31 Jul From the Editor: Everyday Appreciation

Intended or not, it’s often the simple moments that paint pictures on our hearts: a casual exchange between friends, the striking call of a loon across a lake, an old barn at dusk, flowers in a pot by the front door, swelling clouds before a thunderstorm. These are the little things that so often inspire.

Many celebrated Western artists have attuned their senses to appreciate these bits of inspiration. As landscape painter Jennifer Hoffman says, “When I’m driving, I’m constantly noticing things, and I’m just kind of wandering back and forth across the road, looking, getting sucked into the landscape” (page 146). 

And when she notices something especially compelling, she pulls over, snaps a photo, and saves it to reference another day. This is the creative journey for many artists: Painter Mike Piggott (page 134) sketches his impressions while Benjamin Walter (page 160) and Josh Elliott (page 96) complete a quick study in paint. And sometime thereafter, the reference point becomes the point of focus, the purpose. Stacey Herries (page 106) paints the subjects she engages with daily in her hometown, and expressionist Aaron Hazel (page 116) finds his muse in the lesser-known inhabitants of the historical narrative, representing the underrepresented.

Each approaches their art as a way of communicating a feeling, moment, or figure with compelling intimacy achieved through unique styles and compositions. They invite the viewer into an experience while preserving the simple moments, allowing them to endure.

This issue is brimming with small moments to celebrate. May you find them throughout the pages as you do in your own day-to-day.