Gathering Inspiration Outside the Medium

“To behold with awe is to see things filled with their own light…”

Now that my exhibition has passed and I have a fresh supply of blank canvases waiting in my studio, I’m in inspiration-gathering mode. Recently I traveled to Portland, Oregon with my companion Ann, who is a fiber artist. I found unexpected inspiration observing her choose patterns for sweaters sporting geometric lines, curves, textures, and colors…fabulous colors! Together we visited shops selling yarn, fabric, and buttons. Imagine a store that sells only buttons!

The gal in the button shop knew her buttons with an unmistakable passion. When presented with Ann’s recently purchased yarn and pattern, she selected the perfect buttons for a sweater in two minutes flat. The joy I observed from these shops’ staff doing what they loved made me stand in awe.

I recently read “Opening Our Moral Eye” by M. C. Richards, who eloquently says, “To behold with awe is to see things filled with their own light, their own Bit of Being, and to be moved by the sense of the numinous. This light and this bit of being are gifts of creation. As gifts they fill us with awe.” She goes on to say that awe is, “Like a child who comes running with its latest scribble or mud-pie and says SEE WHAT I MADE FOR YOU! Awe, delight, love!”

That same passion I saw on my trip runs through me as I paint. I am anxious to get back to those blank canvases in my studio!