Cardinal in Flight – Rising Higher | Original Oil Painting

Bob was 82 when he told me he’d gone skydiving.
“From a plane?” I asked.
“Yup,” he said. “If I waited until I felt confident to live my life, I’d never have lived. So to push away the fear, I pretend I’m not scared. This time I told myself I was Tom Cruise, and it worked. Ended up being the most fun I’ve ever had.”
 
That story stayed with me as I painted this cardinal — wings open, rising higher. It reminded me that confidence doesn’t always come first.
 
Sometimes the leap comes before the belief.
 
Layers of rich red and soft neutral tones lift upward against a light sky, each brushstroke filled with movement and release.
 
Let this original 24h x 18w x 1.2" painting be your daily reminder that courage comes in the rising. Ready to hang.