Wednesday, November 16, 2005

The Artist's Sky



It doesn’t happen often, but when it does it’s worth driving seven hours for—that sky I’ll never see again. That sky that lets me know in no uncertain terms that we are not alone. That we are by no means the end all and be all of the universe. Someone, something, greater can paint with light through atmosphere. The power of the painter shows too in the way that this art stops time for the longest while. I can almost believe I’ll get to look at it forever.

Somehow I must be hypnotized, because I never seem to see it fade.

Like a giant conch shell, the colors fill my ears with ocean. Waves slowly coming in and moving slowly out. But my eyes, my eyes are hearing celestial music. A boys’ choir singing softly in the purples sliding over the oranges and the reds. Could it be the earth beneath my feet has become the ocean sand?

I feel the colors sliding through the air to touch me. Inside the sunset I am safe, knowing the one who painted it is the one who painted me; is the one who painted everyone and everything I love. There are no words to actually describe magnificence.

My thoughts when I receive this gift are always this, “If a painter reproduced this sky down to the very detail, anyone who saw it would not believe that it had been real. They’d think the painter made it up.”

It is a sky an artist would call painterly—rare and elegant.
The Artist’s Sky.

—me strauss Letting me be

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think the best sky I ever saw was over West Virginia, visiting my friend Jina. There's something about the East Coast that produces nature's best scenes.

Anonymous said...

Good Morning.

Aren't we lucky too experience such skies as yours. I've had a few of my own. It's almost as each different location has it's own unique, wonderful signature.

Okay work calls. And I've a lot to do since I wasn't here yesterday... :) Thanks for the morning read. It's such a great way to start my morning.

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

Hi Mojo,
The thing I missed most in California was the changes in the sky. Austin has wonderful skies--the most beautiful that I've ever seen. I vote for Austin for that honor.

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

Hello Jennifer,
Now you be on your way.
May you have just perfect skay above you all day.

smiles,
Liz

Anonymous said...

When my child gets home from school today I'm going to read this post to him. I'm always on the lookout for spiritual gems like this to offer him. Thank you.

Anonymous said...

Inside the sunset I am safe, knowing the one who painted it is the one who painted me; is the one who painted everyone and everything I love.

beauiful Liz!

I saw that sky in Hawaii many times, it just took your breath away, you get a few in the midwest, and when you do you just have to stop what you are doing and marvel at it.

have a gret day (hugs)

Anonymous said...

a beautiful picture :-)
www.mynameisfrancesca.co.uk

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

Hello Betty,
Good morning.
Thank you for telling me that. What a supreme and superior compliment. I feel so good that you would want my words to be part of your child's live.
I've got a silly grin on my face.
smiles,
Liz

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

Hello mergrl,

when you do you just have to stop what you are doing and marvel at it.
Yeah. you sure do have to stop and take it in, or you're missing something that will feed your soul for a very long time.
smiles,
Liz

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

Welcome francesca,
You are new around here. Come on in.

Thank you. I'm delighted you liked the picture. Enjoy the blog.
smiles,
liz

Anonymous said...

I saw one of these skies last night as we were coming out of Safeway. Absolutely amazing.

I'm always struck by how mundane they make the daily activities of our lives seem. We must have looked strange, my wife and two boys and I, standing in the parking lot, staring and pointing at the sky while others waited for our parking spot.

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

HiToadmaster,
What a great dad you are to take the time to stop with your boys to breathe in the sky! I'm grinning at the picture of the person who's missing it, thinking a parking place is more important.

smiles,
Liz

Anonymous said...

Beautifully written, Liz and I agree. There's nothing in this world like the sunrise and the sunset. Midwestern skies and the California mountains are my picks for the best places to see them spectacular. Mark Twain chose Muscatine, Iowa.

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

Ah Doug,
You'll have to try Austin someday. Three weather fronts converge there. It makes for some fabulous sky watching!

smiles,
Liz

Anonymous said...

Hi Liz,

So often have i sat on my window sill with my legs outside and streched my neck to see the sky.

And i saw the colour of the sky change from pink to deep pink to violet to deep purple to black.

You have described the sky watching experience so beautifully...it fills my heart and body with joy and love.

and i am grining wide here :)

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

Hi Anu!

Joy, love and grinning--all VERY nice things. I do them a lot. You might try Zen sailing for another one to read. Email me if you want to.

smiles,
liz

Anonymous said...

i love LOVE austin!

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

HOWDY rhein,
I LOVE Austin also.

It's a fine city and I so enjoyed the time we lived there. I used to think people go on vacation to a place like this, but I live here.

smiles,
Liz

Anonymous said...

So you, too, hear colors and see sounds?? I thought I was weird.

How often reality is surreal!

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

Hi David,
It's perfectly normal for a right-brain thinker, say for example a musician or an artist, to think in colors or sounds rather than in words. Patterns are the language of that side of the brain. That you and I are facile with words is much the same as why left-hander can use right-handed scissors--we learned to adapt to the world around us. School requires that we adapt. We are lucky that we go the opportunity to use both sides of our brains.

smiles,
liz

Anonymous said...

Your words painted indelible, yet changing images and sounds as lovely as this brushstroked sky. Skies and old trees are my favorite subjects to paint. Thanks for the ice cream treat, topped with whipped cream.

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

Oh Silvermoon,
It seems that you and I have a lot in common. Would that I could paint what I see, especially what I see in my mind. My son can . . . I cannot. I think it's wonderful that you can. I'm delighted that my words are "like ice cream" for you. It looks like you write too. :)
smiles,
Liz