"Brevity", oil on canvas, 24" by 36", copyright Jessica Libor 2009
Behold a recently completed commission on the subject of the brevity of youth and life. I must say this one was a bit heavy of a theme for what I usually paint, but I chose to dwell more on the subject’s face and surreal surroundings. And it is a good reminder: if all of us must die, no matter how young and how much life seems before us, then it is up to us to use our time here on this earth wisely and not waste a second.
Detail, "Brevity"
As I painted this piece I listened to the whole of CS Lewis’s “The Magician’s Nephew”. I’ll admit–think it juvenile all you like–that CS Lewis’s books for children have remained favorites of mine. I like that the older you get the more you understand beneath the layers of his stories. And one part of the story–the Wood Between the Worlds–I believe found its way into this painting “Brevity”:
“The trees grew close together and were so leafy that he could get no glimpse of the sky. All the light was green light that came through the leaves: but there must have been a very strong sun overhead, for this green daylight was bright and warm. It was the quietest wood you could possibly imagine. There were no birds, no insects, no animals, and no wind. You could almost hear the trees growing…”
–CS Lewis, The Magician’s Nephew
