The currents of change are confusing, distracting, turbulent.
The world events are spinning and counter-spinning. The terrifying disasters — upheavals, earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions are threatening the safety of the inhabitants of our planet. These are warning signals that we should protect the environment and respect Mother Nature.
For a change in mood, one seeks the spiritual solace of silence, art and music, and the mental stimulation of books. During the period of meditation, one can relish prolonged moments of solitude, seek inspiration. It is a chance to immerse oneself in images — fleeting dreams or memories. One can shut out the angst and turmoil of the outer world. A period of creative idleness is slowly transformed into a fountain of energy.
One of the most spectacular sights in the world is sunset. On a breezy afternoon, the clouds dissipate in the powder blue sky and the golden orb commands attention. It changes from hot yellow to fiery orange as it slowly descends into the horizon. Then the cobalt sky has streaks of vermillion. The rippling ultramarine sea has glinting reflections of burnished gold like a river moving over the waves.
Afterglow is peach, tangerine, and violet. Then the vast night sky becomes a dramatic stage. The luminous moon glows brightly as the stars recede into the indigo background. Like a pantomime play at a curtain call, the constellations blink, curtsy and fade into the wings.
A cool, misty dawn breaks over the silhouette of a distant mountain against a slate gray, lavender sky. The treetops shimmer and shiver with dewdrops as the wind ruffles the leaves.
In a solitary aerie parched above a park, the unfolding panorama is mesmerizing.
The early morning sky is a wash of watercolors blending into a precious painting. A distant rainbow completes the heavenly tableau.
It is a rare luxury to watch a sunrise.
The palest pink, blush, mauve, lilac hues merge into translucent blue gauze. Fine brushstrokes of iridescent rays appear in the hazy horizon as the sun climbs tentatively.
It is a dazzling burst of power as the solar ball switches on. The cerulean blue sky has translucent cotton cirrus clouds. On the sea, the horizon blends with the sky so that it could be a sunrise or sunset depending on the intensity of the colors.
The city stirs, reluctantly.
During the period of reflection, one draws from divine grace and inner resources. It builds up slowly until the dreams are transferred onto the canvas. The process of creation is unhurried in the subconscious. One waits patiently for art to unfold. Sometimes, it comes as a sudden burst of colors.
Here are quotes from Oscar Wilde on human nature and art.
“Every single work of art is the fulfillment of a prophecy.” — “De Profundis”
“Art never expresses anything except itself.” — The Decay of Lying
“Music is the perfect type of art. Music can never reveal its ultimate secret.”
“For a dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world.”
“Life is simply a mauvais quart d’heure made up of exquisite moments.” — The Critic as Artist
“Nothing refines but the intellect.” — A Woman of No Importance
“The only way to get of a temptation is to yield to it.”
“Questions are never indiscreet. Answers sometimes are.”
“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”
“When the gods wish to punish us, they answer our prayers.”
“The only difference between a saint and a sinner is that every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.” — An Ideal Husband
Maria Victoria Rufino is an artist, writer and businesswoman. She is president and executive producer of Maverick Productions.
