A Canopy of Brilliance © 2017 Jed Smith, Oil

I love creating. I’m very fortunate that I am able to pour myself into writing, photography and painting. Italy is bringing out the best in me in this regard. After all, when I have creative genius staring at me at every turn (particularly in a city like Venice) I can’t help but feel the universe prodding me to “get going” and to “see what happens.”

A need for something spacious

Three-and-a-half months ago I sat staring at a large blank canvas.  Jed Smith, what do you want to paint? That’s what I asked myself, and I knew the answer wouldn’t come through intellectual reasoning. Something spacious. That was the answer.

The island of Folegandros, Greece, is just a short trip from Italy, and we vacationed there last year as part of a sibling reunion. A hasty photo I took, while hanging on the back of a speeding ATV, yielded the inspiration for this painting.

Now, this is probably more information that you care to hear, or need, but it might help you understand this artist’s process and evolution. This painting was a departure for me because I let my heart tell me what would feel good to paint. I didn’t use the filter of what I thought other people would like.

Bringing this painting to life was like painting in front of a huge, open window

That was the real beauty for me. It was art therapy. It was meditation.

And, I’m learning to let life lead me – not my mind (though it still is a crafty fellow trying to steal my attention). I’m learning to trust the yearnings of my dreams. I close with yet another quote from my favorite author and mystic…

“Trust in dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.” – Kahlil Gibran