*ART* Catch a Falling Star … and Collect Wonder
I started this painting the week before Christmas (2022) and finished it after New Years. In between, we all came down ill, including, sadly, our cancelled Christmas day, but in a way it was Christmas that inspired the idea of this fantastical little piece …
As Christmas approached I began to think about the childhood wonder that allows us to see the world differently, including all the magic of Christmas. We can still love Christmas as adults, but it’s never quite as other-worldly as it is in our childhood. I wanted to represent the idea of that childhood wonder and of seeing the world as it could be, not as it is.
I was going through examples of surreal art and photography and saw a close-up image of an umbrella floating on glass-like water so that it had a perfect reflection. It was photographed with the colours of twilight and all around drifted fairy lights, like little fireflies. (I wish I could find it again to show you.) Instantly I had an image in my head of the painting I did above: of an umbrella catching stars. And the words of the old song, “Catch a falling star” played in my head.
“Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket
Never let it fade away
Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket
Save it for a rainy day”
I just loved the idea of imagining an umbrella catching a downpour of stars for a “rainy day” or for a time the stars aren’t shining. I also loved the idea of the stars getting brighter and glowing inside the umbrella as they collected. “Never let it fade away.”
And so I painted “Catch a Falling Star.” It’s about capturing wonder and collecting beauty. It’s about the joy of childlike wonder and the magic of imagination. And it’s about catching the joy while it’s there, letting it build up within you so that you have joy stored for the times you can’t see the stars:-
“For when your troubles start multiplying
Song: “Catch a Falling Star” sung by Perry Como
And they just might
It’s easy to forget them without trying
With just a pocketful of starlight”
“Catch a Falling Star” will hopefully be coming as a print and probably some other products in 2023. It should be interesting to see how that one prints with its darker tones. Hopefully it will capture the magic of the original.
About the Author: Lisa Saul
