Wonder

This 24″ x 36″ original acrylic painting by Lindsey Kiser was created for my Reflecting on New Beginnings solo art exhibition at the Janice Mason Art Museum in Cadiz, Kentucky. It was painted on gallery-wrapped canvas so that the painting does not need to be framed.

This painting was painted to spark your sense of wonder.

Consider the ordinary bird’s nest. Is it not fascinating that a bird knows how to build a nest? We usually consider the use of found objects as materials and tools as within the exclusive realm of man, and yet our common, but no less extraordinary, backyard songbirds know this. But, is it not even more fascinating that a bird knows it needs to build a nest? The bird knows its purpose. Interestingly, the purpose requires the bird to work until the task is accomplished no matter the quantity or severity of obstacles that are presented.

During the development of this series, I intentionally thought thoughts that elicit the emotion of wonder. Children are forever asking “why?” and saying “I wonder”. When was the last time you considered a bird’s nest or a butterfly? Is the state of wonder exclusive to the domain of children? Can we return to it? Is there a reason to return to it?

Often, as we age, we get it in our heads that we are supposed to have “all of the answers”. We stop wondering. But wonder feels like exciting amazement. Wonder opens us to new possibilities. Wonder solves problems. But as great as wonder is, wonder requires a toll. To experience wonder, we must be open to the possibility of encountering new ideas that may challenge our firmly entrenched beliefs.

This painting is an invitation to return to a state of wonder.