I had a wave of sadness come over me this week, not sure if it is one thing that triggered it, but the arrival of autumn-and you know of all people I welcome it with open arms-can also bring a certain meloncholy, a wave of nostalgia that can't always be relieved.
I think all the photos online of people sending their kids off to school might have started it. Just took me back to the realm of life that felt so safe-of course, we forget children have anxiety too. We gloss over all that and have a recording in our head and heart of what we want in the picture, not necessarily what was there.
When I was coming home the other day from my ride, I saw the beautiful images of the sheep on the hills, and the foreboding grey clouds above them. A painting, I thought. So yesterday I had that scene on my mind when I sat down to paint. But I couldn't paint what I had seen. I just wanted to bring a donkey and beautiful sunflowers to me. When in need, a donkey seems to come into the picture. There are plenty of little foreboding bits in this piece, if you can see past the pretty colors.
But it is a cheerful piece I think, and I guess it is what I needed to see.
