Paint the Sky.

Those are the words that popped into my head as I was driving home, yesterday.
Odd. "Why?" I asked.

I’m not a painter, you see.

“So?” came the reply, “you love the sky.”

I do. I’ve loved the sky ever since I can remember. Waking up in my childhood bedroom, the first thing I did was look out the window, up through the white blossomed Crabapple tree, to the sky.

There's so much to see - the wide range and depth of colors from cerulean and cobalt, to ultramarine and Prussian blue to deep purple and navy to Payne’s gray and black. Then, there are the clouds - puffy and fluffy with rose undertones, light and lacy with creamy yellow, dense and deep with shades of purple gray. Sunrise or sunset adds yet another wash of colors from cadmium red, alizarin crimson to hansa deep yellow and orange. All this color and shape and form moving constantly above me with the wind.

I've watched spellbound as the sky changes from black to blue to black again. I marveled as the shapes appear and disappear. The sky is a moving sculpture. I see clouds forming into faces of women, children and men, animals of all types fly, float and sleep above me.

As a little girl one of my favorite games was twirling. Late on summer evenings, I’d stand on the cool grass barefoot, spread my arms out to my sides and spin. Faster and faster, I’d go watching the houses, trees and people whirl past until, too dizzy to stand up, I’d fall onto the soft green grass. Then, laughing, I’d lie on my back and watch the sky go from day to evening in spinning splendor.

The sky is peace to me. Restful in its beautiful blues and rosy hues. Exciting deep gray greens exploding into thunder and lightening. Mysterious. Soft. Sad. And unending in its possibilities. It is a moving, every changing, never ending art show. Vast. Open. Alive.

I am inspired by it. Awed. Humbled.

Paint the sky? Now I know why…love.
But could I?

That’s the question that set me to work. First, with my camera, I took pictures of the sky. I took the photo for this painting on my phone, so I can't share it here. Second, I primed over an old painting and, yes, I did paint the sky. I think this one if almost done. Now what? Paint the sky, again? Why not.