These paintings poured out of me and feel like they are part of a dream I had. A state of being I was in for the middle of December.
The release of this Taylor Swift album truly felt like an early Christmas present. I couldn’t stop listening to it. I loved being in its whimsical space. I put “evermore” and “folklore” into a little playlist and had them on loop the entire time I was painting these pieces.
It felt like I was operating inside a cocoon of peace and I just wanted to create things that commemorated that feeling.
It’s a feeling I’ve felt before. It’s a feeling that has been growing. Taking root. Taking hold.
The sneaking suspicion that I really am going to be ok. Maybe better than ok.
I feel it most often out walking near my home on Amherst Island. When the fresh air fills my lungs. When the sun hits my face. When I take a deep breath and take note of how lucky I am to live here.
I also feel it when I’m painting. When the brush in my hand feels like a magic wand. When my conscious thoughts fade into the background and I focus only on creating something beautiful.
I painted this series in that state of meditative peace. And each piece is based on a photo taken on one of those walks.
These paintings are about peace. About magic. About the fact that the pain I’ve been in since Tyler died isn’t going to last forever. That I’m going to be ok.
I want them to be a way to share that feeling with you. Share that reassurance that I have that the pain the world is in right now won’t last forever, either.
I hope you find peace in them. I hope you find comfort. And maybe even a little hope.