As a child, before a predicted winter storm I would go to bed with visions of playing in deep blankets of snow and the excitement of staying home from school the next day. The so-called “snow day” was a longed-after respite from the drudgery of the school year. At least once per year the dream would come true. It would sometimes happen that the snow would turn to rain overnight, but the temperatures would dip, and the rain froze on the trees and bushes. With the storm passed, the sun rose and shone through the crystalline branches creating a dazzling, other-worldly, magical scene.
This past December in Michigan brought a seemingly endless string of short, cloudy days. The grey clouds hung low and weighed on my mood like a heavy blanket. I went for walks but had to step carefully, walking like a penguin, with mincing steps to avoid slipping on the ice. On one of these walks in the woods I thought back to one of the days I describe above, and I thought about how beautiful that would be and how I would love to see that again. Back home again in our little home on the lake, I stepped outside on the patio and heard songbirds, hundreds of them, calling out to each other. It was such a lovely, uplifting sound that I recorded it so I could listen to it later. As I stood recording the birdsong I looked out at the lake and imagined the sun coming out on a sun-filled icy wonderland.
I decided in that moment to create a painting showing just that, including a cardinal in flight, to buoy my spirits. In the days that followed I prepped my surface and began the process of creating the painting. One day I left the house early in the morning, just after sunrise, and as I passed a large open field surrounded by underbrush and dotted with trees. The sun blazed through the branches, and I saw that my vision had come true. My heart soared and my mood lifted. Even after all these years, this phenomenon brings joy to me, and it always feels magical and full of promise.
“Cardinal in Flight” is listed for sale in my portfolio.