As you paint, do you pay attention to the connections between light and dark; color values that seep together or stand in beautiful contrast with each other? There is an energy that flows between areas of your painting that builds your compositional story.

I take Pilates with a delightful group of people every week. I so enjoy learning about the bones and muscles in our bodies that operate seamlessly (most of the time) to move us forward, backward, and into connection with each other. We learn about tensile connections that allow us to move and accomplish our daily goals. The bones, muscles, and nerves are one system that we hardly think about as we live each day. What a miracle our bodies are!

I began to think about how that same divine energy connects everything. During a trip to North Georgia with friends last autumn, a beautifully lit plot of grasses caught my attention. Pulling out my phone, I took a quick shot and didn't think about it until we began to talk about tensile energy and connection in Pilates. I pulled out that photo and began to paint. The grasses blend into the sky, small bugs cloud around the tops of the grass and fully bloomed grass tassels top each stem.

See the opening paint strokes below as I began to lay down paint, taking great joy in the opening values and energy of the painting. My thoughts originally ran to the bands of color that connect each section of the painting. Lines of similar colors  and values were broken by small drops of light. The more I worked, the more excited I became with the possibilities of tensile connection between each area. 

As the tops of the abstract grass became more prominent, I began to want more organic shapes to contrast and yet still connect with the lines and light depicted above the base of the art. These forms and the rich darks began to "ground" the painting, yet were still a part of the one-ness that built upon the energy of the painting. The finished product is Grass Lumens, a study in connection and light. 

There are life similarities that I hope this painting will continue to stir in me. We are all connected; the good, the bad, the in-between. Some of the connections are strong, some are so weak that they are barely discernible. But like the Butterfly Effect, we all influence our existence together. Life together can be rich as we share our experiences. I hope that as you work in your creative endeavors today, that you find connections beyond yourself adding rich experiences to your present and future.

Happy creations!

M