Today my mother turned 96. I took her shopping and out to lunch yesterday to celebrate. Our SC weather has been crazy with record highs for this time of year and record lows yesterday complete with snow in the Midlands area - we had some flakes. I was exhausted by the time we headed home but Mom was still happily chatting away, having bought a purse she was delighted with (lightweight and not too big for her petite size). We stopped at a traffic light and she said, "See those trees? They're not just green. There's yellow and dark greens and pale greens and spaces between them that are dark and also light showing through. Since I've been working on my art more the last two years I see so much more when I look around!"
I was thrilled with her observation because it's something I've become so aware of myself ever since I started to paint. It's such a personal awareness and difficult to explain to people who aren't seeing with an artist's eyes. Mom and I talked about how easy it is to get almost distracted sometimes with the things we see - the way light falls on objects, the way things we once used to think of as red, blue, brown, etc. are so many different values of a color or are made up of more than one color when we look closely. We both have noticed that we can become sidetracked from what we're watching on TV when beautiful lighting or scenery or such catches our attention.
I can remember times when I've been outside and felt life and joy fill me when I realized what a beautiful day it was. Painting has opened my eyes to different kinds of beauty - intricate, simple, subtle, harsh, smooth, textured ... I'm so grateful for this experience, and I'm so happy that my mom, at her age, is alert and aware, still learning, being inspired by and experiencing things that are so pleasurable to her. It's something to aspire to.
About Sharon Matchett
- Sharon Matchett
- I'm a retired, classically trained singer (and frustrated flautist) who has discovered another voice within which I now express through the medium of watercolors. Although the art of painting is something completely new to me (I am self taught), the language has turned out to be very familiar. As with singing an aria beautifully, expressing myself in a beautiful and meaningful way in watercolors involves excellent timing, rhythm, tempo, coloration, and artistry. For me, painting with watercolors is like music flowing from my brush. It fulfills that deepest need which I believe lies within us all, the need to feel connected. As I paint I am immersed in and connected to my subject. I become my most creative self, and, in those moments, I feel I am at one with the universe - a marvelous feeling for sure! If what I paint somehow connects with the viewer .... what more could an artist wish for?
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