Leave Footprints Worth Following Painting

Does anyone really have that perfect balance of work, family, fun, health, and spirituality? Those wellness pie charts with their equal wedges make me laugh out loud. It is wonderfully freeing to admit that life will never be in perfect harmony. Sustaining life balance is a lofty, impossible goal. If it was attainable, all of those self-help books wouldn’t still be on the market. We would just learn the exact answers to health and happiness, apply it to our personal and professional lives, and achieve unending success. I had time to do some personal reflection during a recent trip to Mexico. The rural coastal town of Yelapa is only accessible by boat. This forcibly filters your daily options. I woke up with the sound of the roosters, fed the stray cats and dogs, prepped my art supplies, and set off in a random direction to seek subject matter (and shade). Making art in public has a wonderful power to open the door to conversation. The locals smiled and checked out my progress as they walked by on their way to and from work exclaiming, “Hermoso (beautiful)!” I attempted to answer the questions of curious neighborhood kids who laughed at my answers in broken Spanish. Older couples clasped hands, shared a romantic gaze, and reminisced about the first time they traveled to Yelapa. I met three other artists who came over for an impromptu gallery show in the kitchen of my rental and we swapped stories for hours about art and travel. I befriended the village’s veterinarian and spent an evening hearing all about her crazy love affairs with local characters as we shared Mexican cookies and cheap red wine. After an evening of sampling the local moonshine (not recommended) another neighbor led us in a comedic hungover yoga session. I painted on a local’s patio that overlooked where the river and ocean intersected, and we listened to the mating sounds of toads as the sun set and laughed at the idea of amphibian courtship. I made ten paintings during this short trip, but the real beauty in this travel experience was wrapped up in these random, unpredictable collected moments and embracing the surprises that came with each new day. I could have planned everything so that I had a measured balance of serious painting time, disciplined exercise, sight-seeing, and quiet reflection. But then I would have missed out on all of the comical encounters and joys that come from a little too much sun and fun. I’m okay with living an unbalanced life, because this is a life worth living to its fullest. 36×24 oil painting “Leave Footprints Worth Following” by Kirsten Savage

Painting:Oil on Wood

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:24 W x 36 H x 0.3 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.