One of Those Days…

Today was one of those days… you know, when you have a “to do” list that needs doing, you are supposed to be somewhere to meet someone, the weather is finally looking springy and you want to be outside, and then you realize you can’t decide where to begin.  SO you just go in the studio and get lost in paint.

As I was sorting through projects, I came upon a canvas I had painted over  already. There were hydrangeas on the first layer, an abstract I had started on top of that, and today I just picked a few  colors and pulled paint over the already bumpy texture.  As I was doing this, mindlessly, and waiting for inspiration to hit, I noticed a landscape hanging in my line of vision that had the same dimensions as this canvas.  What if I followed the lines of the landscape, but made this one more abstract and used these cool blues and greens instead of the yellows and oranges in the first one?

melaniestokesart.com
Another Day 11×14 acrylic $125

Hours later, a painting emerged that I like.  And my mind began to draw conclusions. There are days when it feels like things don’t fall into place.  There are days when life overwhelms us.  There are days when we just have to give God the tired self that we are and see what He can do with it.  We might just come out “repurposed,” “recycled,” and “renewed!”   And ready to tackle more of the “to do” list tomorrow.  I’m hoping so.

Somebody’s Grandma Lived Here

melaniestokesart.com
This Old House
16×20 oil – SOLD

When I ride past an old house like this, I’m drawn to the image.  The architectural lines, the crumbling exterior, the welcoming porches, the trees framing and softening the landscape… And then my mind begins to imagine, “who lived here in days past?  how many children played in the yard?  did the family survive the hard times?  did someone remember to go back and visit?”

This old house is in Cadley, Georgia.  I don’t know anything about it, except the location.  I stopped to take a photo one morning simply because it was there in its worn, aged beauty.   Yet, to someone, somewhere, this house has meaning.  Someone’s Grandma probably lived here!

I have noticed, in recent days, some activity around this house that suggests renovation.  Oh, that we could look on all places and all people as something that has meaning to someone — something to respect and restore, to cherish, to ponder and to share.