Beyond Mountain Painting

Creating stuff without worry is what I like. We are all creative but sometimes this is stifled with the heaviness of life. I think this is why mountains captivate me, not necessarily seeing them in person but the thought of them reaching out from the earth somehow gives me hope. They are terrifyingly massive and awe-inspiring; I imagine that they connect us to what is beyond - painting them might mean we can imagine this beyond together. I teach art to young people and try to keep them bonded to their childhood creativity for as long as possible. Sometimes I spot them in complete oblivion to the heaviness of life, it's like they have jumped from the imaginary mountains into the beyond and this is what I try to capture and where I try to live and paint. I often see or hear my two sons playing in the 'beyond' and it's magical and I envy them until I paint as it's like losing myself in the Lego worlds I created as a kid - nothing here is logical but beautifully liberating. I'll jump off the mountain one day.