Artist Statement

I have come to understand a part of my identity as a "modern-day mystic". My paintings are inspired by images that I perceive in my mind's eye while in meditation in my inner world, while alone in nature, and during the painting process. During a pilgrimage several years ago to the pyramids at Teotihuacán, Mexico, my inner vision was awakened in a new way. I began to "see" inner imagery extremely clearly; both with my eyes closed and open, and I felt strongly that I needed to paint what I perceived, so that my thinking mind could understand.

 

Once I was able to capture a sense of the imagery on the canvas, I was able to spend time with what was expressed and made visible to me. I understood that the images were forms of consciousness that were communicating with me. As I painted, I would feel myself shift to a receptive state; I would tune into the senses of my body, and I would feel connected to information that was coming through me and onto the canvas. (This process felt familiar and reminded me of how connected I felt when I would create art as a little girl. I remember I would create characters and hang them on the wall; it was as though they would talk to me in my heart and my head, and I could feel that they loved me).

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During Covid, I had plenty of free time and I was inspired to meditate and paint for hours each day. I painted visions that I was having in meditation, images from dreams that I was having at night; I expressed deep pain and grief, memories from my life, and I also explored visually the teachings that I was learning in my PhD program. Additionally in between meditation and painting, I was writing my dissertation.

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Upon the completion of my dissertation, I was surrounded by stacks of paintings. It became clear to me over time that many of the paintings fit together to tell a story. As I viewed the paintings together, I sat down and wrote the story, "The Girl Who Cried for the Earth: A Story of Hope, Healing, & Possibilities" as it poured out onto the page. The story was written from messages that came to my mind and body through embodying the images in the paintings, and also inspired by my own experience in this life.

 

I have come to understand that my meditative painting process is sacred. It is my expression, it is communication, it is a prayer. It is a way to connect more deeply to myself, my thoughts, beliefs, and dreams; it is also a way to open and allow forms of consciousness in the form of images to move through me and become visible so that I can develop a relationship with what has been expressed. Once the images are visible, they can also be shared with others. The story will be published this December, and I will also be selling paintings and prints of the paintings on this website.

 

Each painting is completely filled and embedded with good energy, love, tenderness, gratitude, inspiration, and forms of consciousness that may speak to you in a particular way. Our creative expressions are meant to be shared with the world. Each image will speak to each one of us in different ways. I thank you for sharing in my journey and process, and for helping in bringing the wisdom of these images and this story out into the world!​​