This will be my last London post until we return there in October.

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I’d hidden these away in a folder, then after my last post remembered them and went looking and found them. These are my favorites from those we saw in London, paintings that touched me deeply.

It was such a joy to see these . . . all new to me, even if the artist wasn’t . . . Each of these is from the artist at the peak of their talent . . . Each is special, whether in the story it tells, the exploration of color and form, or the explosion of light against the darkness . . . Each offers a glimpse of what is possible when you give your life to the pursuit of art, as of these artists did.

For those of us who come to this pursuit late in life, such perfection is beyond reach. You might ask, isn’t seeing these then a discouragement. If such perfection isn’t possible, then why try at all?

The answer for me is that the pursuit is a pleasure and while I will never reach these heights, what I do accomplish is still very satisfying. I love the process and I often love the outcome of my efforts. It isn’t a matter of creating masterpieces, but rather of exploring the medium and surprising myself with what I discover each time I do.

Seeing the masterpieces is that much more of a pleasure for me now that I have some understanding of what it took to create them and the pleasure it had to have given each of the artists as they did it.

Here they are . . . not nearly as good as seeing them face-to-face, but still a glimpse of greatness . . . and one small glimpse of effort to give you a smile . . .

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