beautiful life

I wasn't sure how to finish this collection but I knew I needed to paint ivy. If you remember I went to help my parents pack up to move from their home of 31 years. This home held so many memories for our family; dinners around the table, ordinary life, celebrations and heartbreak, new life and death, friends and family.

Again, I'm sharply aware of the way nature has been speaking to me. I walked around the property one last time, trying to soak in all the memories. I spent some time taking photos of the house and my favorite places, and I captured the ivy, which covered large areas around the house.

I found myself thinking of all the homes we've lived in over the years and the constancy of home. I've always felt safe and loved and comforted, but it's not without its difficulties. Life is both complex and simple, hard and fun, ugly and beautiful.

I painted this ivy as a way to remember this life that I've been blessed to experience. The nice thing about getting older is being able to look back on all the life you've lived and lessons you've learned and say, "I can't get enough of this beautiful life." It's truly a gift.

Beautiful Life is an original pencil and acrylic painting. It's painted on 8"x8"x1 1/2" gallery wrapped canvas. Visit more of the Emerging collection.