Gentle Knowing

“Gentle Knowing” by Natalie Eve Marquis

When I began this painting, my intention was to build up several layers of transparent color.

That wasn’t how it unfolded.

I applied paint more thickly than planned, and the image moved through several, sometimes frustrating, stages of density and definition before I could find my way back to softness. It took time — working through layers and bumping against the hard edges — before the gentler qualities emerged.

In hindsight, it feels as though the painting had its own knowing. It needed to travel through those layers before becoming what it was meant to be. What I initially experienced as resistance or missteps were simply part of the journey!

The journey mattered as much as where it arrived.

That realization has stayed with me beyond the studio.

This sweet little goat feels like a companion for this season of introspection — a reminder that hibernation isn’t stagnation. It’s a necessary pause. A time when clarity forms beneath the surface, roots deepen, and the inner compass recalibrates.

The guidance she offers is simple and reassuring:
I don’t need to convince anyone where I’m going.
I don’t need to climb every mountain placed in front of me.
I only need to feel for the ground beneath my feet and take the next step that feels true.

This painting speaks to trusting inner guidance — the kind that doesn’t shout, but also doesn’t waver. Soft strength and movement guided by intuition rather than outward ,and even misguided inner, pressure.

In the end, Gentle Knowing reminds me that not everything needs to be planned or controlled. Sometimes the wisest thing I can do is stay present, keep working, and trust that what’s meant to emerge will find its own way — just as she did.

For now, I’m letting that knowing be enough.