True happiness come from attention, noticing the littlest of things, even the weeds on the side of the road.
This is my second painting in a series with the idea of seasons. I had recently moved into oil paints and was working in a large format I seem to work well in. The inspiration was a reflection of my past. Spending my days wondering through the woods. I also had a two-year-old child at the time. Watching him explore this new world freshened my look on life. I'm trying to get back to a time when things were simpler and I was curious of everything. Looking out over a vast field. A place where my mind was free to wonder and really notice my surroundings. I want to take people with me to this place.
In the fall when everything loses its green, then colors become shade of amber, it’s exciting, you can feel the change in the air. Wanting a more abstract look, a scene that’s familiar yet something to catch your eye, to notice more. Sometimes weeds can be just as beautiful as rose bushes.
"Attention is the beginning of Devotion "
-Mary Oliver
".. The hand touches the phone upon waking, even before it can rub the eye or reach across the bed to wake the spouse. " Franklin Foer explains it well in his article for the Atlantic, how we need the reflections of Mary Oliver now more than ever. Technology ever pulling at our attention. Dissociating us from the real world.
Like my two year old discovering everything, we need to find our curiosity again. Happiness comes from all the little things in life, noticed and appreciated. Look how those weeds shine in the sun.
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