Here is the story of how this image came into being.
Knowing that we will be leaving this home in a very short time to go to our new one, I invited my two dear friends to come over so we could create something. This time I asked that they only bring themselves, no extra supplies or paints, just come as they are. And they did.
In my stash of art stuff I found a board and asked Mark to cut it into three equal sections. Then I put gesso on the rough surface. I got out my paints and brushes, and put it all on my kitchen table. The pieces of board were placed next to each other tightly so that our painting would look like on large image. (If you look carefully you can see the seams.)
Earlier that day I had the idea come to me that we had to create an image of some kind and that we could somehow collaborate to make it happen. Other than that, I had no idea what we would do.
We gathered then and I began this project by making the outlines of three houses…very plain simple outlines with no windows or doors.
Then the fun began.
Each of us took a turn with the paints, while the other two sat in the other room and did not watch. Little by little we all added more lines, more color, more expression to this image of the three houses.
We did this for three hours! Three hours! I knew that somehow we would know when we were done. Finally, one of the gals said “I don’t know if I can add anything more.” And I knew we had come to that point.
What surprised us was how each of us brought a bit of who we are to this project.
The naturalist brought her love of nature and added the elements such as the trees and birds, and that bit of sunset over that mountain.
The spiritual director and teacher added some of the the structural details to each house. And those stepping stones that form a walk in front of all three places.
And with my brush I inserted the white, wispy curls of spirit that inhabit each place, the blue of the sky, green grass, mostly splashes of color.
We totally lost all track of time.
How can I tell you what a beautiful experience this was?
I took this photo and then had three prints made of it, and now we each have one, along with our own section of the original project. Something to hang in our homes and remember and cherish.
The hardest part of this?
For a few days, it sat in my home, all the pieces together. Today I had to separate them.
