For Me — Nature Opens the Heart + Encourages a Return to Mindfulness

Just when I resign myself to the ordinariness of existence Nature unveils a mindful moment of marvel to snap me out of my complacency and in to gratitude. Moving my awareness back from the head to the heart. New Mexico can feel like an alternative reality and no wonder so many movies are shot here. Today we witnessed a double rainbow after eating dinner.

Part of the Ego’s protective tendencies is to over time begin to minimize recognition of the everyday magic that surrounds us. And the longer you live in a particular place the easier it becomes to resign yourself to knowing everything there is to know. And then crave something different. I’ve noticed if I’ve been inside hiding from the heat of the day and then head out in the afternoon, my eyes begin to see my surroundings in a fresh way. And taking a walk in the same area everyday fine tunes the mind’s understanding of that place. The subtleties become noticeable. I pick out flowers just bloomed that weren’t they the week before. And can pick up on the location of the sun and intricacies of the light it shares - noticing seasonally how bright or subdued it may be. This time of year, the light becomes cooler and more golden.

Lately, seeing a rainbow reminds me of the prismatic effect that water droplets have with focused light waves. And then my heart feels that the mystical occurrence may be punctuating some positive forces encountered that day. Today I returned to painting after a long hiatus. I’ve been procrastinating so just the act of picking up a brush and beginning to move it around felt like a break through. And I began experimenting with some different styles. I’m a very messy abstract painter so the deeper I get into the process the more disarray that ensues! Clean up is no fun.

Exploring subconscious themes that unfold as the tools are moved and the paint is squeezed out on to the canvas, I never know what will reveal itself. I’m still fairly new to Art after years of designing on the computer in my career. So part of the process at this stage is exploring what feels right and trying various things to discover my voice. I often think of Gerhard Richter and the documentary that shows his use of the giant squeegee on an oversized painting. He periodically stands back to see if it’s working or not and can head off in a whole other direction when the first approach led to a dead end. I work the same way. I can’t even predict in the first 2 minutes where the journey of making while ultimately take me. And so like the rainbow that pops up when least expected, art can produce solutions that the rational mind never predicted. There is a joy in this sense of discovery both in Art + exploring the Nature surrounding my home. More painting time to come tomorrow after a morning hike and breakfast. Reading about Paul Klee before I head to bed. (Photo byJoel - he asked for credit!)