"DANCING GRASSES"

A radiant off-season sky comes alive as the setting sun gilds the clouds in the back bay, 

and silhouettes tall grasses wafting in a light breeze 

This 36" tall chalk pastel did not start out as a bay scene. It was to be the ocean. But my mind roamed as I painted and ocean waves no longer felt right.

I took a paper towel and rubbed off the water area down to the white ragboard, wiping away all traces of waves, and sat staring at the painting, pondering what "it" wanted to be. I started with a pathway of reflected light through the bottom, added a little gentle motion to the water and deepened the blues in the foreground. It all felt right but was still missing something.

That's when the grasses started dancing in, one at a time, each one receiving highlights from the golden sun. No photos were referenced. It was simply a desire to reate the dramatic off-season colors of sunsets over the Delaware shore that I've witnessed so often and that fill me with awe.

How could you not believe there is a Creator when there is so much infinite, ever-changing beauty? The feeling of awe, appreciation, I also look at as a gift, a gift that keeps a self-taught artist always wanting to improve and share the glory that they see.

Some people have told me they "never saw a sky like that," to which I encourage them to pay more attention during the off season especially in the dawn and twilight hours. One couple came back one day and told me excitedly, "We see them now! We call them Ellen skies!" They even bring me pictures of what they see from time to time.

I think that’s part of my purpose here, helping people see blazing skies and "dancing grasses."

​-- Ellen