I finished this new painting a couple of weeks ago and it has been a piece that I’ve spent a lot of time looking at since its completion. It satisfies me on many different levels and simply raises a certain contentment within me. I guess that would be the textbook definition of what I am trying to do for myself with my work.
When I look at this piece, following the river upward where it converges with the sky with the sun at the center of it, I see a winged angel-like figure. This was not by design and it has become the focus of the painting for me. Perhaps this even adds to my engagement with this piece. That and the overall warmth of the colors and the pull towards the center created by the sky and sun.
There’s just a quality of attraction and completion in it for me that keeps me looking at it.
I was trying to name this piece while I was looking for a suitable bit of music for this Sunday morning selection. While I am not sure this will end up being the final title for this painting, I thought that the title from a somewhat obscure Bruce Springsteen song might fit.
The song is Lift Me Up and it was written in the late 90’s for a film, Limbo, from filmmaker John Sayles. The song is a quiet, almost pleading, song that features Bruce singing throughout in a falsetto that takes on a lovely and mesmerizing quality as the melody engulfs it.
I think it’s a nice fit for this painting, at least for this morning. I also threw in a companion song this morning. It’s a beautifully quiet version of If I Should Fall Behind that brings most of the other band members, including the late Clarence Clemons, forward to solo on the lyrics. Nice stuff. Have a good day…
Redtree Times 
My first thought was of all of those identical houses surrounded by the teal, purple and orange of the vibrant world. I thought, “There should be people everywhere, rejoicing in what’s around them.” Then, I suddenly imagined all of the houses transformed into smart phones. You can see where this is going. 🙂
That’s a great observation. I often see the houses as anonymous and isolated from the landscape around them so our observations may be more similar than they seem at the first glance.
I really like this painting. The title sounds good.