original painting by Brooke Harker.
During a visit to Sicily with my sister, I wandered away from the streets of Trapani on a windy summer day. I felt called near the sea where I found a collection of boats tied beneath the harbor wall. My heart leapt to discover the treasure of this view. I couldn’t stop smiling. I had envisioned painting boats for years. I climbed onto the jetty as a mist of sea jumped to greet me. I probably took over a hundred photos from this view and then sat in joy for quite some time.
In the midst of creating this piece, I processed what it felt like to paint in LA again after months of being overseas. There is no way around transitions; they are part of the journey in life. I chose this composition and memories of joy to keep me company. I can’t say this was an easy piece to create all the way through. I got lost in the water and a bit lost in myself. I wasn’t painting the same as I did before I left for Italy, nor when I was there. I had to assimilate shifts in thinking which felt awkward at times. I felt frustrated to not know my way forward. It was when I remembered to enjoy the not knowing in the process, to love the voyage, that I found my way with this work.
We can’t know the answers before we know them. Even then, outcomes cannot be controlled. Maybe every day is a transition– a chance to get happy and choose to find joy in the unknown.
Brooke Harker
