Hope 48

Hope 48

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

I have been busy celebrating big birthdays and attending to the business of living but I haven't given up on Hope. This week my gardenia bloomed for the first time since 2017. Simply beautiful, that creamy white nestled in a sea of green. And the fragrance! I can't get enough of it.

Hope 47

Hope 47

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

Like a dream, the day unfolded. Family, fresh air, conversation and kite flying in the warm afternoon breeze. 
And then they were gone, their presence fresh in our hearts and minds. 

Hope 46

Hope 46

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

A friend brought us a loaf of homemade bread yesterday. 

The staff of life. Beautiful and sustaining, wholesome, and good. I imagined her combining ingredients, kneading, rising, baking, and how the fragrance must have filled her kitchen. And then the thought to send it our way.  A simple gift imbued with patience and love. Connection made through a loaf of bread. Hope shows up when one least expects it.

Hope 45

Hope 45

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

These creatures are endlessly entertaining. I could watch them all day. Thank goodness for all God's creatures.

Hope 44

Hope 44

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

The moon rose last night momentarily quieting the panic that is all consuming.

Hope 43

Hope 43

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

Shadows of weeds growing along the curb caught my eye as I walked with my friend this week. Unintentional art, found art, nature. Whatever it is, it stands out now, when time is standing still, and we crave some sign that there is still some beauty and order left in the world. It was a welcome respite from all that is wrong, to come upon and notice a simple visual surprise created by nothing more than weeds and sunshine in the middle of the day.

Hope 42

Hope 42

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

I woke up feeling low today. I wasn't sure what to paint or if I would even try. It is hot, and the news is sad and horrifying on every front.

Watching the lizards going about their little lives was reassuring.

And then I tuned into "A Conversation with President Obama: Reimagining Policing In the Wake of Continued Police Violence." It was just the infusion of inspiration and hope I needed to get through another day, seeing a glimmer of hope for the future.  

Hope 41

Hope 41

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

Seeing anything but darkness is getting harder by the hour, but seeing the first Queen Anne's Lace blooming by the front gate this morning did lift my spirits a little.  

Some say it is a weed. For others, including me and my friend, Ann, it is a favorite flower.

After admiring the upstarts (which by the way were started from seeds from my daughter's wedding bouquet 9 years ago, the flowers for which I picked along the highway) I started pulling star thistle which is what I call a real weed. Unlike the invisible Covid virus, prickly star thistle is an enemy we can see and feel. Pulling it out of the ground is satisfying, if endless, work, providing a momentary illusion of control while the world falls into chaos around us.