I was listing some new work today and writing little blurbs about them and what each painting meant to me. I came to one that was like a lot of my past paintings with trees, a sunburst of sorts, river or path and some mountains in the distance.
I’ve been painting this type of painting for a long time and initially it has been about my journey to the light. Well what does that mean? Why do I keep repeating in some form the same imagery? As artists we all have our reasons to paint. Mine has been meditative in nature. I am trying to find meaning and purpose to my life. I believe that we came to this earth to fulfill a purpose. I am still trying to figure out mine, but I know that there is a higher source, I believe in a God of love and light and peace. I also believe as we come nearer to God, we become filled with His light and love. This is my journey to press onward. When I started painting I was younger, in college with lots of hopes and dreams. I married the greatest guy ever, Ben, and we have two sons. But life happens and Ben was killed in a car accident and my life turned upside down. Painting has been my way of processing all these years and still figuring it out. Now years have passed and my sons are becoming men and beginning to leave home. Experiencing again a change and trying to figure out things. So what does all this have to do with trees? At first when I would have trees in my paintings, sometimes they represented Ben in heaven and across the path or river was myself with my two sons on separate journeys trying to figure life out without Ben.
“Because its roots delve into the soil and its branches stretch up to the skies, the trees is universally regarded as a symbol of the relationships established between Heaven and Earth. …trees are therefore the upward path along which proceed those who pass from the visible to the invisible.” (A Dictionary of Symbols, by Jean Chevalier and Alain Gheerbrant, 1996, p.1027)
Trees do connect heaven and earth and in a painting they break up space. Trees are alive and they move with the wind. They are also rooted and grounded until a big wind blows through and those that aren’t grounded are uprooted. Just like all of us, if we are grounded, strong and our roots are deeply planted then we will be able to endure the challenges we are faced with. I am grateful for my challenges and they have helped me become more grounded in my beliefs and I do turn to God for help.
Thanks for reading if you made it this far. I am realizing that sharing how I feel is good. For so long I have been afraid to open up and share myself with others but I am trying more and more.
