My favorite paintings.

My favorite painting is the one on display every time you come to my blog. It was painted by Sara Wheaton, one of my sister's roommates. The original is currently on display at the residence of Jared and Janet Kaup in North Georgia. I love it because of the color, the turmoil, and the new sprout of growth. I also love it because it is the only original piece of art I own.

My second favorite painting is the Monet painting The Magpie. I own a print of it and it travels with me. It hung in my living room in Georgia and currently hangs in my bedroom. Although it looks like a sad picture, it represents hope. The magpie is a bird that returns before the snow melts. Even before the weather shows any indication of letting up, the magpie instinctively knows that things will soon be better and returns.


My third favorite painting is Alexei Savrasov's piece The Rooks Have Come Back. It's very similar to the Monet painting up above. I saw it in Russia and fell in love with it. The explanation is also the same. I want to be one of those people who sees possibility where others only see pain.


Monet's Boulevard des Capucines is my fourth favorite painting. I was in the Pushkin Gallery in Moscow and was walking quite close to the paintings. I walked by it and saw only dots of color. I really didn't get it. I stepped back a few steps and realized that it was supposed to be a street scene of some kind. When my back brushed the wall opposite the painting I saw the individual faces of the people. It was a tremendous experience. (Disclaimer: I'm not 100% sure this is the street scene I saw, it was the only street scene I have been able to find and my memory of the painting I saw that day is slipping - so if this painting isn't in the Pushkin Gallery ... I apologize for lying.) Sometimes I need a reminder that I need to step back from the current situation to see the full image.