Creating Connections
What has always driven me to create has been the human connection with the past and how it informs our future.
Everything centers around the heart. That may be in the form of painting a beloved pet, immortalizing the face of a cherished friend or family member, showcasing a place or building, such as “Grandma’s farm”, or sharing a nostalgic illustration of old family photographs.
My art is inspired by history and nature but leans into relationships, memories, and those things that are precious to each of us.
I have been creating commissioned pieces for the past 40 years. However, in October 2020, in the heart of covid lockdown, I watched, helpless, as myself and others in my community were devastated by loss and were unable to gather with our families for that experience of shared comfort.
Sharing personal portraits in ink and watercolor became a way of working through my own grief, as well as a way to participate in a shared healing with others. It became a powerful way of expressing love and honoring relationships, both past and living, and my art quickly demonstrated itself as an opportunity to provide comfort in a time of sorrow and isolation.
That following year was no better and I found that pet portraits provided to a new work team was a fun way to connect us during isolation. These pet portraits brought so much healing and joy that I knew I wanted to continue celebrating people’s lives and loved ones through watercolor, inks, and sketches.
Life can take some tough turns, but having an art piece of someone or something we love brings such a gentle stirring of sweet memories.
Partnering with you to create a special commemoration of someone, something, or some place that is precious to your heart brings me great joy.