This egg tempera is one of the paintings that I’ve been working on over the summer. I intended to paint birds flying over the shoreline, titling it Night Flyers. Or I may save the idea for a large oil painting.

I found this bird of paradise flower placed beside a fountain in a courtyard of an island church. The painting is egg tempera, 6 x 8 inches and titled, A Flower for Her. A moment of grace and beauty injected into the day. An act of love.

The platform that I am writing this with had a major update. And now it keeps insisting that I use AI to rewrite my words, or describe what I want to say and it will generate it for me. Artists are made to create, not generate. Where are we headed with all this if we keep erasing humans from the act of creation?

AI will allow us to be more creative, I hear argued, give us more time. Time to do what? Human creativity is a Divine gift. AI machines will make our art for us. Like magic. But where are our souls in all of this? That is what I am after. Soul work, my friend.

Lately, I have been reading scripture for inspiration. A passage that resonates with me is Jeremiah 6:16. “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.”

On a Sunday afternoon, I was standing beside a spring-fed lake. Lily pads reflected the sunlight, red maple leaves turned in a cool breeze. I heard an old preacher say that these are the last days, the signs of Revelation are upon us. Maybe so, maybe not.

I heard an osprey cry and watched it trace an ancient route through the sky. We were made to create, care for nature and for each other and yes, seek salvation for our souls.

Perhaps there is wisdom in walking the ancient paths.