Wonderment

"Wonderment" hangs in my home. An improbable purchase for my fox-loving wife. I don’t purchase art online. Especially original works in oil from someone I’ve never met and lives on the other side of the Atlantic.

Yet I was dazzled by the image of three Red Foxes peering up into a star filled night sky. The painting reminded me of my youth and the thrill of being outside with my friends on a summer night, telling stories, calling into the darkness, and ultimately growing quiet as we imagined our place beneath the heavens.

I see this painting every day and after a year, I still stop for a moment to admire it, or perhaps more specifically, to consider the powerful hold it has on me. My own sense of “wonderment.”

I confess I still have difficulty believing it’s a finger painting. Had I not seen a video on YouTube of Saskia actually painting it with her fingers (gloved for those terrified of oils) I would think it was done with a brush or palette knife. Knowing the artist’s fingers have touched the canvas brings a humanity to the work that has power that’s difficult to quantify. In a world of digital art and trickery there’s something comforting being reminded of how passion and obsession can be embodied by hand in oil on canvas by an artist.

The painting is beautiful. Mesmerizing. I remember when I first unwrapped the canvas. It arrived in its carefully packaged box which I took it directly to the framing shop I use. I watched as the packaging was removed and the first scent of the oil paint filled the air. And when the protective covering was lifted from the work the image shimmered with light, almost as if it were illuminated from within. Pleased doesn't begin to describe how I felt on this first meeting. Others in the shop gathered round the painting. As if something magical had just been revealed.

I can’t say enough about the beauty of “Wonderment.” Or for the kind and thoughtful communication from Saskia during the purchase process. And what can I say about her finger painting process other than a humble “Wow.”

I’m grateful to have this work in my life.