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| "Hyperbola of Nice" - Oil on Canvas |
I completed this painting in spring of 2009, after my first trip to Nice, France. I only stayed for a long weekend. I call this painting the Hyperbola of Nice because after I returned, I felt worlds had collided, and something new had opened up inside of me. A new energy in my life, an awakening of the spirit. I did not know then the adventure and future that would unfold and develop for me.
It has been almost a year since my last trip to Nice, returning with the remainder of my paintings. I made a new years resolution to not dream or reflect back too much on the past; to not live in the past and compare the past with the present. In doing so, I have been able to feel a new sense of belonging in my home in Indiana, and l have not felt the restlessness that used to call me to a life far away. I have truly found calm. One of my friends noted that I am very "centered".
My life here does not have all the architecture, culture, and food that I still love and miss. Sometimes when I am walking I can feel in my world around me a dullness, and the environment (the city) is wrapped in a cold rainy grey. But inside of me I feel a Light. A joy inside of me that makes everything worthwhile. A feeling of home.
I am working on a new painting. I want it to reflect all the centeredness that I am feeling. I am hoping to produce several of the same subject to study different textures, colors, and techniques of overlay. It's been a slow process, but a bright spot in my life for grey winter days.
In the last week, I found myself reflecting again to all I miss overseas. Indiana has had a few sunny days that felt like the Spring that I remembered in France and Italy. I remembered my New Year's resolution. I'm not ready to return yet. I will return when I no longer anticipate how I am going to navigate through drama.