the rebirth of spirng

Blooming flowers, longer days, cherry blossoms, sunshine, dogwood, sun showers, big billowy clouds against blue skies, drinking wine on the balcony with friends, and painting, what’s not to love about spring.

Admittedly, winters in the DC area are nothing compared to those of some of the other places I’ve lived, Chicago, Denver, and Milwaukee, but there’s the same sense of lethargic hibernation that occurs for me regardless of my domicile. Mostly, I don’t like to be cold.

So far this spring temperatures have been cooler and it seems to me that we’ve had a lot of rain. That hasn’t stopped the seasonal rebirth from occurring. The colors are spectacular as the budding trees glow their golden green in the sun and the recently barren earth bursts with a dappled array of color.

As I’m painting this spring, I reminded that my plein air kit needs an adjustment from a winter to a spring palette; swapping out the grayed hues for brighter greens and a larger variety of pinks, purples, and blues. It’s just another reminder of rebirth and growth. A time to venture into new landscapes and embrace the experiences that will shape who we are as people and artists tomorrow.

"All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up." —Pablo Picasso