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Nov 26, 2020
"Unstoppable Joy", Original Oil on Canvas, sold
Hello Everyone & Happy Thanksgiving,
I have one final painting to share with you from the exhibit that was at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum this fall. As it seems we are in some of the darkest days and weeks of the pandemic, my soul must hold on to the joy, beauty, and gratitude that is still present even in this darkness, and that is what I want to share today!
This crabapple tree painting, full of joy and new life, was inspired from the grounds of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum itself! I started this painting near the beginning of 2020, soon after landing The Trees As Sanctuary Exhibit. The story that follows seems to be quite Divinely timed. ✨
It was only weeks before life as we knew it would change for quite sometime - in February of this year. It was a Sunday morning after church service, and I was sitting at a table amongst 10 or so other people joining for a group discussion. As we were being introduced, it was announced that I was an Artist with an upcoming show at the Arboretum. Within seconds the woman sitting next to me, Erva Hance, who I had never met before, turned her head and said in an excited tone, "Oh, my father Leon Snyder founded the Arboretum!" She went on to say, "When I was a little girl, I remember driving around with him looking for land to start the Arboretum." At that moment, my heart may have skipped a beat, and instantly I felt like we had become close friends.
Since moving to the Twin Cities 14 years ago, The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, had quickly become a favorite spot for painting inspirations! After meeting Erva that morning, I knew it wouldn't be the last. I had so many questions for her, and I couldn't wait to learn all that she was willing to share.
Over a few visits this summer, I was deeply touched hearing many stories from Erva. One of those visits, was a beautiful warm and sunny day, as Erva, Etta, and I were sitting under a glorious maple tree. She shared memories of when she was 5 years old in 1954, trekking through the pastures that is now the award-winning Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. She described her childhood as "idyllic". Since her Dad, Leon Snyder, was named head of the Horticulture Department of the University of Minnesota, Erva and her family spent their summers at the fruit breeding farm just north of what is now the Arboretum. She shared memories of helping her Dad grow enormous vegetable gardens, and giving wagon rides to the wealthy, in hopes to find funding for such a endeavor of creating an arboretum.
She described the kind of person Leon Snyder was, "He was a great leader who was honest and genuine. A visionary. People were drawn to him. He had a good eye for design, and it was he who designed the whole space and the three mile drive road, he even designed where he wanted the curves in the road to be." This was all so moving to me, because of a connection I have always felt to the Arboretum and the pure beauty and life that this place offers to so many. She also shared the excitement of what the opening day felt like in 1958, and how thrilled Leon was that people came. ❤️ (I can only imagine the smiles that he is having now.)
As Erva and I finished up our wonderful sharing of life and stories on that warm summer day, I told her about this crabapple tree painting and how inspired I remember being during the Spring at the Arboretum in amongst the magnificent pink and white trees. "Ed and I were married under those trees in 1973!" Erva excitedly exclaimed. At that moment I wished I would have had this painting to show her, but instead, she went inside and came out with her wedding album. It was pure bliss seeing the pictures of her love story amongst those trees.
This joy from these crabapple trees at the Arboretum clearly inspires so many people. While painting Unstoppable Joy, I was remembering the picnic I had under this tree, four years ago. It was when my now 4 year old girl, Etta, was a baby. I was in the trenches with little sleep, a baby who wouldn't stop crying, and treading water in the new life of motherhood with a baby and a 2 year old boy, Walter. But then, these trees! The Arboretum in the springtime has and still is a place of heaven for me. These trees gave me SO much joy then, as they do now. Joy that was unstoppable, even during the challenging times.
During this public health crisis that we are facing today on a national and global level, I wish to send this reminder to keep seeking joy, beauty, and gratitude. Oh, wouldn't it be nice to walk out into a spring morning right now with scents of the crabapples? Since that's not happening for a long time from now, there are plenty of other pure magical moments in nature in the winter! Below are a few pictures of what I witnessed and captured from a frosty morning a few weekends ago. It was also a moment of unstoppable joy, and I hope you too can be taken to a place of peace when you see them.
As this Thanksgiving holiday is quite different for many this year, I pray that any feelings of sadness and joy can share the table, and that you find countless moments of gratitude!
All my love,
P.S. I don't think I've ever shared photos I've taken that I plan on painting, but as my easel hours are so little these days from mom roles and soon to be assisting at-home learning for my first grader, I just have to share what I captured recently on a frosty morning! Everything was just - so still. and magical. and at peace. I hope you can feel it too!
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