Written by Lisa Harker
One of the things that always makes me smile is how I can produce a series of different paintings aimed at catering for differing tastes and yet the result is that everyone always wants the same one!
The prime example of this was my signature butterfly painting which attracted attention long after it had been sold and gone to its forever home.
The painting features two butterflies in flight and details their dance with each other as they flutter across a brilliant blue sky in the sunlight.
Butterflies are a symbol of transformation, they have four stages of metamorphosis from egg to caterpillar to chrysalis before eventually emerging as a butterfly. Similarly as humans we transform through each stage of life, each phase bringing new discovery and experience. If we are to gain the most from life we must embrace each and every stage and celebrate what it has to offer.
Personally I am much happier at 47 than I ever was at 17 or 27. I’ve watched and learnt from those around me and I am grateful for this rich tapestry of experience. Wisdom is defined as “the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgement; the quality of being wise.” It doesn’t matter how many mistakes we make as long as we learn from them as a result.
We do not grow if we never take a risk, if we always take the route that is comfortable and safe. As the Dali Lama says, great love and great cooking involve great risk. (Well my cooking is already risky so I reckon I’m already half way there!)
But if we pursue our dreams, if we listen to the contents of our hearts, if we dare to be different and to chase the stars then our journey will be one of wonder and awe, regardless of the destination.
As I began to pursue my dream of being a full time artist, I had to decide whether to remain in a job I hated until I was able to retire and support myself with my pension. I was in my early forties at the time and I knew that if I took that choice – a choice which to many seemed ‘sensible,’ I would be condemning myself to a life where I would be merely existing. One where I was living for some date or opportunity far in the future. Indeed one that may ultimately never happen.
Instead I chose to take the difficult and scary step of emerging from the chrysalis as the butterfly, rather than remaining in the safety of the cocoon.
The dance of the butterflies reminds us that life is always moving, always changing, always offering opportunities if we are only courageous enough to rise and to soar and to dance in the sunlight.
The butterfly painting is available in canvas prints priced at £95 for a 40x40cm and £125 for a 50x50cm print.
