My Dance with a Paintbrush Karen Fitzsimons
“So You Think You Can Dance”is a popular T.V. show where very young talented dancers come before a panel of judges to be critiqued. These young dancers have put their whole heart and souls into every movement. They have committed hours and hours of hard work, discipline and passion to go before this panel. Many times after all their hard work they are told “You did very well, but you have to go deeper” and then they are told again to “Go even deeper.”
I believe that each of us has a divine seed asking us to go deeper and then even deeper. This seed waits patiently for us to notice and if we do, little by little it will keep showing up in our lives. If we really pay attention it will start to grow and eventually, with discipline and passion, it will burst open.
My seed is painting and that seed has always been with me. Even though I have been painting my whole life, it is only recently that I can say: “I am a Painter.” It has taken me years to develop my skills and to gain the confidence to say: “I AM A PAINTER.” The paintings guide me now. They are almost always inspired by nature. My morning run on a rural road has been my greatest teacher. Everyday there is a new painting. Each season stretches me to see things differently and to learn to use a new color palette.
The influence of those young dancers stays with me. They have taught me to dance with a paintbrush.
In this very busy world, it is my hope that the viewers of my work slow down for just a moment to feel my experience in nature. What a gift we have with this beautiful landscape that surrounds us all.
“So You Think You Can Dance”is a popular T.V. show where very young talented dancers come before a panel of judges to be critiqued. These young dancers have put their whole heart and souls into every movement. They have committed hours and hours of hard work, discipline and passion to go before this panel. Many times after all their hard work they are told “You did very well, but you have to go deeper” and then they are told again to “Go even deeper.”
I believe that each of us has a divine seed asking us to go deeper and then even deeper. This seed waits patiently for us to notice and if we do, little by little it will keep showing up in our lives. If we really pay attention it will start to grow and eventually, with discipline and passion, it will burst open.
My seed is painting and that seed has always been with me. Even though I have been painting my whole life, it is only recently that I can say: “I am a Painter.” It has taken me years to develop my skills and to gain the confidence to say: “I AM A PAINTER.” The paintings guide me now. They are almost always inspired by nature. My morning run on a rural road has been my greatest teacher. Everyday there is a new painting. Each season stretches me to see things differently and to learn to use a new color palette.
The influence of those young dancers stays with me. They have taught me to dance with a paintbrush.
In this very busy world, it is my hope that the viewers of my work slow down for just a moment to feel my experience in nature. What a gift we have with this beautiful landscape that surrounds us all.
