Let Your Light Shine

Tag: oils

My Not-So-Green Thumb

Day of the Lilies painted at the Saksa Day Lilly Farm https://www.facebook.com/saksadaylilyfarm

Gardening is not my key strength. The only way my thumb will ever be green is from a tube of paint – sap green or viridian, most likely. My house is unfortunately where plants go to die.

My Dad was an avid gardener. Mom canned all the produce and planted big flower beds. None of this rubbed off on me. My sisters and I were expected to do the weeding. This was not a popular chore so maybe we developed a little of our creativity as we came up with excuses. If those didn’t work, we oiled up, so we’d get a tan. I still weed Mom’s flower beds, but it’s my least favorite chore.

Pots of flowers on my porch – potential painting!

Every spring I make my pilgrimage to the garden center. I swear this is the year I will have beautiful flowers, the envy of the neighborhood. I plant and fertilize for a month or so and then it gets hot and I lose interest. Those poor plants suffer just when they needed the most attention. I’m trying to reform and I’ve done a little better this year with a container garden. So far I’ve only lost one plant that didn’t get watered when I was away for a few days.

I am very grateful for real gardeners – the kind who shop for seeds in February. They plan and plant and pamper. Whether you are a volunteer at Franklin Park and Inniswood Gardens or a home gardener, I appreciate all your efforts. Your flowers inspire me! I need you!

My neighbors’ planting next
to their mailbox 9×12 oil

I seek out flowers wherever I can find them. Sometimes I scope out a scene for weeks, waiting for the blooms and the light to be right. When I’m painting the passersby are curious about the umbrella and the easel. Some stop to chat. So I provide a little diversion in these crazy times!

We all have different talents. That’s what makes us interesting and most importantly, interdependent. It’s almost like symbiotic relationships in nature.

If you’ve got a green thumb, I’ve got a paintbrush. I love to capture the beauty you’ve worked so hard to cultivate. If you like the painting we’ll work out a deal. Then you can have your garden blooming all winter long!

Beautyview Gardens
https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=beautyview%20gardens

Shinrin-yoku

So what is shinrin yoku? It’s a Japanese term that means forest bathing. No, not skinny dipping in the woods. It’s taking time to immerse all of your sense into nature. That’s forest bathing. A gentle breeze on your skin, the scent of the plants, shafts of sunlight and birdsong. Ah! Your being is so full of natural goodness that there’s no room for stress.

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When I visited Japan, I had a very urban experience: visiting schools, companies like Mitzubishi and Sony, riding the trains, and staying in cities. I can see why a nature experience would be so refreshing to people who live there.

Researchers are documenting the positive effects nature can have on our health. Studies point to both psychological and physiological effects on our immune, cardio vascular, and respiratory systems.That’s what I enjoy about plein air painting – a full immersion into the natural world. Peace. Absorption. Chores and cares are gone. There’s just the plants and the paint.

Painting at Sycamore Park in Pickerington, Ohio

When you look at one of my paintings I want to give you a little piece of the experience. Calm, serenity, a sense of place. The warmth of the sun and the scent of wild flowers. The texture of foliage. Enjoy!