'Perception'- White Magnolias Flower painting

Title:     Perception

Medium:  Acrylic & Oils

Size:          80x60cm (31.5"x 23.5")on deep profile canvas

About the painting: 'Perception' is a light airy painting of white magnolias on a soft blue sky, which brings with it a sense of uplifting lightness & peace.

The way we see things make all the difference to how we feel. The mass of Magnolias this Spring created an instant inspiration for painting, which started a thought about how we choose to see something can has a huge impact on our well-being.

Usually, I to wait for a sunny day, when colours become saturated & the contrast of light & shade create drama. But British Spring can be unpredictable & the day I managed to see the blooms was cloudy.

Initially, I sighed in disappointment, but looked again & shifted the way I was seeing the cloud of white petals. Instead of the bright highlights & deep shadows created by the sun, I started to see the soft & subtle shades. The softness & flow of the flowers gently moving in the breeze. The scene infused my senses with a sense of quiet peace, a relaxing gentleness.

Transferring this quietude to canvas made me think of how often we attach a negative feeling to one thing & a positive to another. Why not see the beauty that can be found in both?

The unusual summer like sunshine which graced us last week was replaced this morning by deep grey clouds & a distinctly chilly breeze. My first instinct was to sigh in disappointment but then thought about the way a dull day had made me see the magnolias.

So I decided to see it a different way… a much needed opportunity to slow my pace after a high energy week fuelled by the sunshine. A chance to get on with the indoor sedentary bits of work I’d put aside to make the most of the sun.

Embracing the grey day for the gentler shades of a less frenetic activity gave me a sense of quiet acceptance & an ability to tune in to what I actually need.

Eventually I also realised that I was quite exhausted, having spent last week digging up brambles, lugging compost & digging out rocks as part of my crazy garden project.

The change in weather created a change of pace & I’m embracing balancing the quieter activities with bits of taking it easy.

I’m already looking forward to the predicted rain as exactly what the garden needs to perk it up!

Sometimes the things we think undesirable can be just what we need if seen in a new light