Summer’s end - thoughts on home, Mom

Natalie Goldberg wrote in one of her books that nowhere is heaven, and everywhere is heaven. I think about that in relation to home, and Mom. Home is everywhere and nowhere. It flickers and changes, just like Mom does now. It’s in both the familiar and the new. It's active, and only stays alive through effort and care. It’s what you feel being around people who love deeply and who put their love into action.

I painted this one while we were back in Saskatchewan this summer. Mom, wind in her hair, looking to the horizon, on her bike, on the road. I miss her every day. Her loving attention to all of our details. Her respect for the spontaneous and her willingness to engage. The way that time slowed down with her, never rushing, always time to talk about what's on our minds, time to feel the sun on our faces. I will work on creating home wherever we go, so that we can keep her spirit close.

Watercolour and gouache on cotton paper (I think it was cotton!) 33 inches by 9.5 inches