'Empty Nest'
I drive by this view on my way to my studio in Hastings, and for the past few years there's been a huge bald eagle's nest in that tree. I had wanted to paint it for some time, but kept waiting for the right season or light effect. When our son informed us that he and his girlfriend were buying a house, it became a more personal subject than simply a pretty landscape.
I've never fully understood people who look forward to having their kids move out. I'm from a really large family that keeps getting bigger by the year, and almost all my favorite memories from childhood involve gatherings with relatives or time spent with my parents and siblings. The thought of my kids getting older has depressed me ever since I had to choke back tears watching our youngest get on the bus to kindergarten. Every step of the way, the milestones of 'moving on' were a bit melancholy even as we celebrated their achievements, but I could always comfort myself with the knowledge that they'd be back home for weekends during college, or living back at home after college, etc.
One of the best things about having a job that allowed me to work from home was the extra time it gave me with the kids, and yet as I look back I regret being on the road so much teaching workshops and traveling for exhibitions, etc. The silver lining to the Covid nightmare was that I spent an entire year at home for the first time since I can remember. As it turns out, it was also my last year with a child at home, and I'm so grateful I didn't miss any of it.
And so, like this eagle pair who take comfort knowing they did their job, protecting and raising a young one who survived and is now ready to strike out and take on the world, we celebrate our childrens' success, proud of the fine young people they've become and sad that they won't be filling our home with that fun energy on a daily basis anymore. Our nest will indeed feel a lot emptier.
