Harmony and the power of art

Nature joins light and dark, decay and regeneration, suffering and ease, life and death, order and disorder, yin and yang—there can’t be one without the other. The universe and I are one; I owe my existence to unities. I can see myself in the snowy trees and they can see me in themselves. In a vast, mostly empty cosmos, we are life differing only in ratios of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen.

The kinship I feel when I paint nature conjures soothing memories:

As kids, my brother and I played outside in the winter for long hours. We would make snow forts to protect ourselves in vicious snow-ball fights, tunnel through large piles of snow, and sled until moonrise. I can’t imagine warmer memories.

When I paint, I can revisit those feelings and ‘live’ in the scene. My tender feelings arise, and the love for my brother is renewed—that’s the power of art.