Gdansk

“As I write, I hope to share with the reader the voice in my head that drives my creative process.”

That is the last line in my first post describing what I would be writing about on my Substack. Today I am going to be writing about a place as a character in my life.

I live in a beautiful city not far from several National Parks where plein-air  landscape painters are abundant. It’s a place people visit or choose to live because of the copious amount of hiking and biking trails. A painting which celebrates this beauty connects with buyers as a memento of their visit or addition to their home. Although I admire fellow artists working out in the elements to document local scenery…… it’s not my thing.

For me art is a process driven by the need to understand my world and the larger world in which I live. Gdansk, although not a portrait, falls into this category. It was not just a memento from a pretty place. It’s a story of survival.

My husband and I visited the Polish port city on a cruise of the Baltic just prior to the pandemic. We did not have any expectations about this city, like we did visiting St Petersburg. It was a stop on a journey. Today the memory of that city hangs in the front hall where I pass it everyday. It has become a kind of touchstone in my life.

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