Creating Forward // September 2023

Water Lilies

I visited the Art Institute of Chicago a couple of times this year, and there’s a great variety of Monet’s work there. Living in Minnesota for the last few years, I’ve really grown to enjoy the water lilies that grow in the summers. There is something kind of magical about flowers that will grow on top of the water.

I noticed these while at a photo session and quickly snapped the photo of the lily pads. It reminded me of a year or so ago, when I took the kids to Como Zoo and Conservatory. They had more varieties of water lilies than I had ever seen.

I think this is the necessity of learning to appreciate art. Art reminds us of essential beauty, and helps us open our eyes to notice it more. Seeing this painting translated to noticing more of what I saw in my own real life.