By Tracey Maras
A painting can take us back to an earlier time. It may bring back a touch of nostalgia, a flood of memories, almost perceptible sensations, or a variety of emotions. Sometimes we are blessed by all of these.
When sorting through paintings for a couple of upcoming shows, I stumbled across a painting from a few years ago. Upon seeing it, first there was that sense of nostalgia as I reminisced about a lifetime of road trip vacations.
This particular painting triggered memories of a camping trip to the Grand Tetons. Camping with friends. Watching the twice daily “stampede” of bison across the main roadway. Unexpectedly finding myself between two male moose who were having a staredown. The smell of sage. The morning mist rolling over the mountains. And the evergreens. The glorious evergreens.
When I later decided to develop a workshop about painting trees, I knew those evergreens would stand at the forefront. The painting “Stepping Onto Nature’s Stage” was also the cornerstone of inspiration for the tutorial blog I developed for Unison Colour Pastels.
Stepping Onto Nature’s Stage (original), by Tracey Maras
So many memories held within one painting.
But as I looked at the painting, my artist’s eye began picking the painting apart. Was it perfect? No. Nothing is ever truly perfect. But could it be better?
The original painting captured a specific location. A location locked in my memories, but unknown to the average viewer. And I decided the painting didn’t need to be about that specific location anymore. I carry its memories in me.
It was time to let the painting grow and become something more.
We grow. We change over time. We travel life’s roads. Will we ever be perfect? No. But we give ourselves permission to try to be better.
So I guess this painting has become something more. It has become an analogy for the life I want to live.
Stepping Onto Nature’s Stage (final), by Tracey Maras