Spring Meadow~ Picturing Possibilities

"Out beyond ideas of wrong doing and right doing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.” ~Rumi

"Seek the fresh air of the forest and of the fields, and there in the midst of them shall you find the angel of air.” ~Jesus

What is it about fields and meadows that resonate with purity and new life? For me, it is the memory of childhood spent in pastureland, of walks with my mother in spring to visit newborn lambs. It was a beloved annual journey, fragrant with apple blossoms and clover; alive with bird song and rushing brooks, a land of enchanted possibility framed within stonewalls. The wild beauty of fields displays a sacred unity~ where rocks, trees and vines work out individual needs and grow together in harmony.

In the painting, Spring Meadow, softness pervades, as if seen through the eyes of a child. The interplay of simplified shape and movement, of pinks, lavender and mint green gently cradle us through the picture. The meadow’s elements are in communication with one another, pulsing with new awakening. Spring Meadow is a picture of joyful flourishing.

Pictures, whether in visual, written, or aural form, are important to our consciousness. It is by our imaging capacity that we establish our outlook on the world, which patterns our behavior and experience. An overload of stressful pictures ultimately causes conflict; they must be balanced with an antidote.

Spring Meadow invites us to picture a land of renewed possibilities, where the soul of primal earth awaits the angel of the air. I will meet you there.


Melody Phaneuf is a Boston Artist, working at Fenway Studios. Phaneuf is well known for her evocative still life and landscape paintings and has achieved significant acclaim for portraiture. She has exhibited at Galerie Herouet in Paris, The National Arts Club in New York City, and with Art du Monde, a traveling exposition in Japan. Phaneuf’s paintings are regularly displayed at the Guild of Boston Artists, 162 Newbury Street, Boston, MA.

Melody The Artist Home, founded with photographer and color specialist, Martha DiMeo showcases the artist’s original paintings on tumbled marble tile murals and coasters, fine art prints, and handmade note cards. Online ordering at MelodyTheArtist.com/shop

Spring Meadow, Oil Painting by Melody Phaneuf, private collection


Related Links~

• Mystical Poetry of Rumi
• Sacred Sites
• Creative Visualization

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Dawn, Bass Rocks

Transition. Nature is waking up; the delicate pink of the early morning skies are lightly tinged with diaphanous orange, a glowing promise of warmer days to come. This scene is why I call Gloucester home; I remain in the alluring contrast of rugged coast against ethereal skies and ever-changing sea.

At dawn, Bass Rocks frames a gentle sea but the granite teeth expose the ocean’s many moods. It is a delightful place to paint at the moment; tranquility dominates. I am reminded of a name from a childhood spent with mythology books—Genius Loci— there is a spirit here, animating this place and I am bonded to it as I paint.

We have filled the empty spaces of the landscape as quickly as possible with things~ buildings, shopping plazas, harsh lighting. As convenient as that may seem, it has done much to desensitize us to the wild beauty of the world. Bass Rocks, Gloucester remains a sacred place, likely protected by the Spirits we’ve forgotten.

Melody Phaneuf is an award-winning artist, painting on location in Gloucester and at Fenway Studios in Boston, which, she deems a perfect balance. She is a regular exhibitor at Northshore Arts in Gloucester and The Guild of Boston Artists, Boston.

Dawn, Bass Rocks~ Oil Painting by Melody Phaneuf, 20 x 16

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Links~

• Genius Loci
• Myths of The Sea
• Cape Ann Museum