Ocean Park Library Garden

When I needed to find my way into a new painting series, as is often the case, I felt a bit overwhelmed, there is so much of beauty and interest in the world that subject matter is vast.  The choice must ring true personally and stimulate a need for communication that can only be expressed visually.

In the end I remembered one of my writing teachers saying, that the bigger the subject the smaller you write. An example she gave was, war, which is a huge overpowering subject,

could best be illustrated by attention to details, such as a tiny charred sock left beside the road.

I decided to explore this concept and narrow my focus to something close to both my heart and my home. The small but beautifully stocked and laid out Ocean Park Library Garden.

It is not the flashiest garden and often through the flowering season my attention was seduced by much showier flowers, but sitting quietly in the space drawing or taking pictures, always revealed patches of beauty I might otherwise have missed.

I have found that subjects close at hand are just as powerful and moving as those of further away or more exotic places and that narrower parameters sometimes draw us deeper.