SPIDER EATING GRASSHOPPER

The most dramatic and vivid colors occur in nature in small things and in events that are of fleeting duration: the delicate flowers whose brilliance last for only days and the butterfly, the majestic rainbow, or the sunrise and sunset whose greatest brilliance vanish the most quickly. This paradox of color applies to much of life; the fireworks of joyous celebration give way to the longer lasting earth colors of the rocks and deserts of daily routines. 

In this painting, the paradox plays out in a strange feast. Two smaller, colorful creatures are engaged in nature’s eternal struggle. The drama occurs against a lush and peaceful backdrop of green leaves and blossoms, in the coolness of summer shade. Only a single, fleeting moment of light reveals the vivid colors of a brief encounter between short-lived creatures. 

I can’t say that I actually saw this scene. I always love observing spiders and grasshoppers in those lazier moments when our senses are made somewhat somnambulant by summer’s heat. Then, the smallest actions of color, motion, and breeze reveal new mysteries.