You may not think art and the weather are very closely related. But for me, these two are intertwined. I’m a summer girl through and through. I love the hot sunshine and the long days. The garden is m happy place and in the heat of summer I can grow just about anything from tomatoes to morning glories and everything in between. Adventuring with the kids is so fun in the summer! We set up the sprinkler, make popsicles, head to splash parks, and go swimming.
We love summer
Kate enjoying a local splash pad last summer.
So what does this have to do with art? As much as I love summer, we have 3 other seasons to endure—I mean, enjoy. Each has their merits and I am learning to embrace the cyclical rhythm of the seasons. But in my heart I just love summer. So in the winter I can feel a bit slow and lacking in creativity. I want to snuggle in watching TV and eating oreos.
As we transition from winter to spring I feel the familiar hope of longer days and warmer weather. I’ve been painting with citrus inspired colors and bright greens to warm up my spirit. Just last week I wandered through the orchard and animal pastures in search of tiny buds. Most trees are still dormant and the forest is a mix of gray and brown, but the willow tree by the goat barn has the tiniest leaves peeking out.
Painting the winter blues away with spring time trees
Maybe in the heat of summer I’ll be painting raindrops and oceans and snowflakes in an attempt to cool myself down! For now, I’m practicing gratitude for each day and painting cheerful summer across the pages of my sketchbook while I wait (not so patiently) for the return of summer!
