First Inspiration, Boise River
My first commissioned work in Boise is this mosaic light painting of the beautiful Boise River in the fall. It's now at home as a focal point in the entry area of the house, in an interior window feature over a dramatic staircase that showcases the new work perfectly. welcoming each person who comes into the house.
A piece based on the river that flows through one of my hometowns is certainly a candidate for my "Pilgrimage to the Sea" theme that has been running through my artwork since 2002 when I embarked on my own personal, artistic and spiritual journey to watery places that have inspired me. The piece was commissioned based on another, similar piece that I did of the Boise River last fall:
This piece is hung in a large picture window overlooking Lake Payette in McCall, Idaho. It's a piece I gave to my father for Christmas, and I was so honored when I arrived to see it this spring, so prominently displayed. I, myself, never imagined my work being hung in a window with such a beautiful view. (I like to think that my works are great work windows WITHOUT a view. I mean, how can art compete with nature? But as I have looked at the piece over the last few weekss, and others have commented and enjoyed it as well, I've watched it change with the light of day, or the moon. The two views "talk" to each other, I notice. Its not a static piece on the wall, but a dynamic work that interacts wth the nature around it.
I feel honored to have my work displayed next to nature because, in fact, my work is very much an expression of my own conversation with and awareness of nature. Creating a piece based on something I have seen in nature causes me to get closer to it, to observe it, feel its essence. As I paint and mosaic, I find myself being conscious that my brush strokes and pieces of glass are NOT creating a photographic image of the subject, but rather, an impression of the subject as well as an organically created object that feels entirely based on the rhythms of nature.
When I'd finished the new Boise River piece, I took a walk on the River in the afternoon. I was struck by the light of day, and the dramatic clouds overhead, so i snapped this shot:
Later, when I downloaded the photo and was reviewing it with others, I noticed that this magnificent vista was actually smiling back at me! Do you see the face? I think it looks like a she who's winking. Who is she? This kind of experience is one of affirmation and, perhaps, a bit of the special communication that happens when we immerse ourselves in nature, whether it be in a painting, a hike, or a mediation.
