Roses, from rain… en plein air, France. ©Susan Morrison Sims
(acrylic on unstretched canvas. approx 14.5″ x 16.5″ Click on image to see complete painting)
~~
They must often change,
who would be constant in
happiness or wisdom.
~Confucius
~~
I am struggling for words this afternoon…can you imagine that? ha! I think that is why I decided to show you this piece painted en plein air in France. It was painted over another piece..one of struggles. The other four pieces, I’ll eventually post, are probably more of what you are expecting..landscape paintings from that area. Well maybe, you know I tend to step into my own little world when I paint…right? eh, eh
On the last day of painting, before a road trip to Lyon, I was painting, re-painting, and RE-PAINTING a landscape. I started it the very first day of painting, and I was VERY frustrated with it! :o Then on top of that the weather changed and a gentle rain began, which quickly turned into a steady drizzle. So I had no choice but to pack up and head back to the villa…which only added to my frustration! I walked under a certain window, as I often had while staying there. Alas this time, despite the rain, I found myself standing there mesmerized by the beautiful roses caressing the window and wall. In awe and enchanted by their simple beauty in the rain…my frustration simply dissipated and happiness filled the space. I then knew what I wanted and needed to paint that morning.
I spotted a large umbrella on the patio and moved it beneath the little window and set up to paint roses OVER the frustrating landscape (things of life). The rain not only continued, it strengthened and it was challenging to keep everything dry..including the canvas. I painted for about 45 minutes until my palette and my canvas were a mix of paint and rain. I decided to just let it be, as you see it here. So I can honestly say..this painting is of roses, from rain.
This painting (and this post) are metaphors for some recent events in my life and in a friend’s.
Life is constant change
and
one never knows what wisdom or gifts
are contained
within the change.
I am dedicating this post to Stephanie, my wonderful framer and wonderful friend. I have often mentioned her here. Sadly she is closing her shop, and today is her last day. I have witnessed her strength and determination to adjust and embrace change, and I admire and respect her more than ever! May good energies abound on her new path, and YES I am saying it, corny as it may be, I can’t help myself….I am wishing her Roses, from rain.
I am wishing the same for all of us,
love, light, and laughter,
~gypsy-he♥rt
~♥~
Lovely! Simply magically lovely!
Good words about change for all of us…no matter where we are at in life.
And quite timely for me as well….
Thank you for sharing your words and your art. I love that you have rain from France in your painting. :)
nice words for your friend…these are hard times :( especially for a small business owner…
It is a wonderful moment to hold onto, that feeling that shines thru this glorious painting, the sheer beauty and love of painting, for the sake of love and art.
It’s lovely, and I hope that there are many roses for your most beloved friend…
(((HUGS)))
Good Evening Dearest Gypsy-Heart!
I LOVE when you post!
I get so excited to see you on my reader!!!
Oh, my…what a wonderful piece that goes so beautifully with your words.
This post gave me wonderful goose bumps because change is such a theme in my own life.
I’ve learned that change takes me where I need to go, and always brings me to a place that I never imagine for myself!
I fear change, but I also welcome it.
Thank you for always sharing your journey with us, dear friend!
For through your sharing…we are reminded!
LOVE YA!!!
Sometimes “serendipity” simply says it all.
What a marvelous stroke of luck that it rained that day – and that it fell around and past you without dampening your creative force in the least.
That window framed by sweet smelling roses mingled with the scent of fresh fallen rain is captured by your awesome paintbrush.
And I too, have had the good fortune to encounter and the great pleasure of talking to Stephanie. I will hope the same “serendipity” comes to her as came to you – and that change shows its bright half for her.
Change is good. Change is a god and entity in its own right. I am glad someone else reveres its influence as much as I do.
The roses look lovely. I’m sure it would look just as ethereal without the rain, but it does add a another dimension of texture, like looking through the water.
Your account of it reminds me of excerpts I have read on artists that purposefully place items of themselves or their environment in the image like pieces of their clothes or hair or blades of grass, etc. I forget which artists that act is in reference to, but it always highly intrigued me. Life as art, art as life.
The meditative state comes through your work amazingly clear to me.
Love it, stunning, and hypnotic!
Beautiful Gypsy heart… another masterpiece from your brush and your heart… Blessings and Peace
I love the painting. It reminds me of the streets of St. Etienne where my grandfather grew up. I love the words of wisdom about change. So very true. I hope your friend finds a wonderul new possibility opening up for her–perhaps many of them to choose from.
♥ Melissa~ I do love “magically”, so thank you!
♥ Anjolie~ It is timely for you..moving is certainly a major change. I am looking forward to hearing about your adventures.
I like the rain in the piece too, and I thank you for taking the time to look at my work and read my words. :)
♥ Anonymous~ Hello and thank you for taking the time to leave a note. She deserves nice and more, she is a good soul! I agree, it is hard times, and esp for small business owners. :(
♥ Sorrow~ Ahhh…thank you, dear heart you are too sweet! Yes, it was a good way to end my time of painting over there. :) I think roses will come her way!
(((HUGS))) back!
♥ Ron, love. I am honored that you come here! You always leave the most inspiring comments and a good energy!! :)
You are a perfect example of how exciting and wonderful change can be. It can be a little frightening..how boring life would be without it..eh? A sense of humor helps too..agreed?
May we continue to share for many more decades!
L YA..back!
♥ Intense Guy (Iggy)~ Yes…”Sometimes “serendipity” simply says it all” and you my friend, always seem to say it perfectly and beautifully!! I’ll say it again…you paint with your words!! Stephanie would agree with me..she loved her interactions with you. I will be at a loss without her..I am forced to learn more about the business side now. :o
♥ theskinhorse~ Thank you…like Iggy, your words are always beautifully written and thought provoking! I learned to revere change in childhood..first by necessity and then by choice.
I too have read of such artists and know of such. I have pieces of me in every piece. eh, eh I seem to have faces and hearts appear in my work..they seem to reveal themselves..sometimes hidden from me until they are ready. :)
One last thing…you said:
“The meditative state comes through your work amazingly clear to me.”
You have no idea how much that means to me..you, my friend gave me a sign I was seeking…for I am at a cross road of change, myself!
Thank you!
♥ Mental Mist~ Thank you, my poetic friend…hypnotic in a good way, I hope. :)
♥ Enreal~ You, my dear are the masterpiece, but as always, I thank you for your angelic words! :)
♥ April~ So happy you like the painting! I imagine you heard some wonderful stories concerning your Grandfather!
The wisdom of change. Sometimes it takes a long time to see the wisdom of it, doesn’t it…even if the wisdom is that the change was a mistake. I’ve had a few of those lessons in my life time. :)
Yes, may many wonderful possibilities come her way..she is beginning her search this week!
Susan,
“Roses from Rain” is so beautiful – like something beckoning from a fairie tale. It can be viewed on many levels, and that’s was makes it so lovely.
Olivia
From all that frustration and struggle a lovely painting blossomed!
Hi Gypsy,
France is my second country, since I lived there for a number of years and had crucial experiences there, and in French, for the first time. I am struck by the way you have captured something of France just in the colour and patina of this wall.
And of course, that whole experience has been, I guess, an affirmation of the importance of having a flexible spirit. The Confucian quote is remarkably apt.
And thanks for visiting. I’ve been feeling a strong lassitude recently about these cyber-acquaintances that I built up these last couple of years – how such relationships are in some way profoundly unsatisfactory. I read a biography of Khalil Gibran recently (the author of The Prophet), and I found it so telling, and sad, that in the last decade or more of his life, his most important ‘love’ relationship was with a woman with whom he only corresponded and (because he was reasonably well-off by then), clearly must have deliberately chosen never to meet. The fantasy of The Beautiful Love was more important to him than the reality of an imperfect love.
As for me, I think my least unsatisfactory connections on the web have been with artists of one kind or another – perhaps because a powerful ability to express gives to a degree the sense of the essence or soul of a person, even if all the outer, sense-derived form is absent.
It seems that your work always speaks to me.
Warm regards
94
Thank You Gypsy Heart! I love this piece – and I love the sentiment behind it. If it were not for the rain, we certainly would not have roses…. and, one of the most beautiful sights I’ve yet to see is a rose with raindrops on its petal. It’s gloriously beautiful to me. Beautiful post here, Gypsy! Thanks for sharing! PLL, and roses from raint to you too! C.
[...] when the light was the same. There were two pieces I was struggling with..the one that lies beneath Roses, from Rain (my last post) and this one. For one thing, I started this mid-day in the brightest and hottest time of day. I [...]
♥ Olivia~ I love “fairy tales” on “many levels” so I thank you, dear heart!!! :)
♥ wrj~ Thank you..sometimes you say the sweetest things!!
♥ 94~ You were one of my first blogging friends and I value our friendship!
I am so pleased that you could “feel” France in this piece. I am also honored if any of my work speaks to you, because you not only have a good eye…you have a good heart!!
I am looking forward to the continuation of our blogging friendship. :)
♥ CordieB~ Awww..thank you! I think we’ve both had our share of rain (in fact, life storms), but we tend to see the roses through it. I dare say, you are a rose, my friend!
PLL back to you!