Painting "Youth Remembers" The inspiration behind the art

Youth Remembers

Youth Remembers is a very special painting for me. It was inspired by a childhood memory of a farm I used to call home when I was a little girl. I spent many days playing in these fields and many, many evenings catching fireflies for bed time in mason jars. One of the perks to living on a 385 acre farm with only a handful of neighbors and no outsider traffic is the gift of freedom. We were allowed, after our chores were done that is, to run these fields in harmony with the wind. We flew kites, raced bikes, rode horses and tail gates and we lived as big and as open as the fields themselves were to a little girl of 8 years of age.  I remember lying in the tall grasses, braiding them together to make bracelets and belts in the summer time. I remember my mother and father cutting Christmas trees from raggy pines growing on that first hedge you see there which were tightly wrapped in honeysuckle and trumpet vine. This was one of the most magical times of my life and so I felt inspired to paint it to share with the world.

It is beautiful when our minds memory and the memory in our hearts are allowed to merge. 28 years have passed since I was a child playing in these fields and I have discovered that though the mind’s eye grows dim or blurs, the hearts memory becomes ever more strong and sure. It is likely as a girl I never noticed this field to look so beautiful and pink, nor did I likely take time from firefly hunting to actually enjoy the view to notice how many were actually around me….but my heart remembers.

Painting this piece was like a homecoming for me. This piece is in my private collection and will likely be with me the rest of the days of my life. It is a true reflection of my soul and it is a snapshot of my youth. I think that this is what I was truly in love with in this painting. When I look at this work it is like hugging my inner child, for a moment I am still lying in the tall grasses watching clouds roll by day dreaming...

I invite you to go back in your mind to a place in your mind where you felt complete freedom and joy. To a place where you were one with your spirit and your spirit was full. I then invite you to rediscover those feelings by creating something that represents that place with an open heart. It truly can be an amazing adventure to rediscover your youth.