Art and Nature … Finding peace in a busy world – The Troy Messenger

Kitty Amanda Smothers’ dad is an artist.

He was also a rock and roller.

When Kitty Smothers was growing up, her life was chaotic because her dad was a “rocker” and her mama was a devout Christian.

“They were total opposites,” Smothers said. My dad struggled with drug addiction and my mom felt a lot of hurt and resentment trying to raise three kids in church without a lot of emotional support.”

Smothers said her church was very charismatic and focused on a no-nonsense, Hell-fire and brimstone kind of God so that felt scary and chaotic in many ways, too.

“I think I really dug into art because it was a way to have a connection with my daddy and I later realized that it was an outlet of peace and escape,” Smothers said.  “I wanted to tow the lines of being both a good, Christian girl and able to relate to my daddy.”

Because Smother’s family lived far from the “city,” her days were spent wandering around the woods and fields with her dog.

“Some days, I had cousins to play with but I spent a lot of time alone in nature,” Smothers said. “I guess it’s no surprise that I’m an introvert. But, when I finally got my hands on paint, it opened a world of wonderment and a place to focus my energy.”

Much of Smother’s paintings were of the ever-changing fields she loved so much.

“Field paintings just bring me back to those moments of being nine years old, hair in braids and everything was sunny and quiet and simple,” she said. “No one was around me to demand anything of me and I was far away from the bad things.

“Just me wondering under the canopy of the trees or between rows of corn, with my trusty dog to protect me.  I could pretend so many wonderful things until daylight started sinking and crickets started chirping. Then, it was time to make my way back to our little house that always sat too close to the road.

At a tender age, Smothers learned nature is always reliable throughout life.

“The sun will always rise again; the trees will stand and greet you like old friends when you need a break from life,” Smothers said.  “While we are zipping about our busy corporate day jobs and, in a world of concrete, nature is still out there waiting quietly to embrace us again. When we have time.  No matter what.

“Nature just brings with it a spirit of peace and a reminder that the earth keeps spinning and the flowers keep blooming despite our big or small worries.  This is God’s work: He’s steady, dependable, a calm in the chaos.”

Smothers said many people are struggling right now and searching ways to create peace in a busy world.

   Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not  as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart  be troubled, neither let it be afraid. – John 14:27.