A Breath of Spring in The Berkshires

Just home from a glorious three days spent in the cocooning green of the Berkshire Mountains. I feel nourished and replenished from the inside out. We found this enchanting
little cottage to rent just outside of Great Barrington and spent our days soaking up the beauty.

 

 Cloud Pool

Surrounding view of the living, breathing landscape.

It's been a while since I came out of the studio to paint "alla prima".

In direct contact with the breath of spring, I could feel the green soaking into my bones.

The birdsong was a continual ecstatic rhapsody that filled the air with the colors of sky.

 The more I paint green the more I feel red. The earth just opens up and spills her colors out in a joyful burst of energy that blends all my senses into one synesthetic experience.

A funny thing happens when one is in such direct dialogue with the surrounding environment. At moments, there is no separation between the painter, the painting and the painted...these are perfect moments when time stands still and briefly one is given a glimpse into the sublime.

 And then there are moments when I am so captivated by the sublime that I step heedlessly backwards, falling into the very cold pool and shocking every cell awake in my body with surprise!

 

 Every morning came rolling through the hills with slight variations in color, texture and light. It is a gift to have enough time to paint several versions of the same place. The rhythms and dynamics of place become more deeply felt as one grows closer in intimacy from spending time listening with the whole body.

Textural beauty, colorful sounds, shifting patterns...the breath of spring.

 Now I will take these paintings back to the studio with me and let them simmer, some are closer to completion than others. Some will become their own story and others will be the starting point for larger paintings. A soul satisfying romp through the Berkshire Hills.