HER RETREAT TO WILDNESS ☼ Soul of France & Magdalen Painting {Art Print}

She ran, by the river, through the village, and then she climbed the mountains to the top, where huddled in a cave she cried out to her God day into night into day. For nearly a week, she would not speak nor let anyone close enough to offer any comfort.

When she emerged, he begged her to eat. They sat by the fire he built. She slept.

But in the morning, she was gone. He caught a glimpse of her later that day walking into wildness, one with the rolling mountains and the spirit in the sky. Later, he would follow at a distance. But what perhaps he did not know was, in that very moment he looked out onto the mountains with such compassion, all the kindness in his heart awakened the sleeping ones who rushed to meet her on her way.

This painting was inspired by my second visit to the South of France in 2016. I was overcome by the strongest mixture of love and grief when I arrived at the place I had booked to stay and looked out on a scene that was somehow so familiar. The next day I went to the top of the mountain and to the little church at Saint-Salvayre far above the ruins at Alet-les-Bains. 

During my time there, the soul of France reawakened me and connected me more deeply to my soul’s story and memories from a life long ago. All Soul of France paintings explore experiences, natural landscapes, and the history of this land that speaks to my heart.