Forever Young

I recently painted a picture called “forever young”. It was part of my sea breeze exhibition, or to be more precise it was the star of the exhibition!! It was my signature piece , a beech scene with two kids playing in the water (it was my daughter and her friend) , pretty standard so far but I think in this one I got the light on the water just perfect. Was it luck? Like a golfers hole in one?
I think it’s a result of all my time spent on the beaches, a lot of time just observing and studying the sun and the light and how it reflects and reacts with the water. Now of course I have spent a lifetime doing this already but each time and with each painting my understanding continues. I remember an old Japanese proverb that translates something like “a man could spend a lifetime looking for the perfect apple blossom, and it wouldn’t be a life wasted”. I take that as meaning all nature is beautiful and each day brings beauty anew so each day there’s something new to be learned or observed. And sometimes I can translate it unto paper, sometimes not as successful but in “forever young” I think I succeeded.

This painting brought me to think about another aspect of the professional painters life. As I’ve said I was really proud of this picture and it is of my daughter and her friend and in this printing they will be forever young, forever my little girl. And if I’m still knocking around in 50 years and I look at this painting I know I will be immediately transported back to that day, that beach, to that little girl. And it makes me happy but also so sad in a way. I did this picture for my sea breeze exhibition, and as a professional artist I need to sell paintings. So on one hand to feed and clothe this little girl I hope the painting sells but on the other hand I sort of hoped it wouldn’t sell, and I could get to bring it home, keep it for me. If I do a commission I don’t know the subjects  it’s different. But when I create these pictures I’m more attached, more involved somehow. I suppose, and this has just occurred to me, maybe “forever young” came out as beautiful as it did because my daughter was in it, maybe my love for her added that extra sparkle to the work? Anyway it was hard giving this one up and if I had to do every week maybe I’d have to stop painting as like the surgeon not been able to operate on their own family, or maybe I should only paint my family for me, for my walls..?

Have a nice weekend!

Kate