Paintings in the sky

Today's clouds were paintings waiting to be oiled, watercolored, chalked in, and swept away. I often find myself comparing clouds to paintings, and I sometimes wonder if other people do the same. The clouds dramatically billow and curl, sweeping across the sky in huge columns and curls of white against a perfectly blue background. Yet all I can think of is two-dimensional representations of this beautiful scene and the medium with which to create it.

I understand the impulse to capture beauty. I sometimes live through my camera lens, forgetting to experience what my eyes can see, so that I can relive the moment later. I suppose it is human nature to want to capture beautiful things, to own them in some way. I remember climbing onto the roof of our house when I was a teenager to snap photos of a gloriously orange and pink and gold sunset. I ached, even then, knowing that no matter how many pictures I took, I could never truly have that moment back again. I wanted to make it mine, to remember and cherish, but the full experience of the moment couldn't truly be contained in a 4 x 6 inch print.

So today, as I drove through Utah valley and held my breath while the clouds forms incredible shapes and shadows, I quieted the impulse to make it my own. I held that impulse's hand until it became still, and together we watched and enjoyed and wondered at the art being inspired before our eyes.