Day 181

Cave Horse after Lascaux, 4 x 4 inch oil on panel

© 2013 Kathleen Coy

I have some commissions I need to finish, so I need subjects for daily paintings this week that won't take too much time. I decided to paint a weeks worth of little 4 x 4s after my favorite European cave art. Cave paintings have fascinated me as long as I can remember. They reach to the core of my being like no other art. I've tried to analyze why I feel this way. Could it be the connection the early people felt with the animals around them? (The same connection that I feel.) Could it be wonder at the power of art itself - the fact that art is so important, and needs to be expressed even though every day is a struggle just to stay alive? Could it be the mystical power of a painting to capture not only an idea, but the spirit as well, a way to keep it with you? Or could it be that many times I feel I can express myself with paint more than I can with words... I think it's all of the above. The reverence I feel for these paintings trumps any other art in history. They connect me with my primal heart, free to feel fully, without civilized constraints. This weeks paintings are my tribute...