The Breath of God

Dear readers, a miraculous thing has occurred in my life! After some years of estrangement, my mother and I have found a middleground. It's not perfect, but that's okay. Humans are terribly flawed and wounded animals, and need some slack. Everyone's tired, and my mom is getting up there in years. The Buddha teaches there is no such thing as past, anyway.

My mom and I share a love of color and design, though her taste is very different from mine. Since she had never seen my apartment, it was high time. She came up to visit last week and I showed her all of my paintings. She was unaware that I painted. She went through all of them, and she loved them all, saying the kindest things.

The Breath of God, 2008, 24" x 24", acrylic and marker on canvas. Click here to see more of my paintings.

Remember this painting? This painting proves that getting out of the way of process results in beauty. This painting happened on its own, I was a mere conduit. See previous post here.

My mother flipped when she saw this painting and offered to buy it. Very helpful since I am unemployed. Mind you, my mom has not been perfect, but, she's always been there. This is the first time she recognized that I am an artist, and approved of me. It may never happen again, but it doesn't matter. The gem my mom bestowed on me this day is a gift of a lifetime. I am fulfilled.

The next morning she called to say that she said her morning prayers by the painting. Hmm. Great energy, great visualization. Then she said, "I swear I can see God in this painting." Awesome, I thought. Creation is one of the ongoing themes in my paintings. She said, "I'd like to retitle it, if I may." "Sure," I said, "it's yours now, what would you like to call it?"

Her reply: The Breath of God.

My reply: Cool.