This painting is called “Field of Peace.”
Here is a time lapse of my painting process:
Nature is a huge source of peace and replenishment for me, and that is a large part of what my art is about.
Autumn Grasses and a Blue-Gray Sky
In this 36” tondo, billowing clouds spread out across an open sky, above a field turned brown with autumn grasses.
The expanse of the hilly fields is broken up by a few trees in the midground and background, both evergreens and deciduous. The branches are bare on the deciduous trees, giving the feeling that we are in a chilly part of the year.
Small birds in the distance take off into the sky, flying away from the bare branches of one of the faraway trees. The birds get smaller and smaller as they fly up and up, finally disappearing from our view somewhere high in the clouds.
The Mental Reset of Being in Nature
As I worked on this painting, I thought about how much peace can be found by spending time in nature. Watching birds fly free across the sky has a particular way of helping me get a mental reset. I like to think of the birds flying so freely as a reminder to take a deep breath, and free all the worries from my mind.
The calm blue and gray colors of the moving clouds bring to mind all the times you’ve watched clouds move across the sky with fascination. You can get a little lost in this painting, just as you might when staring into a beautiful sky.
This painting is a reminder to appreciate the present moment. Imagine the birds flying away up into the atmosphere as a symbol of letting go of whatever thoughts of the past or future might be weighing you down. Breathing and existing in the here and now is a wonderful practice. Being outdoors makes it feel easy.
A feeling of peace can come over us when we’re standing in the gray wilderness of an open field, just looking at the birds in the sky.
