Art as a Calling

My main memories of Parapluie, the painter Diane Widler Wenzel, which go back over 40 years, always involve her thinking, discussing, or working on a new painting. Art for her is a calling.

This is not to say she does not have other interests, cannot discuss many topics with intelligence, but at the center of her being is, and has been for as long as I have known her, her art.

It is always fun to go on a vacation with her as part of it will be seeing what she paints. You can see those works by following this link: Umbrella Painting Journal to the paintings she posted from our recent trip. I can look at the same things but will never see what she does.

Honest, I didn't go out of my way to constantly photograph her with brush or camera in hand. It just worked out to be that way.

Art can be a passionate pursuit. For some, it is a calling that lasts a lifetime. Everything they observe is in context of a possible painting, sculpture, photograph, or some words.

I admire callings in others even though I myself haven't really had one (other than being a mother). Perhaps that is why I admire it in those who do.

On the trip, I had also taken my paints, small canvases, and brushes, but they never got out of their sack. Painting is not as relaxing for me as it is for her. I have painted on trips; but this one, possibly because of all we had been going through the last month, well I just wanted to experience the moments as fully as possible.

Experiencing, what is there, is true for Parapluie also, but she often does it with a brush in hand-- the Zen of painting.

Despite a lot of the complications in going, this was one of my more relaxing trips. I lay that partly to the place and partly to the company. Perhaps also I am finally learning-- sometimes-- how to just be.

Well... I did take a lot of photos some of which appeared here, will appear here or even might someday end up paintings eventually-- maybe...