This is how I explain my life
This series came about from an inner call, to pay attention to, understand and honour some of the events that explain my life.
Loveseat, Mixed Media on cradled panel, 36"X67", 2025 I wanted to capture everyday life in this painting. Using a muted palette suggests this is an ordinary day after a long stretch at work. The family crammed together on the loveseat...its all about love.
The Long Road Mixed media on cradled panel 27"X16" 2025 Life's challenges can make the journey feel long. Agreeing to keep getting up and walking the path there is a sense of resilience
We are Family Mixed media on cradled panel 14"X31" 2025 In this painting there are several layers of meaning. There is the feeling of being different from the group, feeling isolated. Then there is the comradery and support in the group of chosen sisters that are "family". Deeper still is the Jungian sense of parts of me and the reminder to honour all the aspects, the isolated and lonely, the proud, rebellious, tender and studious.
Small White god Mixed media on panel 67" X 36" 2025 Although I took the photograph of this small white dog last year, it wasn't until she found her way into this vast landscape that I started to understand what I found so compelling about her in the first place. I am moved by her innocent beauty and the way she is listening to the sounds of nature, taking the time to consider and wait for the signs that will lead her where to go next. I use the word god here to convey that connection to our humble and innocent open hearted beauty that exists in the grandeur of nature as being what is truly spiritual and uplifting.
Lone god Mixed media on canvas 47" X 47" 2025 The meaning behind Lone god is really all in the title. I had taken the photo reference in the past, drawn to the expression and demeanor of his beauty. Once given his painting home, I felt his sadness and a sense of waiting for something to happen. Is he waiting for a sign or a command in that dog like fashion? Is he waiting for a soul mate, for connection, as suggested by his visible penis? I feel like he is on the precipice of something, having come such a long way. Another one of those moments where art imitates life.
gods in the meadow Mixed media on panel 67" X 36" 2025 Initially I thought the precious cat was to be god, but then I realized both figures are god and they are gods in the meadow. I was drawn to the luminescence of the cat holding space and looking off into the distance, back towards the viewer, setting a boundary. The ass/man/woman is for me a type of non-trinary being. Are we not all asses, masculine and feminine? I loved the posture with hands behind their back, non aggressive, head tilt curious, and slight hike to the pelvis suggesting sensuality. The meadow represents rich diverse possibilities and the beauty and nurturing of mother earth.
This Dance Mixed media on panel 67" X 36" 2025 A wonderful giddy journey of self abandon. The sikke (white dervish hat) is traditionally a tombstone representing the death of ego. The white indicates a direct descendent of Rumi, so there is a sacred lineage, as well all truly have. The graffiti on the hat suggests that this dervish is in fact an outcast as she is definitely not whirling. She has let go of ego though and doesn't give a toss what people think about this dance she needs to do. You could say she is uncontrollable. Then comes the partner , the strong solid grounded pit bull man that holds her up, tethers her to the earth and yet allows her to dance with full abandon!!!
Forty Reasons Mixed media on cradled panel 67" X 36" 2025 There are forty reasons, at the minimum, why I left my husband. Here you witness the leaving, baggage in tow and shouldered. Walking away from a life that felt anaesthetized, like death (white light), towards the chaos and mess of a new life.
It's Just a Game Mixed media on cradled panel 67" X 36" 2025 The small pebble is thrown, in play, and she is poised and ready to leap and/or fall into the next move. Let the games begin again and again...