Work in Progress: Yosemite Waterfall

Swirling beams of greens and blues dance around as we approach the giant blue cliff and sparking waterfall.  Currently I am approaching the final stretch of a painting inspired from my time in Yosemite National Park.  Though I say I am almost done, my fiancé reminds me (as she knows me better than anyone) that realistically I should say I am ¾ done.  It’s true a lot about how to make changes to a painting.  At the same time, this also means that my painting changes drastically along the way (normally for the better I always tell myself).

Yosemite piece has been a fun challenge to work on.  The view that inspired me to do this piece was of El Capitan (just a week before Alex Honnold broke the record for free climbing the face faster than anyone!).  It was early in the morning when I first drove into the park.  After about an hour drive I finally noticed the mountain.  It was immense. One of those views that leaves you breathless for a while.  I wanted this painting to capture that moment of first seeing this mountain. 

Why I Paint

If today were your last day on Earth, what would you be thankful for?  Would you have changed anything?

For me, the ultimate reason that continues to fuel me day after day, in my art and my life, is my emotional connections to the things in my life that matter.  The way I live, as so many others have inspired me to do so, is if this were the only life we had. 

This life is too short to focus on the negative and mundane routines we all get in from time to time.   It is ridiculously easy to get sucked into the evening news, or follow a mundane weekly schedule.  Life is about taking chances, connecting with others, and finding your own form of abundance (which I will talk about in another blog).

Painting is my way of giving gratitude for what is important in life.  The subjects I choose to paint are the things in life I am most grateful for.  Whether it is a moment I shared with someone, a place I visited and took the time to enjoy, or a person that impacted me, I am reminded day after day on how I would not be the person I am today without the people, places and events I have allowed into my life.  These are the things that are worth living for and worth sharing with others.  

What I hope you get out of my art is the same thing I hope you get out of this life; a sense of awe, love and appreciation for the things in life that are most important to you.