Inside Looking Out, Part III

"Red Clay Next Door"
12 x 9, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2020

The top photo shows the first painting in my recent "Inside Looking Out" series. I painted this one looking out the window at my surroundings, and something about it sparked a desire to explore the surroundings further. That's the way it tends to happen--I seldom start out with the express intention of producing a series of paintings. Instead, one painting triggers a desire that leads to more paintings in the same vein, and voila!, there is a series.

View out the Window

As for this particular series, all have been painted during the pandemic restrictions, looking out my studio window. I find that simply paying attention to the things around you is a way to stay centered and grounded, and to relish the joys of the everyday. Furthermore, it is one of the most important skills of a perceptual painter. 

Julia Cameron has written about this concept in her book The Artist's Way. She writes:

The quality of life is in proportion,

always,

to the capacity for delight.

The capacity for delight is the gift of

paying attention.

Moreover, Cameron notes that "The reward for paying attention is always healing."  

"Bungalows"
10 x 10, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2020

Yes, paying attention is a gift, but it is also a practice that can be cultivated. Quiet times are fertile grounds for cultivation of this gift.  I'll be working hard on paying attention these days. It's a useful practice to keep in mind, not just during the time of the pandemic, but always!