Hold Fast

 

    I finished this painting tonight. The paint is still wet and my eyes are roving across it, judging and delighting in the work at the same time. The process of painting this one was special to me... because I did it over a series of evenings after dinner, in the middle of our living room, dodging my kids and chatting with my husband.

It was fun because my whole family became invested in the work. My kids took to the symbolism easily and actually gave me helpful critique. My eight year old said things like: ‘Mom, you need more colour at the bottom of the tree. The top part is rich but the faded roots at the bottom make it look dead.’

They also were there to bolster me when I faltered and questioned my brush strokes. I have no formal training as an artist... and while I tell myself that being clumsy with a brush is fine, ‘it’s just a hobby anyways’, my perfectionist side kicks in and steals my joy by pointing out all my flaws. 

But the kids and my husband know that I’m weak, and when I complained, they parroted the words back to me that I have worked so hard to teach:

“You have a special style, one that is yours. It’s beautiful and unique.”

This painting is about love, about deep roots that hold fast through the storms of life. It’s about family.

One afternoon while painting, I looked over at my husband: lounging in his favorite chair and giggling his way through his TikTok feed.

My heart filled with love. “You do know that this painting is about you?" I said. "It’s about our love.”

He looked up in surprise. “Well, I know it NOW.”

😂 And I’d thought it was sooo obvious.

It’s fun to watch him look at it with new eyes, now that he understands.

And now that this painting is done, even though I held the brush, I’ll always remember it as the painting we all did together.

❤