What I Learned Painting Pears

As 2024 begins, I’ve been thinking a lot about light… I’m realizing as I grow as an artist that a painting isn’t believable until it accurately captures the light in the scene. I painted a still life of pears in November, and capturing them got me thinking.

In defining light, appropriate shadows get added. Different objects cast shadows that vary in length or depth of intensity. Isn’t that just like life? Different experiences cast shadows that vary in intensity of experience. One commonality is that the shadow is darkest the closer you are to an object. This makes me consider the old saying, “time heals all wounds”.

Thankfully as time marches on the intensity of our reaction lessens to negative experiences, and we may even begin to be able to see things from a new perspective. Thankfully shadows are only present because light is shining. Light is always shining, we just have to look for it.

There’s always a lighter side to an object. The dark helps define the light. It’s tempting to want life to be all sunshine and pleasant experiences, but isn’t it true, for example, that vacation only really has meaning as a break from hard work? And sunshine feels brightest after grey stormy days?

There is also reflective light on objects. This reminds me of the unexpected good things that happen amidst the hard. As I fought cancer, relationships deepened as friends “showed up” in unexpected ways. The gratitude I feel now each new morning has deepened because of its juxtaposition to the possibility of my number of days being cut short.

I’m expressing this gratitude in bright colors as I paint. Others in my class painted pears too- no one else felt the need to capture the turquoise plate they were on. Several of my classmates painted moody pears that could have been in candlelight. I couldn’t not paint the bright plate. It felt like it was singing to me about the joy found in color.

As a middle and high school student I participated in speech competitions. There was a poem that many students memorized to recite about the tapestry of life and how the dark threads were there so the light ones would stand out. As I stood back and looked at my pears they were missing the lightest detail. My instructor helped me see where to place a spark of light on each pear.

Don’t we all need the perspective of others to see things clearly? May we be someone who points out to others things we can rejoice in together. Joy is multiplied when shared.

As we begin 2024 may we have the sight to see Light in every experience. May we have the wisdom to understand that shadows won’t stay intense forever, and the dark helps us feel grateful for the light. There might be someone around us who needs our perspective to see the highlights in their life more clearly. Let’s help them celebrate.