Starting six months ago I began painting a new series, you know — with a palette, paint brush, and easel. I made several paintings about the difficulties encountered by migrating people. The first eleven paintings were quite painful to view, riding rail cars, being stopped by guards, dying as rafts sink.
As redemption I decided to paint the other side of the story — the hopes and dreams that migrants might have.
I painted three hopeful scenes and then came to a brief “painter’s block.” My remaining scene ideas emerged as rather ordinary. Then it dawned on me, ordinary is what people generally want. Not ordinary in the negative way, ordinary in that making breakfast, taking kids to school, and stopping after at the playground is beautifully ordinary.
I am breaking off now to paint a happy playground scene. If I post it, please remember it is about migration, something all families did — do — may have to do.