Life's a garden

"Dusk in the flower garden" by Hilary J. England
11" x 14", oil on canvas, 2016

I can't believe a whole month got away from me.  I have been working on various projects, including a book, and I had two different commissions, so this work has kept me very busy.

This week was a sad week.  News of death arrived, and that always hurts and is a wake-up call of sorts: Life is hard, but life is beautiful.  Along with the death of my friend, and there was also the death of a young man -- the son of an acquaintance from long ago -- very very sad.  These type of inexplicable events always give me pause to stop, and reflect.  Yes, life is hard, but life is beautiful.

So, I began to paint from some old photos I put together.  I really wanted to cheer myself up and just paint something that would warm my heart up again, and for me, that is always children.  And gardens.  Because after all, life is a garden, and children are life, so I painted this little painting, outside in the beautiful warm air, just lost in my own thoughts. Life and truth and beauty.

And -- I also reflected that with the sad news came sweet news also.  News of babies being born, and others to come -- quite a few of them are on the way with Spring and Summer -- and that made me smile.  Who doesn't smile when life renews itself?

So, I look forward to the Spring with renewed vigor and a positive joy for things to come!

~Enjoy