The Painting That Started It All

June 28th, 2020: After a pencil sketch, I painted the 16x20" canvas panel above after finding an old box of acrylic craft paint while sorting through stuff in the rafters.

The little bottles of acrylic paint were cheap and chalky and, the painting ended up looking somewhat dull because of it, but the spontaneous creative moment truly made me grin. With the unknowns of the pandemic at the time, I welcomed all of the grins I could get.

I've wondered since then if this act of painting would have happened without the pandemic situation. I may not have done it - at least, not at that time. There wasn't any pressing reason for me to go through old boxes of things stored in the rafters. 

I truly needed to keep busy and distract myself at the time. Sorting and cleaning was something I could control while the world was seemingly out of control. Discovering painting and experimenting with it going forward kept me busy and focused on something new. 

Nevertheless, it all feels like synchronicity. It's funny how things happen at times.

- Shelly