TOUCHED ON MANY LEVELS

When I visited Morocco I experienced the mix of cultures now rooted there among the souks , with the backdrop sounds of prayer five times a day. I have other memories of Morocco such as the ever-present smell of smoke, I assume things being burned or cooked. The mystery and possible danger in the desert and the persistence of begging people were also realities. I have a clear recollection of a man stopping his car on the side of the road, moving his body to the earth to bow and acknowledge the sounding prayer. An image also of a young African girl, in a semi-silhouette on the top of a hill, swaying in a dance of life, arms extended toward the sky as the wind blew her dress to one side of her with its own expression of life. I was inspired by her spontaneity, of life force in motion as other women in the foreground tended chores with large bundles of sticks balanced on their heads.
As the Muslims heed the sound of prayer five times a day, we as artists have a life of opportunity to awaken and honor through the experience of living with openness. Painting manifests through inspiration. Inspiration is like traveling on a magic carpet/prayer rug that enlivens individual awareness to vast possibilities. Creativity parallels or embodies prayer or meditation. Painting is a meditation that allows me to process the awe I feel for life and offer some expression of beauty to honor that.