go this past year (of my mom, of my dad's independence, of our lives north of Florida) this sweet moment - and the many more we've had in recent months together - would not have happened.  There would have been no room for little adventures and shared outings, no time for orchids and candy stores and our weekly trip to the movies.

So from now on I think I'll refer to "letting go" as "making room".  Making room for something else, which just might be something especially wonderful.

​                   This piece is available for purchase.  Click to buy: ​

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