Being a source for Joy - The interconnectedness of trees
Under the Apple Tree is an original acrylic painting and measures 11”x14” on 300lb archival hot press paper. I’ll send it to you in a standard size 16”x20” archival mat, making it easy to frame.
In this series, I continue writing about how to be a source for Joy, taking lessons from my daily life as the Artist who brings you Joy and wisdom from artists, poets, writers, and elders.
Recently, I wrote about my friend Nicole's wisdom to find joy in the same way that flowering trees bloom―just find joy, no matter the weather, no matter the circumstance. This week, the iconic joyful artist Bob Ross inspired additional joyful tree thoughts:
You know me, I think there ought to be a big old tree right there. And let's give him a friend. Everybody needs a friend.―Bob Ross
Let's face it, if you grew up in the US and was a non-sports, non-theatre latchkey kid in the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, you were likely spending your afternoons watching Bob Ross's show "The Joy of Painting" on the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) channel, chilling out with some Stouffer's French Bread Pizza, thinking about happy trees and the need for more of them. (Or maybe that was just me and my brother?)
Bob Ross created such a soothing, joyful space. Everything was groovy. His voice and manner were so calm and measured. And he loved teaching―sharing all his painterly secrets. All of nature was interconnected at his easel. We could learn lessons about friendship, about when good enough is good enough, and finding ways to look for and create Joy, right in front of us.
When he painted a friend for that big old tree, Bob was on to something. Trees need friends. He knew instinctively that trees thrive when they are together. Richard Powers, author of The Overstory wrote, "We found that trees could communicate, over the air and through their roots." Trees interconnect below ground through elaborate root systems. Those connections with their tree friends give them the strength to stay steady in the storms.
And that's a lesson for all of us―to be like the happy trees by connecting deeply with our friends so we can stay steady and joyful in the face of the storms.
Joy Practice: Connect with friends
This week's Joy Practice is to connect with friends as a way to be a source for Joy. There are (at least) three ways to approach this. One way is to reach out to one of your most favorite friends by letter, phone, message, or text, and share with them how they bring you joy and see what opens up. Another way is to reach out to a friend who you've not been in touch with for a while and share with them how they bring you joy. A third way to be a source for joy is to share with your community of friends (be it your book club, scrapbooking group, art group, knitting group, parent group, running club, or wherever you gather) and start a conversation about how the group brings you joy and see what conversations that sparks.
PS - This coming week, if you're near Burien, Washington, you can see Joy in person 24/7 at my Public Art installation in the City's Art Gallery Windows at 151st and 4th SW (Merrill Gardens Senior Living building). I'll be giving an Artist Talk about Joy and the paintings on exhibit. My Artist Talk is open to the public (in the Merrill Gardens Community Room) at 3 pm on Thursday, March 27th. There are lots of lovely restaurants and pubs in the area to enjoy after the talk.
PPS - On April 5 from 2-4 pm, you are invited to the Artists' Reception for the Women Painters of Washington at Cordata Gallery in Bellingham, Washington. I am honored that two works of Joy that were juried into the exhibit! The gallery is lovely and Bellingham is filled with fun things to do and tasty places to eat, including one of my favorite ice cream shops―Mallard Ice Cream.
PPPS - I love painting trees and we are coming into flowering tree season here in Seattle. One of my favorite trees to paint is a local apple tree I see on my walks by the lake. I love pausing under the branches abundant with green leaves and pink and white blooms, looking up at the sky. Under the Apple Tree is an original acrylic painting and measures 11”x14” on 300lb archival hot press paper. I’ll send it to you in a standard size 16”x20” archival mat, making it easy to frame.
