Amy Boucher Pye

Author: Amy Boucher Pye

  • Watercolor Wednesday: Just right

    An abstract painting of a stream with the branches of a tree hanging over it.
    By Leo Boucher. Used with permission; all rights reserved.

    When you’re in the midst of a creative project, do you know when to press pause or to stop? 

    Today my dad and I had a zoom call with our publisher on Celebrating Christmas, the book of art and reflections that we’ll be releasing for Christmas 2021. Dad was saying how in creating paintings he has to know when to stop – when to stop fiddling and adding and tweaking and let the piece be. 

    That can be true with writing too; writers and editors can so overwork something that the heart and soul of it seeps out. But I wonder if that stage comes later in a written piece than with the medium of paint. After all, good writing is rewriting and it takes a lot to get to the point of losing the passion. 

    What do think?

    In terms of this fantastic painting, I think my dad has got it just right! He captures my nearby brook so well, and I love his abstract take on it. 

  • Watercolor Wednesday: Those were the days…

    Image: a small-town building festooned with an American flag and bunting in front of a backdrop of autumnal trees
    By Leo Boucher. Used with permission; all rights reserved.

    I’m missing fall in the States this year; the photographs from the upper Midwest in particular are lovely with the bright splodges of red, orange, and yellow. I don’t know that I would have gone back, but knowing that it wasn’t even a possibility makes the longings a bit stronger. 

    I love this cheerful painting of my dad’s. It has a feel of nostalgia, when Main Street was booming and people were civil to each other. I’m saying a prayer that some of that civility could return. 

    How is your autumn going?

  • Watercolor Wednesday: Pause and ponder

    The side of a cabin by the lake, with rocks and weeds in front a line of trees.
    By Leo Boucher. Used with permission; all rights reserved.

    Stop and pause for a few moments and let yourself imagine that you’re settled into a cabin (rustic or not – your preference) by a shimmering lake. You can see rocks and the weeds growing by the water with trees blowing in the breeze in the distance. You take a deep breath and release any tension that’s been building in your heart or your body, giving thanks for these moments of peace. Allow yourself to stop and ponder the wonders of creation, its beauty and peace, as you drink deeply of God’s glory.

    Know that you’re loved and cherished as you enjoy the beauty before you.

  • Watercolor Wednesday: A bit of the abstract

    An abstract watercolor with ink with a man in a boat fishing in the foreground and a little village in front of some trees and hills in the background.
    By Leo Boucher. Used with permission; all rights reserved.

    I don’t know what scene my dad was painting here – was it a little town in Germany that he glimpsed when they went on their riverboat trip a few years back? Perhaps. I like how this painting evokes a feeling of intrigue because of its abstract nature. That’s true in life, too, I suppose – when things appear a bit abstract, we can go searching to find out more. Or, of course, we can merely give up and move on!

    Which is your preferred response? Do you like a bit of the abstract, or do you prefer things to be concrete and more defined?

  • Watercolor Wednesday: A faithful creature

    Three swans, with two facing each other, in a river with weeds in the background.
    By Leo Boucher. Used with permission; all rights reserved.

    Swans are beautiful creatures, but can be fierce if you’re in their territory. I wouldn’t want to get between a mother and her young! You probably know that they mate for life. I was interested to hear that a study of swans found no infidelity among the couples where they had had offspring together. They tend to live a long time too – one was traced for 26 years. 

    Have you any stories about swans to share?

  • Watercolor Wednesday: Boat time

    A watercolor of a creek feeding into a lake with lush trees on either side.
    By Leo Boucher. Used with permission; all rights reserved.

    Well, since I can’t be in Minnesota just now as planned because of the pandemic, I will post one of my dad’s paintings from the land of 10,000 lakes. This is Sucker Creek going into Sucker Lake. A quick online search tells me that there are more than one Sucker Lake in Minnesota; this one is I’m guessing in Vadnais Heights (with suckers being a type of fish).

    None of us can take a canoe out onto that lake, for it’s regulated by the St. Paul Water Utility. But we can imagine. If you were to take a boat of some kind out onto the water, what would you do? Fish? Swim? Lounge in the sun? Take a few moments to imagine how you best would enjoy some lake time.

  • “Feeling Out of Place”: The God Hears Her Podcast

    I loved being a guest on the God Hears Her podcast with Elisa Morgan and Eryn Eddy. They fostered such a wonderful conversation about life, love, and the Christian faith, and especially about what we can do when we feel out of place.

    Have a listen here, and if you do, please do leave a review. Reviews are so important as they help iTunes and Google and other platforms realize that people are listening, which helps them to promote the podcast. Thanks!

    You can also read my blog on the theme at Elisa’s website, which is here. Know that God sees you, hears you, and loves you!

  • Watercolor Wednesday: A city by the sea

    A watercolor with the sea in the front and a little city nestled in the hills behind.
    By Leo Boucher. Used with permission; all rights reserved.

    We were supposed to be on holiday in Spain this week, soaking up the Mediterranean sunshine and enjoying a week to relax and recharge. Alas, the pandemic dashed those plans. But the weather here in London today has been lovely – warm but not too hot, with periods of sunshine. No need for air conditioning, but the sweet enjoyment of a breeze coming through the window. 

    Speaking of Mediterranean scenes, I love this little watercolor of my dad’s, which is a city somewhere along the Med he thinks. If you were there now, what would you be doing?

  • Watercolor Wednesday: Light and shade

    [A watercolor with ink of a lake in Voyageurs National Park with small dark islands of trees with a dramatic sunset.]
    By Leo Boucher. Used with permission; all rights reserved.

    Paint and ink. The stark black bringing definition against the beauty of the soft watery colors. 

    How is God bringing forth definition in your life, perhaps through things that feel dark and difficult? Where are the soft edges, the splashes of color?

  • Watercolor Wednesday: Beach bliss

    An impressionistic painting of a woman emerging from the waves, bucket in her hand.
    By Leo Boucher. Used with permission; all rights reserved.

    I love this painting, not only for the layers of color, done by my dad through him painting on the back of the glass, but for the memories it brings up in me. When our kids were little, I took them to Florida where we met my parents, with Nicholas coming at the end of the week. My sister surprised us, jolting me with joy in baggage claim as I spotted her, still reeling from the long trans-Atlantic flight on my own with two littles. Later as I lay jet lagged on the beach, she happily built sandcastles with the kids. What bliss. 

    Today the weather in North London is far from that sunny day in Florida – I’m sitting huddled into a fleece, wondering if I need to put on some socks as I look out at the geraniums kissed with rain. Beautiful, but chilly. 

    What fun memories are keeping you buoyed up during these strange times?