I like to feel the warmth of the sun on my face.
I like to stand in the wind and feel the pull of the horizon.
I like to watch bumblebees gather pollen from wildflowers.
I like to feel sweat trickle down my temples as I push myself to run even faster.
I like to discover secrets that hide around the bends of mountain trails.
I like to make babies smile.
I like the smell of lilacs.
I like the sound of rain.

I like the color of the eastern sky at sunset.
I like Hershey’s chocolate.
I like the way it feels to walk barefoot in cool grass.
I like drums.
I like to wash my hair in ice cold river water.
I like to hold kittens.
I like to hear eagles scream.
I like to wear dresses on Sunday.
I like to sleep under the stars.
I like to rollerblade.
I like to laugh until tears come.
I like to sit around a campfire and watch for shooting stars.
What do you like?

I graduated from college with a degree in business. When I encounter a problem in life, I like to find a solution systematically. I enjoy mathematics. When I want to draw something, I pick up a ruler. Being a draftsman for a time was the closest I ever came to artistic expression. I was told in college that if I want to write, I had best stick to technical stuff. So, for me to offer opinions on creative endeavor is beyond my purview. However, I do have a couple of thoughts I’d like to talk about.

I am moved by good art and good music. I can’t help it, there is something about some forms of art and some forms of music that really have an effect on my soul. Let me give you a couple of examples.

A couple of weeks ago I was following the comments of my niece on Facebook. She was talking about how much she misses her husband who is a soldier and away from home for very long periods of time. At the time that I was reading about this, she was having troubles with managing her home and taking care of her young children and such. She was really missing him and so were his children.

Then earlier this week, I was in the process of working on this blog site for Maria. It is one of my duties to build the content for Maria’s galleries we are showing to the world. One of the paintings I was posting is the one entitled “The Soldiers Father”. This is an award winning painting that has given Maria quite a bit of notoriety. I personally have always enjoyed this work. From my left brained, layman point of view, I like how realistic it looks and I think the eyes are particularly well done. I can’t seem to find anything that isn’t technically correct. So, I can see why she always gets great reviews on this work.

However, when I was posting this painting to the blog, something new happened to me. I had stopped for a moment to check on the quality of the graphic and was looking into his eyes. Suddenly I was no longer thinking about the merits of the painting. I became transfixed on the feelings I could see in his eyes and also in his facial expression. I suddenly could feel the loneliness of my niece and her children. From there, I could feel the anxiety of a father who does not know if his son will survive while being in harms way. Then I looked deeper. Now, beyond the fear and concern, I could see patriotism and the love and caring of a proud father, mother, wife, husband, child or friend. The knowledge that those who remain behind are strong and concerned and fearful. I will never see “The Soldiers Eyes” with only my left brain again.

Interestingly, I had another incident yesterday that touched me deeper than my normal left brain approach to life. It was tax day. Since I don’t get a refund, I waited until yesterday afternoon to post my returns. For the benefit of U.S. history buffs, my own little Boston Tea party if you will. It was a dreary, snowy, wet and cold day. Totally appropriate for tax day. Anyway, as I was returning home, a particular song came up on my CD player. It is a tune written by Chas Hathaway, another member of our family and company. The name of the tune is “Rain”. My goodness, talk about an appropriate tune for a stormy day.

The phenomena that I experienced was startling. Rather than dragging me deeper into the doldrums, I found myself looking at the world with keener interest. Since this tune takes you through subtle nuances of emotion associated with a stormy day, suddenly, instead of seeing dull gray pastures and wet shiny roads, I was driving through a wonderland of nature being nourished by life giving moisture that gave me a feeling of exhilaration and excitement. I was happy to be alive and a part of the experience. It completely changed my outlook for the day. My good spirits lasted the rest of the day. Just like “The Soldiers Father” and my left brain eyes, I will never hear Chas’ tune “Rain” with the same left brain ears again.

I am still a left brained person, just not quite the same one that I was before.

Someone once told me that realism isn’t art. The artist is just copying what’s already there and  is therefore not expressing themselves. I’ve heard this a lot since then and I would just like to take a moment to tell you how I feel.

I express myself through realism. Many artists express themselves beautifully through abstract or impressionistic work but I don’t. I feel unfulfilled when I attempt these styles. I love realism. It’s hard to do. It’s labor intensive and takes hundreds of hours of my life. My back aches at the end of the day but when I see what I’ve accomplished I smile.

Realism allows me to share with the world my love for people, for nature, for animals, for life. It allows me to say what I don’t know how to say with words. If you want to know how I feel about mankind, look into the eyes of The Soldier’s Father. If you want to know why I can’t bring myself to harm even a fly look at the Little Red Squirrel and see the little paws and eyes and ears that took so many hours of my life. See what I see when I look at the almost magically beautiful world around me. This is who I am. This is how I experience life and realism allows me to share that with you. I am filled with gratitude and wonder that I have been given the opportunity to experience life and I hope my art speaks this to you.

Sometimes I feel like I can fly. When I’m out alone in a beautiful field of grass or at the top of a great mountain that I just spent hours climbing I feel like I could just spread my arms and soar to the clouds.

Maybe I do fly. When I’m running down the mountain as fast as I can go I swear I’m flying. It’s like I don’t even have feet, like I’m just part of the wind. Ya, maybe I do fly. Cool.

Fingers of light spread over the eastern horizon and I am running. Air fills my lungs as I pull the earth beneath my pounding feet. The mountain before me gazes down through eyes that have witnessed the ages and I feel it’s earthy surface move with the rithm of my stride. I am home. I am running with my brother the wind. I breath his life into my own and I am made strong. The fingers of eastern light follow me. I glance back and know that they will win. They always do. The sparkling rays glide over the grassy slope warming the ground and drinking the morning dew. They pause for but a moment to caress my back then fly passed me with effortless speed. I smile and slow to a walk. I am no match for the sun. Anyway, winning was never the point.

I like to work outside. I like to work in the heat of the day and feel the sweat poor down my forehead. I like to move the earth. I like to feel the strain in my flexed muscles as I heave a rock that’s bigger and heavier than I ever thought I could lift. I like the way the dirt crumbles under me with every step I take covering my sandeled feet with a layer of gray dust creating the illusion of dark leathery skin on my legs. I like to feel the weight of the sun’s heat on my back, my arms, my legs. I like the way it marks me, making me a part of nature, a part of the sun itself. I like to feel powerful. I like to work outside.

I recently heard a song on the radio and was immediately taken back in time to an experience that I had while listening to this song many years ago. It was a rather embarrassing experience and for years I’ve hated the song because it always brings back the negative memory and the awkward angry emotions of the experience.

This time however, I decided to stop and think about what I was doing. I realized that I was allowing the person who embarrassed me to have control over my life. I was giving him the power to control whether or not I liked this song. I was allowing him to take something that could have been lovely and enjoyable out of my life time and again.

So this time, instead of changing the station I gave the song a chance. I pushed the stupid memory away and really listened to the song and you know what? It wasn’t half bad. It certainly was no ‘The River Sings’ by Enya but it was worth listening to and I enjoyed it.

I wonder how often we allow others to have power over us in this way? What a waste! How rich and flavorful life can be if we just let go of the bad and embrace the good. How free and light our days can be if we choose for ourselves who we will be rather than let others, even those who have caused us pain or embarrassment decide who we will be. We can be who we choose to be!

I was going through some photos and found this one. I think I’m going to call it Wind Sculpture. This flower had spent it’s short life being blown so constantly that it was dried stiff in this position.

It makes me wonder how often we humans allow ourselves to be sculpted by the winds of life? How often do we just follow the crowd, giving in to peer pressure, the pressure to be what the world would have us be?

How much more beautiful is the bright sunflower that stands strong in defiance of the wind granting to our eyes the full and unique radiance of what a sunflower was meant to be .

Only when you give your life to something that is greater than you alone will you really live. Only when you embark upon the hero’s path, the path of service and love will you find your life. This is why you’re here -to become divine, more than you could ever be as a lone individual, serving only yourself. You have the power through selfless acts of kindness to kindle the flame of divinity that dwells in others. This flame will light the way for countless heroes who will in turn spread their own light and in time humanity will shine.

I have come to realize that the only way that we humans will ever truly thrive is if we all learn to serve. If each and every individual was more concerned about his neighbor than himself, everyone would be more than cared for. We would thrive. There would be no hunger, there would be no war, there would be no hate, no crime, no abuse, no neglect, no fear. We would dwell in joy and peace. It would be heaven. We would make the world heaven.

I truly believe that deep down inside each of us is a sense of trueness telling us who we really are. We are children of diety. We know our potential, let’s embrace it! Let’s become that which we admire. Let’s recognize the potential in others and make them aware of it as well. This is what Christ taught and it is the way to happiness and true peace of mind.