Prickly Pear Love
#41/365 Paintings
Oh I know, what an awful title for love and romance. Honestly, I didn’t know where this painting was taking me until I finished it. At first I thought it was something like Talking Heads song Once in a Lifetime:
“And you may find yourself in another part of the world. And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile. You may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife. You may ask yourself, “Well, how did I get here?”
But no, I think what this couple is up to is something like life itself. Watching a huge sky sunset (they feel small in comparison), secure in their bond… while the itches and discomforts of life are not far away. In fact, they just happen to be sitting on a prickly pear cactus patch. But they are in good hands. Prickly pear cactus cures hangovers and is used as a treatment for diabetes. So maybe the sweetness of life got a bit out of hand. Maybe they took the sweetness and intoxication of their love a bit far at some point. Life has a way of finding balance somehow even if they decide to wear leathers the next time they go to the desert.
This is the funniest thing I have read in a long time! Having just returned from hiking some of the deserts of Arizona, I totally agree with your assessment that they will wear leathers next time their love gets too intoxicating and they chance upon a prickly pear…
Ha ha.. ; )
Yes it’s a complicated scene for sure. And I envy you being able to hike the desert. I’m a wimp when it comes to heat and hiking.
I think it’s a very apt title. If one is going to walk the long journey, one needs the strong leather soles for all the prickles along the way.
I’ve come back to this one three times since I first looked at it yesterday. I’m beckoned by that red sky about the cacti and the lovers. It’s not quite a desert red, not really a desert red at all, but it is pointing to something. My intuition keeps saying, “Go figure out what it is.” So here I am again.
Interesting WM. Yes it’s like this vast unknown sea of calling to them to figure it out. Like they will not get rest. Yet they are together in it. Holding hands. And they get more practical later.