Why Sunsets?

This fall my art show is a little different than usual; instead of showcasing the jewelry I designed over the summer, I am showing a collection of my paintings. Here is what I wrote for the show.

Why Sunsets?

Sunsets speak of rhythm to me. In places where you can watch the sun rise or set into the horizon, people fall into a holy rhythm.  They pause.  They gather.  They are often quiet, some taking moments to marvel at the glory of creation - the color, the light, the clouds. We bid farewell to the day whether it was glorious, challenging, or just plain boring. Then we wait for the promise that follows each sunset, a new day. Morning comes and God’s mercies begin anew.

Why Painting?

Painting started for me with a botanical drawing & painting book when I was a teenager. The first painting I remember doing was a jack-in-the-pulpit (it still hangs in my studio).  My parents encouraged my new found interest with some painting classes - one in rosemaling and a few one-day classes in watercolor (Thank you, Mom and Dad!).  

I continued to dabble with painting through high school, and when I started college, I declared Art as my major.  During my freshman year, I studied oil painting and realized that there was so much to learn. By the first semester of my sophomore year, I was seriously sidetracked by an Introduction to Silversmithing course.  I never took another painting class again.

I got stopped in my silversmithing tracks in 2020 when I slipped on the ice and broke my wrist. As part of the healing process, my amazing physical therapist prescribed painting 10 minutes every day to rebuild all the little muscles in my broken wrist.  I started with a painting of my sweet dog . . . and I have been painting ever since.