The name of this pair of paintings, "Hope Springs Eternal," is taken from an Alexander Pope poem. It hit me as I realized that I often try to find the silver lining in most situations. Perhaps after years of risk-taking as a business owner, being optimistic has become my default setting to get me through tough times. However, when I'm out in nature looking at the Texas Hill Country sky, hope is endless and all around us.
As someone who is constantly watching the skies, sometimes I have to embrace the dark, overcast days. Sure, I would prefer a cloudless sky filled with sunshine, but like all things in life, sometimes that's not in the forecast. Just as in this piece that I painted during a challenging time, the trick is finding the silver lining. Once you make up your mind to see the bright side, the beauty slowly reveals itself.
Texans get fired up when a cold front moves in and the recent chilly weather has been a welcomed change. You don’t just feel the crisp temperatures, you can see it reflected in the changing colors of the sky. Cooler weather brings shocking waves of red, pink and orange, which inspired this piece, appropriately named “November Magic,” from my Jewel Box & Gift Collection. My 3x9 inch paintings are a very popular size and shape as they display the whole horizon into a small space, perfect for a mantel or desk.
Each time I gaze at this duo of paintings, "Gliding Through Sahara Sand," I am taken back to summertime when a Saharan dust cloud blew through Texas, tinting the horizon yellow with dark blue sky above and the green landscape below. When I painted this, buzzards were gracefully gliding through the air, and I like to envision them flying from one canvas to the other.
The beautiful part about painting skyscapes is that every sky is different and I never know what mood I'll capture as I paint. Many people have asked if this painting is an abstract take on the American flag.