Into the Dark

Before the storm, I had begun a painting exploring the edge of what we can see and what we cannot. It was inspired by the forest edge. The forest I love so much to walk and yet from it calls not only the glorious owls but also the pack of coyotes. It gives me joy and yet it has taken from me a dear cat. When I walk it with my dogs, I am always on the alert.

I was fairly excited about both the concept and the painting but a call on Jim and my anniversary upended the entire flow and I was off on what became four weeks of travel. To Boston twice, to Rochester once, to Vancouver, and then to Maine. The travel brought me even closer to what was stirring in my heart and mind, how life is never what we have envisioned, and life is never a straight line. It is a line of dark and light interludes, weaving in and out and connecting us to the unexpected.

My trip to Maine, visiting with Liz, loosened up my painters hand and clarified my painter's eye. Upon my return, I spent a day painting with another painter friend, Chris Neuhardt. In a day I was able to return. Below are photos from that day. Since then, I completed the painting above and another beyond what is shown here.

The final painting, not published here, I completed before, during, and after Hurricane Irene...without power or running water. Somehow the concept behind the series seems more poignant in Irene's aftermath.