Reflections of the Heart

Do you need to know the struggle it was to write this piece? Well, no. . . . but it will give you a little more insight into how this evolution and struggle landed me where I am today.

When I started to work on sharing my thoughts, I began creating an edgy, artsy and minimalist sort of poem by saying a lot with very few words. I still love this idea but it didn't feel like, well, me. How could I convey my thoughts, inspiration, and process authentically and take you on an exciting journey where you see what I see and feel what I feel? I'm going to need all the best adjectives and lots of them. For now, my attempts at Taoism will have to wait. It was very important for me to really Dive Deep and share something more with you. Here we go. . . . Don't hold on, let go.

This may come as a surprise to you, but anyone can learn to paint. Really?! Yes, really. But, can you put your feelings, love and passion into your painting? The fundamentals of painting (composition, value, line, perspective, color theory etc.) are available everywhere. How you feel about what you want to paint is an experience. It can elevate your work to another stratosphere. Let's put your feelings into the mix and see what glorious magic happens.

I'm going to hug your heart with my thoughts and ignite your senses by taking you with me to the sea. Sharing the emotion and energy that I feel when I'm in the zone, time stands still and I'm in a euphoric state of creating, painting what I love, waves.

First take your time, slow down, breathe, embrace the joy of taking this moment to really see and feel the magic. I can wait. Take a few more deep breaths, as many as you need until you feel your heartbeat and breath slowing and your eyes resting on the vision in front of you. Let go and and reach for unabandoned curiosity. Imagine we are standing on a beach somewhere, anywhere in the world.

Let's find our favorite one. Our toes rest in the soft golden sand and the water is gently lapping at our feet. We can even hold hands and smile from ear to ear. This adventure is better because we are together. Our hearts skip a beat. The scene before us takes our breath away. We can't stop ourselves from feeling the pure joy of this moment in time. Beautiful cerulean, ultramarine, sea glass, olive colors with gold and silver sparkles dance on the crests of the exhilarating waves. The surf crashing over while the white surf embraces the shallow teal water over the golden sand that reaches and tickles our happy feet. Deep plum, green and terracotta reflections are dappled under and around the rocks in our periphery. Read this paragraph again as if this was our chorus and our refrain. The crashing waves and surf are creating a symphony that we never tire of hearing. (I hope this is the song that gets stuck in my head today.)

Ok, fellow adventurer and ocean lover, this part is the crescendo. My favorite part of this melodic aquatic phenomenon is being here with you on the shore while watching the waves roll over and reveal the exciting depth of colors within. We watch the split second when the crest of the wave is at its highest. The wave thins at the top and the sun is invited to reveal the soul of our wave. It happens so fast: the color of the light within the wave is a gradient gift of aqua and turquoise, revealed just for us. We are delighted and grateful for our own private concert. And as long as we like, the waves show us their skillful choreography. And guess what? We can stay as long as we like. There is no rush. We are invited to come back another day for a different concert and it will be just as inspiring and thrilling.

If we learn to feel and fall in love before we create, then when we set up our easel and apply the fundamentals of art, we let go and imagine what is fleeting and possible at the same moment. We impart our passion and love of what we are painting and our viewer is enthralled, transported and even healed. We are so lucky to affect the current and capture the feeling we have for what we are painting.

Now is Here.

Create the Life you want.

Find Compassion.

Fall in Love.

Paint.

Share.

Repeat.

Lisa Skelly is a pastel artist who loves painting the ocean. She is the Owner/Artist of Huse Skelly Gallery on Balboa Island in Southern California. She hopes to cross paths with all of you. She is excited to share stories, joy, gifts, inspiration and love for all beings on our beautiful planet.