Speaking of Art Blog

Quiet Interlude, pastel, 11x14"

I don’t know about you, but lately I’m needing an extra heaping helping of calm and relaxation.  I need to regularly let go of my pent-up stress from watching the news.  I just want to escape, and I hear that same sentiment coming from friends and my art students too.  We are on overload.

So how do I get my head right again each time I feel overwhelmed?  I do two main things.  First, I spend time every nice day taking a hike at the Indiana Dunes.  I used to try to squeeze my hikes in when I had a little extra time, but these days it’s at the top of my list.  In fact, if I find myself getting so busy that I feel like I could burst, then it’s time for me to take an extra long hike and cancel whatever is on my calendar that stands in the way of exercising.  Immersing myself in nature, always with my camera in tow so that I can fully concentrate on photographing what is in front of me, is the daily medicine I crave.

But there’s also another escape mechanism that I find essential to my life and that’s creating my artwork.  Totally getting in the zone at my easel is so refreshing.  My stress melts away and for short bursts of time I can let the world’s merry-go-round go spinning around without me.

What I’m finding so intriguing is that I am drawn as of late to painting scenes that are tranquil and peaceful, like my latest depiction of a quiet small section of shallow blue water with rhythmical ripples and a single water lily at the Great Marsh of the Indiana Dunes.  Something about this scene took my breath away as soon as I snapped the picture.  I questioned why it captured my attention so strongly, and I was interested to find one possible answer when I googled what the color blue does to people emotionally when they see it in a painting or on the walls in a room.

Blue has a calming effect on us humans.  It has been shown to reduce stress, lower a person’s heart rate and blood pressure, and increase their concentration and productivity.  Wow, just what my mind and body ordered!  Oh, and a painting that includes a water lily besides, harks back to Monet’s world famous and globally recognized calming water lilies painting series.  So, there ya go.  No wonder I was drawn to this scene.  I NEEDED to paint it.

But in the process of painting tranquil scenes, I’m finding that I have unexpectedly discovered a third escape mechanism; it’s my sharing of my calming artwork with all of you.  Even thinking about the possibility of my being able to bring peace and calm to other people through their viewing and enjoyment of my artistic creations gives me a beautiful fulfilling feeling that makes my tension dissolve.  So, if you own a piece of my artwork, I want to thank you for liking it enough to purchase it.  That truly makes me feel blessed and at peace. 

Art is not an option.  It is essential for our emotional and cognitive health.  May we all immerse ourselves in it on a regular basis when we are overwhelmed by life’s difficulties.  Oh, and I just may need to place an order for some more blue pastel sticks.  A few of mine are pretty thin and small right now.  I need some more calming blue dust ASAP.  Hmm, does ordering more art supplies help to calm me?  I’m an artist, so of course it does!  That’s escape mechanism number four.