LINDA WEIN
“ We are most truly ourselves when we achieve the seriousness of a child at play .” — Heraclitus
Scene from childhood , age 7 , summer :
Dawn is breaking at the lake house and , as usual , I am out of bed before anyone else . I open the screen door and … ahhhh ! Sweet , sweet freedom ! Everything intoxicates me , the summer sunrise bathing the morning landscape in golden light , the fragrance of sweet clover on the breeze , the sounds of the birds and insects , the cool wetness of the dew on my bare feet as I walk through the grass to the lake . I gaze upon the glassy surface of the water reflecting the golden sky and the tangled vegetation of tiny Rattlesnake Island off in the distance , shrouded in the rising mist . I wish this moment would last forever .
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Scene from adulthood , age 54 , last week :
A weekday afternoon … about 3:45 … tired from a long day of teaching I arrive home , don my wax spattered work clothes and head downstairs . I open the door of my studio and … ahhhh ! Sweet , sweet freedom ! Two whole hours of uninterrupted creativity lie ahead of me . The stress of everyday life falls away as I smell the fragrant beeswax . I enter into a creative dialogue with the tranquil landscapes and waterscapes appearing on my birch boards . Time stands still and my spirit soars as I rub thin veils of oil color onto mirrorsmooth beeswax and fuse the image in place . Gratitude fills my heart as I reflect on the journey that led me here . I wish this moment would last forever .
It ’ s taken me almost a lifetime to discover who I am as an artist and how to connect what lies at the core of my being with the artwork I wish to create . I believe art-making is a form of play and by getting in touch with the joys of my childhood I have found my way home .