Her Inspiration, Our Inspiration

Story by Patrick England

My wife and I look at the picture and I ask, “Who is this Her, and what is Her Inspiration? The shoreline with its irregular trees, waves, birds, stones and bones seems too asymmetrical for any modern aesthetic, but somehow, through a tunnel of trees, a painter emerges in the shade of pines.”

My wife rolls her eyes at my pretentiousness, but I continue, “Or more correctly, two painters emerge, for one is centered in the picture and the other renders the other inside the frame of trees and the frame of the picture itself. Both artists in the picture are centered and balanced.”

“Like a painting within the painting!” My wife claps.

I nod, “Yet the center is too dark to represent the larger subject of a coastal scene. The shape on the left looks too light. Ultimately, this painting better be placed in the middle of a measured wall space,” making my wife pinch me.

I cry, “Who is this choir of whistling voices, this bundle of breezes filling us with wonder?”

My wife answers, “The Pacific Ocean, not always peaceful, mainly captivating, feels peaceful today, reviving almost all who want to dance a slow dance of inspiration.”

I roll my eyes as we hold hands, “Nature as Mother Nature inspires and respires. Her breezes refresh the painters who stand poised at this waltz in progress. Nature can be chaotic, yet our painters here today won’t have to worry about wild winds.”