"I do that kind of painting too"
Conversations about art across the fence
Conversations between artists.
I stood on my deck taking in an exquisite day of pristine sky and a welcome cool tint to the air. I’d propped up an acrylic dragon painting I created beginning the night before last when I couldn’t sleep, and completed during the day. Some spots were still wet, and the dragon had been newly named by my son. When I’d asked my teenager to do the honor of naming my latest dragon painting (the second I’ve created in two days,) he said:
How about Prayer?
This is Prayer
As I was standing next to Prayer the dragon, bathing in rich light blue sky and the sunny, gentle wisp of a crisp breeze on my face, I noticed a fellow all decked in white painting attire, with a wide brush in hand. He was on the other side of the fence, and he was moving his brush over the white siding of my lovely neighbors’ house, an apple’s throw away from me, but not close. The other day I gave a painting to that neighbor as a spontaneous response to a conversation we had. That is a story for another time!
On this occasion, on the level of my personality I wasn’t inclined to awkwardly shout across yards to the hired painter of my neighbor, who’d just finished taking instructions from the home owner on how she wanted him to do his work. But…incredibly, I felt the nudge to call out, over the paint-peeling rail of our deck, “Want to see another kind of painting?
And I did. It took courage. I hesitated. Then I went for it.
“Want to see another kind of painting?” I belted out.
He took a step or two toward me, asked me, “What’s that?”And when I said again, “Want to see a different kind of painting, and held up my smallish canvas for him to see, and as I did, his head made a barely perceptible nod and, he smiled, then squinted. The sun was bright and he was a distance away.
“Is it a Seahorse?” He inquired.
“Close,” I responded, “It’s hard to see from there. It’s a DRAGON.”’
“It looks like a friendly dragon” he said.
I replied, “It IS a friendly dragon. It’s a dragon of sovereignty and divine love.”
He nodded again. Then after a quiet moment said, “I do that kind of painting too. I just do this to pay the bills because I don’t make enough money at the other kind of painting. I asked him, “What do you like to paint?” At first he was shy to say and mumbled “All kinds of things...landscapes and other stuff…” I pressed slightly, “What’s your favorite thing that you’ve ever painted, that made you go, “God, this is why I paint!”?
He paused reflectively and then found it in himself to say, “Well, a couple of mystical ones, kind of like yours. One is a muskallunge or smusky, which I had to inquire to find out is a fish!
If you are as am fish-ignorant as I am, here are some images. Wow! It’s always fun to learn something I didn’t know before! The artist in the neighbors yard goes on: “The other is a boat with a person in it by themselves on a still lake.” “Beautiful,” I replied. I encouraged him to listen to his soul and express his art. He said, “I know...it’s hard cause sometimes by the time I get home from this type of work, I’m just too tired. But sometimes, then I get out the guitar.” I said, “Yeah, I hear that. My husband plays the guitalele and my son plays the ukulele.”
“Then you should play the bass,” said the artist. “I do actually really like the bass, but I have had up to recently this belief that I’m not good at music. I do now sometimes sing. And I’ve started composing with my son. He smiled and acknowledged that as a positive thing. He soon went back to work, but only after telling me he is exhibiting in an art supply store near downtown in December. I told him I’d try to put it in my mental calendar and maybe we’d see him then. My own painting was exhibited by yours truly on a stump, propped by a watering can for anyone who walked by between 10am and 2pm. The showing is over. I think I really like this kind of exhibit though...I feel my artwork is much more suitable for sharing stumpside than along white walls, although my greatest respect goes to artists who are professionals and share in this way!
This story highlighted for me how many brilliant people are dressed in suits that have to wear or wear to make their life work, but that do not reflect their genius creativity. It was also a super powerful reminder to me of the joy of alignment. I took a risk to listen to the inner hint to reach out and invite a connection around art. How was I supposed to know he was a true artist, a painter exhibiting this December at an art store nearby? God’s magnificent divine choreography can map out our lives so much better than we can from a human vantage, and isn’t it wonderful?
I have decided, in light of the artist’s comment on the friendliness of Prayer the dragon, that Prayer the dragon will be forever known as Prayer The Friendly Dragon.
After all this happened, I shared the story with a friend. And she came up with this wonderful turn of phrase:
“You gotta put your dragons out there.”
A day after I saw the fellow over the fence, I saw the lovely neighbor whose house he was painting. I asked if she’d overheard the conversation, and hoped she didn’t mind him taking the time to chat. She said, “All I heard was him sharing that he is an artist.” Apparently he regularly shares with her his paintings and shows when he comes to do work for her, but she had forgotten to ask, and she was glad to know he’ll be showing in December!
Abundance and gratitude go hand in hand, and my kind and wonderful neighbor told me to bring out my bowl so she could pour all these scrumptious tomatoes in it from her abundance.
When I expressed my thanks, she said, “It was divine timing that you stepped out.”
This is the joy of giving and receiving as we allow the Divine in to guide us toward the flow of life’s blessings…to be a blessing and to be open to receiving them!
