My "WHY"

Recently there have been a lot of posts in various blogs and on social media about why artists paint what they do. I paint mostly wildlife and landscapes and the best ones are the ones I desperately want to paint. I see the beauty in the wild animals, the strength, courage and will to survive.

The nature of animals is innocent of that of humans. They can be cruel, yes, because they are trying to survive. There are times when landscapes and nature can be cruel as well. Humans, though, can be cruel for fun, for entertainment, for pleasure. This bothers me a lot. Most of you would never know that I am a survivor of child abuse; physical, mental and sexual until I stood up for myself and got away from my abusers.

Therefore, in my landscapes, things can be perfect if I choose them to be, no broken branches or crumbling stone walls or they may have those elements. I get to decide. Me. I am in control of what goes into the painting. I can paint a perfect world or a real world, it is my choice. It is probably the only thing in my world that I have control over.

Like this beaver, I create my own world. It takes a lot of work, learning, building, and rebuilding again and again until I'm satisfied. My WHY is because I choose nature and wildlife over humans. Both wildlife and nature improvise, adapt and overcome whatever happens until they simply cannot do so any longer. Survival. I paint to survive.