After the four were living on their own as adults, the house was quieter.
I started looking at the walls.
They felt unfinished.
Not because they needed another coat of paint or another color of paint.
Because they had nothing to say.
I didn't set out to become an artist.
I wanted a painting for my wall. That looked like a one you would find in a gallery or a well designed home.
I started out with acrylic paint and didn't know what I wanted on my wall.
First fall colors with a fall scene, it was fall.
But two things went through my mind, it was too generic fall scene, it meant nothing to me, and thought I might get tired of fall colors. Acrylic paint is easy like that, you can paint right over it.
Where I landed was on a monocromatic blue painting of my childhood park. I don't ever seem to tire of blue.
Now what, it almost was finished too soon. Not only were my walls empty of art, which I never seemed to notice when my life was so full. I had more time on my hands. I am the part-time bookkeeper in a business my husband runs.
Cooking for two, and bookkeeping was not going to fill my days. I was stuck. I asked Steve what should I paint next and he sent me an image of one of our grandchildren.
In one breath I said "I can't do people. And my next thought was, "what else do I have to do with my time." So I dug into the art world through Youtube videos. There are so many generous artists who have beautiful teaching courses.
I use alarms on my phone when I am trying to create a new routine in my life. Because learning is practice, not the research. It is in the doing.
The first painting led to another.
Then another.
With every painting, I wondered if I could possibly love the next one as much as the last.
I always do.
I enjoy the process, the painting, the colors, the details of the story I'm painting.
A little boy trying to get his toe into a bucket of bubbles.
Six year old girl friends pulling each other close at a birthday party. One clutching a balloon she will blow up later.
A little gang of boys waiting for their first track meet, with all their young boy swagger.
Young girls enjoying ice cream together and people watching.
The quiet ways people touch and hold and interact.
These are the paintings I enjoy painting and living with.
I hope you'll want to live with them, too.