I started this painting back in May and have left it unfinished since. I usually don't let paintings sit undone for that long. I love the subject matter and story but, the picture wasn't quite matching up to what I had in my mind. (If you want to read about the story in my original post, click here.) When we moved in Oct I packed up my canvas and easel and ever since I have been working on smaller artwork. I recently set up my easel, put the unfinished painting below on it and let it sit there for a few days.
Having a fresh look I noticed that the slope of the branches wasn't right and that I needed branches cascading forward. The painting sat there for a couple more days. Then, last night around 9pm I was reading blogs and came across this post by . It was just what I needed, thanks Deborah! I love Virginia Lee Burton's book The Little House. I adore the story and admire her beautiful illustrations. I hadn't seen much of her other work though and I learned so much from post. Her tree illustrations are truly lovely. The minute I saw her trees I jumped of the couch, asked my husband to call me in 30 minutes and I painted. It was an exhilarating 30 minutes, one in which I felt an overwhelming sense of calm and guidance that I was tapping into the true magic of my memory of my grandparents willow tree and tire swing. Then, when I came back inside the house I heard the theme song to M*A*S*H, a show my husband rarely watches and one that was my grandfather's favorite. A show he had to watch while he visited us. Even when he fell fast asleep on our recliner we were not allowed to turn it off, despite many protests from me and my sisters. He passed away when I was in elementary school and I have always associated M*A*S*H with him. Thanks for the hello grandpa.
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