'Respite'- Meadow painting, buttercups & grasses

AVAILABLE AT LIBERATION GALLERY- BRIGHTON

Title:        Respite

Medium: Acrylic  on Canvas

Size:          91.5cm x 61cm (36"x24")

About this painting: For all the carers.

'Respite' is a soothing, Dreamy painting of my favourite wild flower meadow in that magical golden hour just before sunset. The place where I take a breath, sink down into the grasses & buttercups. Unfocus my mind & enjoy the play of dappled light through the tangled undergrowth.

In creating this wildmeadow painting with buttercups & grasses I was thinking about how vital it is to find moments of time to replenish energy & keep the mind balanced.
Over the past 18months we have all experienced what it is to be constantly in situations which are difficult or exhausting. I read so many tales of people struggling with the enforced confinement of lockdown & being close to others with no opportunity for an outlet.

In contrast, now the radio echoes the joy of freedom & doing all the things which were once taken for granted but are now so special. Personally, I found respite in the moments of solitude on my evening walks to the meadow. The time to breathe & unwind, to let go of tensions & return to the family refreshed & able to tackle whatever may come.

The awareness of how vital these moments are for everyone & how the lack of time to unwind & reset can lead to deep stress, depression, exhaustion & friction is now so ingrained that I make sure I find release every day. My space is always in Nature, taking even a brief 10 minutes to be alone.

We all now know what it means to feel trapped in a home with others, however much we love & cherish them. My plea today sent as a message through this painting of Nautures wild spaces, & for the future is that we really remember what it felt like. And let’s think about those for whom that experience is a constant fact of life. Those who care for the elderly, the sick, children with special needs, the vulnerable or just those who need support. Those who pour out their lives & patience for the people they care for.

We may now find joy in the things we missed doing, but for some life doesn’t change, their role as carers is constant & unrelenting. If these precious moments of respite are so vital for each of us, how could we each be more empathetic to those who can’t get the respite they so desperately need?

How could each of us gift some respite to someone caring for others. Simple things like a listening ear, a meal delivered. An offer of an hour to take over so that they can get away to just breathe in peace? A helping hand or job taken off their list. Little things which can make all the difference when you are at breaking point. Let’s try to gift them a moment of respite if we are able. It might make all the difference.

I hope the painting brings you the same sense of peace & restfulness.