My Own 24/7 "Art" Museum

I am writing this in TN, but I’m thinking back to the way I felt when I took that first morning walk around the bog upon returning home from Italy. It was a beautiful sunrise, one worthy of an Ansel Adam piece, all golden light hitting the tops of trees and the dew uncovering the latest spider works of art. It struck me that we all have eyes to see, but we are gifted at “seeing” different things.

When we were in Florence we went to the Uffizi Gallery, as does everyone who goes to Florence. A veritable “Who’s Who” of Renaissance artists; Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, Botticelli ( I fancied I sported a “Botticelli belly” by the time the trip was through -all that divine pasta and pizza!)
The Renaissance’s greatest hits all under one roof. But because I am not trained with the eye of an art major, I can only pick out the “Masters”, as it were, by the crowds around those paintings, or because I read about them in the guide book. Given a room full of “Madonna and Child”
or the Birth of Jesus or His death, could I pick out the one that topped them all, that had books and books written about it? No I could not.

I have heard of people having their lives transformed while gazing at a particular scene, but stare as I might, the nuances of a crimson robe, or falling light would probably escape me. There are things I just don’t “see”. And so it is with the natural world. What stops me in my tracks, and as I recall, on my first morning back, it was the sight of a spider just beginning to weave its web, playing out the line of strong-as-steel silk till the wind would bring it to some snag on the other side, others probably would have walked right by. However, it caught my eye and I was so thankful to “see” it.

I also thought how lucky I was that my favored “museum”, is open 24/7, with no price tag attached and not relegated to being seen by 30 people at a time. Please, this is not intended as a slight against Art Appreciation, how I wish I had more knowledge in that area, but just to take a moment to be thankful for the “art” I do so appreciate; the art that makes every day different, every day with a potential for glory.

This morning at my daughter’s house in TN, I walked the dog at the perfect time to catch the sun coming out from under an early morning bank of clouds and change a huge maple tree that was already lit by the fiery colors of fall into one that was as illuminated as any gilded manuscript. And at the top of the tree, also caught in the same gold light, was a raucous, just getting out to the jobs of the day, family of crows. Even they looked regal in the light. And then, as quickly as the gold came, it faded, and I was grateful to have caught this little masterpiece just for at the moment it was showing.

The conclusion? Life is beautiful, Art is beautiful and although the saying is “Life imitates Art” it would seem that the opposite is equally true, “Art imitates Life”, in all its glory. I hope then, that today you might find the time to visit your own favored “museum”. It’s bound to be open and the price well within your budget.