9×12 oil
My morning meditation thought — As you build homes, doing all the tasks of daily life, remember to take time to look up.
While looking at my “to do” list of tasks that needed to be taken care of, the sounds of birds and beautiful light beckoned me outside to paint! Grabbing my gear, I walked around to find something to paint. I decided to focus on the bluebird house that my husband built. The warm light hit across the tree where it was hanging. I thought of the bluebirds that would soon begin building nests inside as spring approaches.
Some artists wear earbuds while they paint outside. They are missing the point! The sounds of birds and other creatures of nature is one of the senses that draws me outside to plein air painting.
As I painted the box, a repetitive bird sound caused me to look above me. It was a bright red cardinal! The rhythm of his call could have been, “Hey, why don’t you look up?” As I lifted my eyes to the sky, spotted him among the beauty of branches, and inhaled fresh air, my spirit soared. I was refreshed as I remembered that it is easy to be absorbed in the shadows of life around us. But, when we lift our eyes and spirit toward The Creator God, we are refreshed. Once again, I’m in awe of the beauty of the earth and comforted by the spirit of the Lord, and ready to move ahead to the tasks of the day.
(I videoed the cardinal singing in the treetops. You can find it on my Instagram account @melaniestokesart.)
