What does it take to make us slow down and appreciate the simple things?
I will be 40 in a matter of days and I think I have only recently really learned how to sit still and breathe. Breathe and enjoy.
When we see a headshot portrait of someone, we immediately recognize the intended subject and take a second to examine the sitter. If we are presented with the portrait of a flower, will we take a second to appreciate the sitter?
"Sacrifice" 18"x18" by Melissa Muehleisen, 2018.
In my floral work I am searching for the essence of the flower using the dramatic dance of light and shade.
As a student of thermodynamics, I contemplate the blooms as the result of the expenditure of great quantities of energy. Each cell went through transformations to become the flower. From a thermodynamic standpoint, I imagine that each bloom or fruit (or root for that matter) has quite the story to tell.
If the entire universe tends toward entropy (disorder), then growth requires a constant struggle against unseen forces.
To appreciate the bloom is to see only a transitory phase in the life cycle of a living thing. So as I paint the beauty around me and beg time to slow down while I watch my baby grow quickly into a toddler, I like the words of Marty Rubin:
“The beauty of this day does not depend on its lasting forever.”
This is an idea I try to remember in all seasons. I have had dark seasons before this one. My art was different. I was different. Seasons change, slowly or suddenly and so sadly, I recall "this too shall pass."
