Wonder... A Dispensible... But Indispensible Childhood Gift

These pictures of Deb's Grand Girls, Ava and Ella say everything really... that is necessary to substantiate a case for being in touch with the Natural World. Here, as you can readily discern, they are glued to a truly magical event... the metamorphosis and emergence of a Monarch Butterfly into Life. Their Father found the chrysalis, or cocoon in their backyard and brought it in for them to share. They had no idea that this black... lifeless-appearing container held such a beautiful creature... awaiting the right moment to begin its brief, but beautiful life journey. They learned a lesson about patient observation.They also learned firsthand, never to take what they see around them for granted. And they never shall! Each and every time that they see one of its kind flitting about as they do each summer, they will relive that precious moment of wonder and discovery. I hope that they remember to thank their Father for his gift of love and time that he offered here... and on every day in their still wee lives! "He" is a special Father indeed. Deb and I are both very proud of the Girls... and the loving Parents!

Spell bound... in the clutches of mystery and discovery.... Indelible knowledge!

True mirth and Joy!... A three-ringed seat at the Circus of Creation... No price of admission!

I will turn my attention way from the girls' experience, though not away from the subject of wonder because I have chosen to discuss how one can continue to keep that "Child within" in each of us alive... still arduously searching and seeking out wonder in our hum-drum daily lives. Choosing to paint outdoors... or en plein air, as the "go phrase" describes the practice these days, does not necessarily elevate any artist above others who paint in the studio from sketches or digital files. However... painting outdoors during all seasons does give any artist who makes the effort an edge in providing a vast treasury of knowledge which Nature offers through more than purely visual stimuli and experience. Just walking "out there" on a regular basis avails one of experiences that both enrich and familiarize one with the graphic detail and situations which arouse both wonder and the creative spirit.That opportunity  to grow and learn does not depend in any way on one's proficiency, or level of achievement as an artist. It's really just like an "open book exam"... offered by enlightened educators who teach and focus upon focus on things other than regurgitation on teacher-based and biased "exam" items.

Consider this quote as a launch platform for your own artistic journey into a vast Universe of Possibility and self-initiated discovery:

"O young artist, you search for a subject - everything is a subject. Your subject is yourself, your impressions, your emotions in the presence of nature."

These are the words of Eugene Delacroix... lest you think them mine. They are however, a perfect simile to describe my own feelings about how I enter the creative process fully on my own terms for the most part. Inspiration lies in my passion within... and without. It is derived directly from my years of experience outdoors... whether painting or not. The two however, have become virtually inseparable... for one meshes almost seamlessly with the other. It becomes such a pleasurable experience and past time for me that the painting success has become secondary to the actual act of simply communing and discovering more pieces of the puzzle that is... Creation. Simultaneously... "I" am... "One with Creation... and the Creator. I am in the only Cathedral necessary for "Me" to give praise and thanks. In my place of worship neither dogma... myth nor fear governs my thoughts or actions. Just Peace and a sense of knowing that "I" belong... on my own terms and Faith!

Still pokin' away at the 7x5 inch watercolour and ink sketches... More to post later on the weekend, or early next week. Havin' fun... "Cruisin' down the River"... amongst the Islands! HA HA!!!

One last thought from a famous and respected Canadian photographer who has haunted Waterton Lake in The Canadian Rockies for his entire life... seeking out solitude... inspiration and his own wonder:

"Art... is the union of idea and craft."

 Wonder commences with first light....

Constantly morphing... becoming another moment... filled with more wonder and majesty.
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And out on that same ice minutes later... one of out four resident bald eagles takes up his early regular morning fishing spot... awaiting a possible breakfast.

A "regular"....rat-a-tatting hairy woodpecker at our suet cage

A winter plumage needy yellow American Goldfinch male.... making a seed withdrawal at our local food bank.

And a surprise and unexpected daylight cameo appearance by our nightly red fox... Guess bird seed is not his thing! The ears tell you he's not satisfied by our drive thru' offerings!

Just a dusky drama I couldn't pass up... though it plays regularly each and every day usually... right across the street from Islesview.

Last fall... on one of my tromps through Ivy Lea Park... long after the summer campers had disappeared... I found this wonderful inspiring site. Sat a few minutes and just drank it all in. Solitude... and Peace... "still waters."

Two weeks ago I was playing in my sketch book... long after the fall experience was anything more than a sweet memory... "Snippits"... shorthand for me to better search and understand...

A preliminary ink rendering to expand upon the possibility... still just that... "possibility

 But... "I" ... wonder!

Pretty much describes it for me accurately...succinctly. Craftsmanship only comes from ideas... and hard work...  consistently over time. There are no shortcuts!

I am deeply blessed... and offer that "You" can be too... and on your own terms!

I still "wonder"after all the years passed... just as Ava and Ella have just begun to... early in their wee lives! Thanks Mom and Dad for encouraging and valuing my wonder!

Good Painting!... and rich blessings!