Spring and the River

I have lived here for almost 16 years. The longest I have stayed anywhere, and a lot of that has to do with the San Miguel River. It is my heaven on earth, and whenever I try to leave it, I feel it calling me back.

The river has taught me more about light and shadow and how forms are created through the two more than any art class ever has. A simple rock never looks the same throughout the day or the seasons, it is always changing. It may stay in the same spot, but light, weather, water, shadows always and forever are painting new ways of looking at the same object reminding us that nothing ever stays the same.

I have sat along the river and watched the seasons pass for several years...I've watched the ice melt and fall into the river, sap rise within the trees, leaves emerge, grass turning to green as flowers bloom in abundance while the river roars from the snow that the mountains finally let go of as they embrace Spring. Of course all of the animals are migrating...some passing through, some staying and some leaving until next winter....and then summer comes and the leaves change from that emerald green to a deep, lush green...the birds of summer are here as the chirping of the beautiful hummingbirds dance through the forests...the river is calmer, and the water warms...then Fall comes with the sap descending and the leaves change to yellows and oranges and reds...the grass becomes brown, and the river slows as the warmth begins to fade...the water becomes chilly, and the migrations have begun...and then winter blows in with a cold arctic wind, flakes fall from the sky, and all of life hibernates even if they are still roaming...ice forms along the river creating thick bridges, and everything seems to be at rest waiting for those first warm winds of Spring.

I have learned more about art simply observing all of these changes...noticing the colors as they shift and grow and fade...how light plays with all of life...and the shadows remind us of the mysteries. I have learned more about myself and my relation to this world simply by sitting underneath my favorite pine tree and listening and watching. I am so grateful to have found this place....I don't know if I will ever paint it; this area hasn't asked me to or visited me in my dreams as a painting yet....

Maybe one day when it feels I have learned what I need to learn....

Happy Spring Equinox to everyone...yes, this is early, but I don't want to be late...enjoy, go out into Nature and celebrate the beauty that surrounds you by simply sitting, listening and watching....