It’s always beautiful, in its way.
I’m thinking about a painting, a series of four actually, that I’m getting ready to start. The four paintings are tall vertical panels that will be hung next to each other and they are paintings of the horizon where the sky meets the ocean, or gulf, and that’s it. As simple as simple can be. The first one on the left is a glorious sunrise with a glowing orange sun. The next is mid-day with crystal-clear blue skies and optimistic clouds. The third is early evening when everything becomes a little bit veiled. And the last is late at night with a full moon and a majestic mystery.
At least that’s what I’m going for.
They share a horizon line, so that when you see them side by side by side by side, it feels like a long day’s walk on the beach, where the moods change gradually, seamlessly, with only the sound of the rippling water to accompany your thoughts. Hopefully, I’ll perform well. Hopefully they’ll be quietly welcoming.
I love the thought of time passing and being able to see the unique beauty and value each moment has to offer. And isn’t that the most obvious metaphor ever? We begin in a bright new day where anything is possible and time seems endless, then move into the next few decades with clarity and optimism but always aware of the clouds that come and go. Will it rain? Probably. But it’ll pass. Then the light begins to change and experience becomes a companion and there’s a romance and a wistfulness in the air, because you know who you are and you know where you’ve been and you’ve taken this walk so many times before. And each time you see things that you love – you look for them actually – and you see new things and changing things that you look forward to. And then there’s the oncoming night and the enveloping velvety sky and subtly powerful glow that only the moon can bring.
It’s only a simple setting, a constant horizon, a continually changing mood...a stroll through life.
At least that’s what I’m going for.
“We all live under the same sky, but we don’t all have the same horizon.” -Konrad Adenauer.
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