Perfect Summer Day

There are days when I’m simply overwhelmed by the awesome splendor of God’s creation. The sky, the light, the grass and the trees, the song of birds, the perfume of flowers on the breeze…all conspire to fill my spirit with an exultant joy. These are perfect days, and every season has them – days that sum up what summer, winter, spring or fall are all about. My new Celebration of the Seasons Collection will visit four such perfect days, each of which expresses the essence of its season. The theme of A Perfect Summer Day is the exuberant fullness of life.

I discovered this lovely thatched cottage on a ramble through the English countryside. The day was warm; grass and trees were dappled with the shadows of late afternoon. Every nook and cranny seemed to burst with life – grass, flowers, and shrubs grew in lavish abundance.

I set up my easel and began to sketch. As I worked, a group of horses ambled onto the scene; their cropping and husky breathing the right theme song for this supremely comfortable afternoon. I gratefully added them into my painting.

I’ve heard it said that there are forty greens in Ireland. I think the number is conservative. In a field like this, in the fullness of summer, a thousand shades of green interweave to create a tapestry bursting with life. A Perfect Summer Day is just such a tapestry, woven in honor of the glorious extravagance of this most joyful of God’s seasons.