"Our brief finitude is but a beautiful spark in the vast darkness of space. So we should live the fleeting day with passion and, when the night comes, depart from it with grace."
-Archbishop of Edinburgh, from the memorial service of Jane White Cooke, painter and lover of life.
Here is the link to her obituary:
Here is my favorite line in the obituary:
"After the Academy she was awarded a fellowship to study art in Florence, Italy, where she rented a studio on the Costa San Giorgio and led a bohemian life, devoted to painting and fun." In the midst of grown-up concerns, I find this notion inspiring; perhaps the responsibilities of life are not in conflict with devotion to 'painting and fun'!
How can you devote 'the fleeting day' to passion? I'm going to plant morning glory seeds, lay a color wash over a really big canvas, and watch the swollen lake throw driftwood up its steep shore, over and over again.
See Jane's paintings here.
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