It was a rainy fall day in Florida. I was working on a portrait commission at my home studio with the patio door open, listening to the raindrops falling on the pavers. Inside the house, the lights were on, since the clouds were overcasting the daylight. I was working on three commissions at the time, and my home studio seemed like a factory line. The commissions were line up one after the other. I planned to work two hours on each commission each day. This approach was helping me advance the projects as well as letting the oil paint dry.
In one of my breaks, while cleaning my brushes and walking in the kitchen to grab something to eat, something caught my eye. It was an onion. And onion? Yes, a simple creamish orangy onion. As I got closer to the counter to see the onion, I noticed that the onion had two straight leaves growing out of it. It was so beautiful, and at that moment, I sensed love flowing on my soul. Why would an onion make me feel like that? It is a mundane vegetable, which I bought to eat. Could it be that seeing the two leaves growing from the onion had made me realized that the onion is still alive? That is not dead. A sign of life: leaves. The start of a plant. The beginning of a life cycle. Maybe, I am too romantic, but I love life, and being a spectator of a sign of life had brought me happiness to my heart.
I grabbed the onion and put it aside from the other onions. Of course, I talked to the onion and told it, “You are so cute.” Then, I sat on my painting chair, moved my commissions aside, and placed the onion in front of me. I knew I was supposed to be working on the commissions, but I needed a break too, and 25 minutes of contemplation of a beautiful moment of life is worth it the procrastination. So, I painted the onion on cardboard and left the background blank.
Now comes the dilemma. I know I bought the onion to eat it. But now, I can’t. It is alive. It has made it all the way here, and it is showing signs of life; I cannot chop it and eat it. I am going to help it. I will plant it and let it grow. If it made it this far, why not allow it to develop fully. Maybe it gives me more onions.
If art has taught me something is to be observant, and in the observation process, find the beauty on the mundane, the simplistic, routine, or an onion. I am very grateful I was given the opportunity in this life to become an artist since I have learned to see the world with the eye of curiosity, love, and beauty. If more people would see the world with eyes of grace, maybe we could all find love to help heal our planet and help each other instead of fighting with one another. Perhaps “Finding The Beauty On The Mundane” will help us reconnect with our souls and beauty in others and ourselves. To make a better world, let us find the beauty in the mundane.
Vanessa Montenegro
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©2020 Vanessa Montenegro
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