Rediscover beauty and love, today
Trees-sketch-clouds ( Autentico 2019) watercolor, graphite, collage 9” x 9” by beth vendryes williams
Do you sometimes feel weighted down by events on the personal or world stage?
Sometimes I forget that each morning when I awake, I can choose to look at the the world and my place in it, from a fresh perspective. beth vendryes williams
This morning, shaking off the detritus from the day before, I make myself a cup of water with sliced lemon, giving thanks for clean water and lemons. Then I make a cup of green tea, thankful to have that luxury.
Looking up, I suddenly observe winter trees tracing their lines on the cloudy soft patches floating in a cerulean blue sky.
Aha, so this is what I want to share with you today!
On this day celebrating love for each other, let’s take the time to observe and honor the clarity and beauty in our world and the people in it. I know you can do it!
After all, we are all in this together.
I am thankful for you, your support and for your interest in beauty and creativity.
Here is my gift for you, today. You can see more on my instagram which you can link to and see most of this series on the process page of my blog
Sending you much love.! Happy Valentine’s Day!
Seize the day!
Work in Progress hours series, prime beth vendryes williams
Every artist has different ways of creating, some are impulsive, and some plan in detail, but there is no one right way.
With that understanding, I share how my ideas come to me, and how I begin to develop them. When I see or read something beautiful, I want to remember it, so I remember and sketch it in one of my journals. Because I use journals, I was attracted to the small books , hand written, painted and bound by monks in medieval times. The were called books of the"hours", so that Franciscan monks and the faithful could carry their prayers throughout the day.
Inspired by the "liturgy of the hours", an ancient monastic tradition, I found myself stopping to appreciate the cadence of pausing for brief times during the day. During this time, I breathe, slowly, listen to something beautiful, leave room for inner reflection, name my blessings or ask for help.
I like the fact that an old tradition can be adapted to recognize our contemporary spirituality. I find it more important than ever to build the scaffolding of my day on the habit of internal reflection that acknowledges the spirit of me. When I do this regularly, I find beauty in the most ordinary moments.
Beauty, to me, is not only about land, sky, and seascapes, nor is it about the perfection of figure or face. It can include humans in dialogue with each other animals or nature, emotions, music, sound, interiors of rooms, recognizing the soul of someone or the invisible energy inherent in a place or an object. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.
For me, beauty is also in the rhythmic movement of events during 24 hours and maintaining a sense of balance while navigating through the day.
My interest in the ancient practice of the liturgical hours of the day, practiced by monks has become a structure on which I build a holistic integration of reflection into the daily rhythm of my life.
That is the foundation for my upcoming series of work based on I equivalent moments that resonate in my life in 2018.
I can’t keep from singing.. Drawing and painting of the visual equivalent Enjoy the song of the same name, sung by Enya
For me, beauty is alsoin the rhythmic movement of events during 24 hours and maintaining a sense of balance while navigating through the day.
beth vendryes williams