Silence Isn't Empty

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Silence Isn't Empty

Can art be a litmus test? "Silence Isn't Empty, It's Full of Answers" This Zen Proverb speaks to me, so much so, I wanted to turn it into visual art. The forest can be inviting and foreboding, depending on your perspective. Mother nature heals the heart, and can bring the lowest lows if you are in the path of her destruction. Do you see light in the form of sunrise, or is it the light coming from a wildfire? Is silence welcome or frightening?

The visual for this painting really changes depending on if the glass is half-empty or half-full for me. That was intentional in my work, and on a positive day, I see the sunlight streaming in and I want to walk deeper into this forest. On hard days, like now right after the Marshall Fire in Colorado that took 991 homes and businesses in a matter of hours, I get stuck in the water and linger too long perhaps, a feeling of trepidation at not knowing the light's source. Maybe I'm working towards my own Rorschach Test within the painting? I would love to know what you see and is it mood-dependent? Can you change what you see or what you feel?

I choose to see the warmth of the woods, and the positive possibilities for renewal in taking a mindful moment.

Artwork by Julie Leidel, December 2021.