Beauty of Imperfection

Heather's mom really wanted us to get a family picture taken while we were all together.  With the natural light pouring in on January 1st, I set up my camera on the tripod, gathered everyone in front of the fireplace, and set the 10 second timer.  It took about five tries, but we managed to get this decent capture.

I went back and looked at the previous four shots and found one that I liked even more, because of its perfect imperfection.


In the second shot, the expressions seem more authentic and representative of the spirit of the gathering.  It makes me smile.  Julia is wearing the toque that Heather made for her.  Luna is sneaking a peak behind Simon (we can't see her in the first picture).  Ben and Susan's hands are clasped in front of them, and Heather and Kathryn seem beautifully connected (because they are), and Michael is leaning in.  Its imperfection is perfect.


Embracing the spirit of imperfection, several of us gathered around a 30" x 30" canvas and began working on a collaborative painting.  Simon, Julia, Kathryn, Susan, Heather, Ben and myself danced around with brushes, scrapers, palette knives and various other creative tools in hand dripping with paint.


It was wonderful to watch everyone respond to the challenge with the word "possibility" in their minds.  The result was busy, scattered and filled with personality.

"We need to change the name to FAMILY," suggested Kathryn.

Families are exactly that:  busy, scattered and filled with personality.


That chaos formed an excellent foundation to a very interesting abstract piece.  I spent another 30 minutes with it on my own later in the afternoon and brought it to a place where Heather can have the final say.  Her special touch will take the project exactly where it needs to go.

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