Curvature. . .

Curvature . aerial Alaska view . 9" x 12" . oil on panel

I completed this painting the other day - I call it "painting-interruptus" because of my recent move, so just the sheer exercise of finishing it and moving on suddenly became supreme in my thoughts for some sense of completion/transition. . .or more simply, the hump to get over.  Back in the saddle, so to speak, right?  Oh I could go on about "life throwing you curve balls" but I'm so over it, I promise. 

I will admit to some stumbles and starts and just generally "I don't know where anything is" in my new painting space!  Mainly because I now have storage in two different rooms.  My very good fortune of past studios has been the extreme mega luxury of being able to SEE all that I needed at my fingertips, sparing the jarring, hiccup exercise of having to suddenly go look for something.  Note:  this is NOT a whine - you will not hear anything that even resembles a whine from these lips.  No, I'm just pointing out that I'm learning new tricks!  And so it goes. . .I've now moved on to a new commission that perhaps I'll be able to share soon, with permission, of course. 

My two Alaska friends who experienced this wonderful view were in agreement that it's the Cook Inlet, the Turnagain Arm area just a tad southwest of Anchorage.  Here you'll find the rare tidal bore, (I know, I had to look it up too!) with waters flowing silty with what's referred to as "rock flour" that's ground by glaciers against stone.  We're talking pretty desolate, save for wildlife, on this western shore - the requisite oil platforms out in the waters and the necessary stuff that goes along with oil production (sigh), a few small airstrips, etc.  I might add, sadly, this is the home of the declining Beluga whales.  I so love the whales.  For those of you who aren't up on modern baby paraphernalia, there's a little stuffed lamb that hooks onto baby cribs - one of the options is to softly play the sounds of whales while baby drifts off - it's haunting and quite beautiful.  And effective!  I digress. . .

What intrigued me was the quite obvious beautiful curvature of our planet - how "knock your socks off" is that?  To see that curve with the full realization that you're on a spinning, round planet out in the universe - well, how small and insignificant can one feel?  We get so used to our little view out our windows or worse, out our windshields.  The grandeur, the majesty doesn't show up, does it?  We need more "date nights" with the beautiful natural world we're all a part of, but until that happens, maybe pondering Curvature, the latest in my Alaska series,  will serve in bending our minds towards the masterpiece of earth.