THE ROAD HOME, acrylic on canvas, 36×24
BY CULTIVATING OUR SENSES and engaging with the natural world in all its splendor — and occasional discomfort — we experience a deeper understanding of our place in the world and the consequences of our actions. We see ourselves as players, not mere bystanders, in the global scheme, and we glimpse beauty more profound than our machines and inventions.
My path has crisscrossed Massachusetts since childhood: from the remnants of an apple orchard in Brookfield to the Connecticut River flowing past Hatfield’s alluvial plains; from the thick forests of the Holyoke Range to the shores of Cape Cod. The diverse beauty of my native landscapes comprises much of my inspiration.
I am equally drawn to life teeming in the smallest places, deep within my gardens and backyard. Every inch of soil or lawn is jampacked with interacting, moving pieces: buzz of a beetle, scent of a marigold, prick of a rosebush, delicate butterfly wing. I seek out and celebrate these tiny lives and spaces.
Through nature’s odd angles, random patterns, and curious juxtapositions, I divine the magic and mystery of what it means to be alive.
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This is the final week for “Forest, Field, and Flower: Intimate Landscapes from the Connecticut River Valley to Cape Cod at Holyoke Heritage State Park 221 Appleton St., Holyoke, Massachusetts.
The park is open every day from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesdays through Sunday.
