Life is...

Life is...

  Today I attended the Night Heron Artist Group meeting, a gathering on Thursday. Meeting new people, seeing the pictures of existing members, and showing my pictures is refreshing.

  ​It was a cold and windy day. On days when the temperature drops and the wind blows, the color and appearance of the sea change. The familiar and peaceful appearance of the past shows a strange side in a completely different way to where it has gone.

 Probably, there are many variables, such as the difference in light and shade created by the rippling waves, the concentration of white light reflected by the clouds in the sky, and the color change depending on the temperature of the water and sunlight.

 Wouldn't it be great if I could capture these variety according to the temperature, wind, and vibe in a picture? It's not just the always brilliant and fantastic sea.

  ​The work completed with this hope is the two tulips below.

 April feels like spring has come after a long winter, but the days are still chilly and windy. At this time, we can see the tulips swarming and swaying elegantly. Beautiful flowers are holding up with thin stems that look fragile in such strong winds. Like other flowers, it does not repeat the blooming and falling of several flowers, but repeats opening and closing of petals with a single stem in a single blossom.

 That is why it becomes difficult to easily purchase tulip bouquets after we plant and grow tulips in our own yard. When a single flower is cut, we have to wait another year to see the flower. This waiting time and regret seems to be very similar to our lives.

  ​Today's meeting introduced cards and letters from the husband of an artist.
 
The artist's name is Sharon Way-Howard.  Here is her short statement on the backside of her business card. 

I am an artist. 
It is my life. 
It's how I see everything.
Drawing and painting is not something I do, 
But rather, it is what makes me, me.
My art is not an escape.
It is my home,
Where I belong.
My art is a life-long adventure, 
Helped along by many special people.
If you enjoy what I create, 
We will enjoy beauty together.
We will communicate, without words, 
And you will know me. 

  As she said, art is not a world or a means to escape from the pain, hardship, and wounds of the world, but it is just like coming home, resting and cozy feeling, even if we have suffered a lot of pain, wounds and suffering from the world. This is our house.

  She passed away suddenly on Sunday, January 30 at her home. She had successfully responded to lung cancer treatment. But she passed away at the age of 70.

  ​Below is her official website.

  ​The picture of a winter blanket on the main page of her official website was very familiar to me. Because in the winter of 2021, when it snowed a lot, my husband took a picture of it. It is covered with snow on and around the fragile, dry plants that seem to struggle to survive the long harsh winter. But what makes this landscape so beautiful even though it looks lonely and desperate? Perhaps our lives are like that. It seems to be a work that captures this kind of life and the scenery of nature.