“Observation”
14×18 Watercolor on Watercolor paper
There is a genuine hunger within contemporary culture for transformative discovery. So much of the self-help, new-age, “get better,” sphere is aimed at looking in and discovering the authentic self. This is a good thing. Looking inward to discover the reality of who we are along with what it is that makes us tick is worth every second. That said, there is a cavernous problem with this approach in that it does not teach the purpose behind contemplative introspection. For the contemplative we turn our attention inward, so that we can cultivate a healthy interior which then propels us outward to help cultivate and grow the exterior world. We should observe our interior, learn from it, cultivate (pruning where needed) and then move outward and help provide growth in the communities around us. When we see the potential within, we can help produce beauty without.
“Contemplation”
16×20 Watercolor on watercolor paper
So much of the world today has become painfully loud, or, as Fr. Gabriel Rochelle wrote “”When I was a child it was quiet,” nobody is ever going to say that again.” This is painfully true today. The beauty of silence is being slowly driven away from the soul by a cacophony of noise and synthetic distraction. We don’t sit and stare at the stars any longer, we stare at miniature mechanical boxes filled with dreadful shadows. But to a few precious souls, the art of contemplation is still being practiced. In the quite of the morning these beautiful souls sit and allow nature’s song to wash over them and drive away the inner noise. From that inner quiet, they are then able to go out and be a source of calm and refreshment to those around them. Contemplation, like the quiet ever flowing river, is an opportunity to still the spirit, nourish it, and then offer it as a gift to the world around us.
“Let Go”
12×18 Watercolor on watercolor paper
There are some places on the planet that just scream beauty, and that beauty is often accompanied by genuine danger. The Princess is surrounded by the dragon, Eden had it’s serpent, and roses have their thorns. To experience the grandeur, we have to embrace the risk. That requires detachment, not the post modern “I could care less” nihilism being offered to us by so many, but rather a realization that not all things remain, and some things are here for a season and then must be let go of. When we let go of control, when we step out onto the bridge and cross from what we know to what we long to experience, we are free to soak in the enormous beauty offered. Then, when we’ve crossed over and are filled to overflowing, we can return home all the more enriched, like Odysseus, and share what we’ve gained with those around us.
“Looking for Home”
16×20 Watercolor on watercolor paper
I think all of us are looking for that place to call home. Whether it’s a family we longed for as a child but never had, a faith family that will take us in, filth and all, or an organization where we can do meaningful work, we all want that one place on the planet where our otherness is welcomed and embraced. That said, finding home means walking away from the comfortable and into the unknown where all manner of goblins and trolls will attempt to trip us up or knock us off the path. It’s certainly a scary journey, but one worth taking, and if we are willing to endure the countless difficulties, we’ll arrive at in a place where we not only feel at home externally, but we’ll be at home internally. And there, at home in ourselves, we’ll find the acceptance we long for.