Light Leaf, by Artist Paul Kelley

Observations of leaves in light

During times of social distancing due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, I have thought a lot about play and observation. Asking myself, what it means to be playfully curious? I would like to think I always adhere to a playful mindset and that I practice critical observation of my surroundings. After all, this attitude is the foundation of my art practice – a practice that I see as a way of being and a major philosophy of my life. The pandemic certainly tested this attitude and perhaps spawned a renewed focus – an opportunity to sharpen that focus and an important reminder to not lose sight and take for granted all that surrounds us.

We have seen as a collective society that when our daily routines and comforts are disrupted, we can let it get the better of us. Rather than being inconvenienced, a silver lining of this pandemic, that I found, was an opportunity to slow down. It is vital to find opportunities to slow down – as the old saying goes: Stop and smell the roses. New attitudes toward life or stressful situations can be born – new things to see, discover and learn.

For me, spending time in isolation yielded some interesting findings, as I began to closely observe the various leaves that engulf my backyard here in Redlands. Every new day brought with it a new detail, a subtlety with every shift in light, revealing an endless array of abstractions, textures, and colors. I was seeing the hidden life of leaves dancing in the sunlight. Naturally, I began documenting my observations.

In a romantic yet heartbreaking sense, I was attempting to find light in the darkness of the pandemic. What I found was a cabinet or wall of wonders and wanted to present my findings as such. My backyard or better yet – our world – is a giant cabinet of wonder. A curious collection of things, objects, artifacts, and specimens all waiting to be observed, discovered and perhaps, rediscovered.

Paul Kelley

www.paulmichaelkelley.com