Carpe Diem

In this painting, called: “Carpe Diem” (“seize the day” in Latin), the walls of the house have magically disappeared.  What is usually pictured indoors, or on a patio, is instead outside, surrounded by butterflies (I tried to stick to Vancouver Island varieties).  A new moon, low in the sky signals that the end of day is near.  The candles are lit.

At a friend’s place in Merville, dinner is sometimes hosted in a field behind his house.  Nearby, his large vegetable garden boasts many varieties of plants and trees.  His parents live on a hobby farm next door, with grazing cows.  Black bears, cougars (they have only seen tracks), deer, mink and marten live in the forest fringing the property.  Surrounded by this scene you feel the family’s deep connection to the outdoors.

This setting was the inspiration for “Carpe Diem”, a combination of a landscape and still life.  In history, a still life painting often included flowers (sometimes dying), candles or even a skull, reminders about the ephemerality of life’s simple pleasures.  In this painting, nature provides the backdrop for a gathering and maybe even suggests an escape from the status quo or freedom from convention.

A yellow chair is pulled away from the table to welcome the viewer into the painting. In “Carpe Diem” we are invited to sit down and be present for what life has to offer. Butterflies capture a feeling of lightheartedness that comes with sharing time with others – fortifying our souls.  The oncoming night signifies that we can’t see into the future, however with that knowledge, we can seize the present moment, making it a defined picture we can hold in our minds.

Image:  Carpe Diem, acrylic on canvas, 2026