The last two years has had me in a constant state of motion. Since selling our house and moving to South Carolina, we have been traveling, demolishing, farming and schooling. Meanwhile, our belongings have been packed in boxes awaiting their big reveal when we finally complete our house remodel. When I ponder what to paint, I am struck with questions like, “Where would I put it?” “ What do I want to see, or say?” “What is my style even?”
Last month, I struggled to answer these questions during an artist workshop. After trying too hard and being frustrated, a little butterfly lit upon a hat in front of me. That evening I painted this picture.
I wrote about my struggle and epiphany here:
Since that great experience, butterflies have been flitting in and out of my view. The bright yellow ones especially, seem to say, “oh, look at that! There is beauty everywhere.” At the same time, I have been admiring and studying the little mushrooms that are colonizing my yard. My husband and I started to realize the value of the pretty orange ones (chanterelles) and started looking for information on selling these little piles of gold. Turns out there is a lot that goes into foraging mushrooms.
https://mushroommountain.com/mushroom-id-classes/
We decided that one of us needed to get certified. Since I couldn't stop picking and cooking, and painting and photographing them, I should be the one to study them. I had been content to consider all the other mushrooms in my yard a mystery, but in a couple of weeks I will know more about mushrooms than I ever imagined. Not only will I confidently put too many mushrooms in every meal, I will take my certified #ZionShrooms to market. I can keep spending my days under my tree either picking or painting. Just know, even though it looks like I am playing, I am hard at work.
Hard at Work