feather lake & circle inspiration fom long past & a sun painting

The lovely thing about the cure place here - beyond the cure time itself - is the region here. There's a special place not far from here, "Federnsee" - "Feather Sea", which is lake that is both scenic and has a long history. It's a place with an exceptional wealth of prehistoric findings. And it is beautiful, with a Monet-waterlily-like atmospheres. With an abundance of swans. It was fairytale-like, to be there and watch them. Like a real-life painting.

Close to the lake is an UNESCO World Heritag museum which gives an idea of the history of the place. Some of the original items they found there are on display inside of it, presevered through the time by the wetlands there. 

It was touching, to see the pieces of jewelry that some ancient artist once created, that were part of someone's life: 

There's more about the place on the museum website:

German (with photos): Pfahlbauten am Federsee

English: Prehistoric Pile Dwellings

The museum also has a part with reconstructed buildings, to give an idea of that time and the feel of the settlements:

 In front of one of the huts,  you  could try and paint with ancient material. 

So I tried a sun sketch, inspired by the circular piece of ancient jewelry and by the sun that was still hidden by clouds on the way to the lake, but then was there for a while. Such a differcence in light:

Driving back from the lake, knowing that I could go and swim in thermal water later, and that there is a new week of healing treatments waiting, I felt gratitude and happiness. And I felt a lightness return.

Really, with the long time going through difficult treatments ones perception of “feeling good” started to shift, I realized: good days are those that aren’t too bad. But that kind of good is still a good distance from the “good” you once felt. And the cure gives the space and time to get a larger balance, and to overcome habits that you might get used to during the more difficult time: Like avoiding to stretch to avoid pain in the scars. Or: avoiding to breathe deeply to avoid tension after the operation. There actually is a “breathing therapy” here, which guides you to breathe deep again. And relaxation sessions. 

It's like a passager of time that leads from that place of tension to a more open place. Maybe that is why I loved the "Federsee", with its perspectives:

And here's a painting that developed a day later, in the open painting session - I knew i wanted to paint that lake moment, and started with the water and sky. Then the sun sketch from there became part of it: 

And the colors on the wall: that are the lines from all the others who were here in the cure, and visited the open painting room and painted on that wall before. Like so many things, it's a special and meaningful (and colorful) detail.