New Mexico...

I just got back from a weekend away with my wonderful husband of NINE YEARS {tomorrow}.

We flew to Albuquerque, NM & drove up to Santa Fe, as well as a trip up to Taos.  Talk about a change in scenery... it was BEAUTIFUL.  You know it's beautiful when you come back with almost all pictures of landscape.  {Although, truth be told, many of the places we went to didn't allow photography}  The highlight for me, besides spending 1 on 1 time with Kyle while our 3 kids were cared for by their grandparents ... was the GEORGIA O'KEEFFE MUSEUM.  I was in awe. We actually stayed in a little Casita just one street behind the museum!

Before, when I heard the name "Georgia O'Keeffe", I had a few of her paintings that I could recall & picture in my head.  But seeing an expansive collection of her art dating from the early 1900's to the late 1970's and hearing about her life, her career & her inspiration in detail - truly was an incredible experience for me.  TRULY.  

Let me preface this next paragraph by saying this:  I am in no way comparing myself to GEORGIA O'KEEFFE.  Trust me, I know better.  Not to mention, I know in order to be a successful artist, one needs to be an individual and create masterpieces that are all your own - not because they are like someone else's.  She was a pioneer, an amazing artist & there will never, ever be another painter like her.  She paved the way for the rest of us.

Now that you know what I am NOT saying, let me say this.   Learning about her life, I was struck by some of my similarities to her in both the subjects I choose & my reasoning for doing so.  Without knowing it, we share some of the same philosophies, which I found encouraging.  A few months ago, I put into words what I do & why I do it.  Plain & simple, in my Etsy introduction, I state:

I love the everyday, ordinary, simple things.
Goodness is all around us - I don't think we need to dig too deep.
It's what we eat, what we read, what we see & do everyday.
It's what I paint.

In other words, my purpose with art is just to point out GOODNESS.  It's the things that make us smile & we don't even realize it.  

I loved seeing all her amazing artwork, but {you know me & quotes} I equally enjoyed reading all of her thoughts & words posted on the walls of the museum.  After reading the purpose of my own art, I think you'll see why these thoughts of hers hit home with me.  :)  She says it best of all.

• When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it's your world for the moment. I want to give that world to someone else. Most people in the city rush around so, they have no time to look at a flower. I want them to see it whether they want to or not.

• I decided that if I could paint that flower in a huge scale, you could not ignore its beauty.

• I'll paint it big and they will be surprised into taking the time to look at it – I will make even busy New Yorkers take time to see what I see of flowers.