Josie Gould
contemporary landscape painter
'When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy' Rumi
I love to paint outdoors, immersing myself in the sensory qualities of light and colour, to catch the pulse and poetics, of the Devon and Cornwall land, coast and seascapes. I aim to evoke these numinous qualities, the spirit, vitality and zest of life, in my oil and mixed media paintings.
In my meditation practise, on retreat, many years ago, I experienced total immersion into an all encompassing joy, a dissolution into the nature of being, which has remained with me ever since. Like being inside an explosion of particles eternally unfolding in an exquisite dance, going beyond thoughts and feelings to experience simply what is.
To live this I go out to gather the dancing sunlight and fleeting shadows of Devon; the splash and ripple on rivers, sparkles of sunlight crossing seas, wind whispering and glinting in trees, with veils of colour flowing and the glow of arriving dawns. Momentary delights.
I have found that this quality of presence, simply being with whatever is emerging, from the most simple and mundane moment to the most dramatic, whether sorrowful, beautiful or exquisite, reveals that there are indeed a thousand names for joy.
Josie Gould MA and BA (Hons) Fine Art
07768736323
Devon. UK.
Praying.
It doesn't have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot; or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch
a few words together and don't try
to make them elaborate, this isn't
a contest but the doorway
into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.
Mary Oliver