2024 Calendars
12 months of contemporary landscape paintings to get you through the year!
The Wall Calendar
From the wall calendar back:
“There are events in every person’s life that split time into a before and an after. Nothing has done so more fantastically for me than the entry into parenthood, which happened on March 1, 2023. I expected all of the change to happen at once, the day she arrived! But nay - anyone who has carried a child knows that parenthood really starts before they are born as you shift your life in very real ways the moment you discover the wisps of your child inside. As such, the leadup to her birthday and the accumulation of days since has proven to be my after.
The past year has aged me. It has seasoned me with its feast of delights and scorched me with its roasting coals. My after is harder, but the rapture is infinitely greater. The mundane nature of domestic life is suddenly less tedious, each moment an opportunity to spend quality time with my baby and watch her watch me as she learns through observation and relishes in the mere appearance of a broom or her doggy, Fergus. You cannot help but begin to see the world as a cradle for your child, you cannot help but want to make it safe and beautiful and enjoyable for them.
Perhaps the most profound change has been my shift in perspective as I realize that the gifts of each season are brand new for her. I have stopped taking for granted the miracle of the spring air filled with the chirps of birds and insects waking up from their slumber. The feel of cool water against my skin in the sticky dog days of summer. The magnificence of bright yellow aspens quaking in the fall breeze as I realized that this! This is the first time you’re seeing them, dear child! What a wonder it must be to smell roses for the first time! Dr. Seuss’s “Oh the Places You Will Go!” comes to mind as I imagine what it will be like for her to discover the bounties of this life.
2023 has been my Year of Wonder. I know this heightened sensitivity is temporary and as such I have cherished it deeply.
This calendar is a compilation of artworks from the past year, both paintings and poetry. They provide windows into the places I spent time in and those I dreamed about during my Year of Wonder. I’m grateful for what I’ve learned along the way and I hope it can bring a minute amount of wonder into your upcoming year as we step together into 2024.
– Noelle”
