Embellishment

Artist Drive, Death Valley

When a friend said "go to Death Valley with me," I jumped at the chance.  Who could possibly resist the pureness, the slate wiped clean, the stark, the sacred other worldly sight of it?  This amazing opportunity naturally coincided with a tangled web in my life, and it could not have come at a better time. . .funny how that works!  I should also mention the wildflowers were in bloom adding extra incentive!  YES, wildflowers bloom in Death Valley when the rain gods have been good. 

Not to wax on, and I could, the trip was soothing, calming. . .the Valley and sky gave one a sense of magnificent, cleansing space, both mentally and physically.  Time was easily marked by the sun's position, but it mattered little.  The rock stacks that stood sentinel in some areas rooted you back to your humanity and the earth; someone was here before in this barren, beautiful landscape.  It felt sacred, these tiny embellishments standing attention amongst rock formations silently screaming of ancient natural phenomenon we have no control over, nor can imagine.  

Artists have control over embellishment. . .the individual sacred mark of having attended to the canvas/paper.  Some may call it style.  I'd venture to say most artists add their own particular embellishment to each painting that gives it personal meaning.  Realists may do it with color or one stroke!  Abstract artists' every stroke gives rise to embellishment.  Webster's defines embellishment as "a grace note."  What's not to love about that?