Freedom

This large scale painting is called “Freedom.”

Freedom. 36″ x 48″, Oil on Wood, © 2019 Cedar Lee
Freedom. 36″ x 48″, Oil on Wood, © 2019 Cedar Lee

On a recent trip, while soaking in natural hot springs in the woods, I got lost in watching the sky.

Artist Cedar Lee with painting: Freedom. 36″ x 48″, Oil on Wood, © 2019 Cedar Lee

The huge dome of the sky spread out above me as I sat listening to the sound of trickling water and the wind in the trees way up high. I watched the clouds moving and changing, and the sun glinting through the trees.

Freedom. 36″ x 48″, Oil on Wood, © 2019 Cedar Lee

My eyes caught an enormous, solitary bird of prey soaring through the big sky over the forest, too far away to tell exactly what kind. I watched as it swooped in wide arcs, dipping and rising on the air currents in the distance.

Detail: Freedom. 36″ x 48″, Oil on Wood, © 2019 Cedar Lee

Eventually the bird flew so high up into the sky, I could barely see it and I let it go. The experience of focusing on the singular sight was a form of meditation.

Detail: Freedom. 36″ x 48″, Oil on Wood, © 2019 Cedar Lee

There’s something about being surrounded by the peace and beauty of nature, and just observing it, letting it pass by around us, that quiets the chaos in our minds and lets us escape from the speed and overwhelm of the modern world.

Detail: Freedom. 36″ x 48″, Oil on Wood, © 2019 Cedar Lee

This painting is a meditation on peace, beauty, and letting go.

Freedom. 36″ x 48″, Oil on Wood, © 2019 Cedar Lee

The painting feels alive with light and movement. The bursting rays of sunshine dance through the branches of the staggeringly tall trees, creating flashes of color and rainbow arcs of light.

Artist with her work: Freedom. 36″ x 48″, Oil on Wood, © 2019 Cedar Lee

The bird is a small insignificant speck, drawing attention to the impressive scale of the trees and the enormity of the wide blue sky.

Artwork: Freedom. 36″ x 48″, Oil on Wood, © 2019 Cedar Lee

This large painting brings the peaceful feeling and the awe-inspiring grandeur of the outdoors inside!

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