I'm sitting in my studio right now, surrounded by windows looking out into the flowering greenery of early summer here on the coast of Vancouver Island. Green is everywhere. Looking from the blackberry bushes blooming in the foreground, and then off into the cedar and spruce trees behind, there are endless hues of green — glistening emerald, the warmer tones of sap green, deep cool blues in the shadows, and golden light where the sun filters through the trees and catches the forest floor.
I haven't really shared this before, but I'm sure you can tell that my paintings carry a connection to something greater. I grew up in a religious household, but as I grew older my beliefs evolved from a defined religion into what I'd describe now as a spirituality of curiosity.
In some way or another, that spirituality has led me to who I am today, living in a small community on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, surrounded by mother natures version of a cathedral. On one of my morning walks to French Beach recently, I ran into a dear neighbour. She's 79 years old — one of my younger neighbours calls her their fairy godmother which I think is a perfect way to describe her. She came by my studio just before I released the new collection, and she said something that tied everything together for me.
She told me that green is the primary colour associated with the heart chakra in eastern spirituality. She made sure that I knew that the word 'art' was in heart. She explained that green brings restoration and healing and that paintings like these, that bring the feeling of being surrounded by the forest are what allow us to give and receive unconditional love.
When I was paitning this collection these last few months, I didn't know that. I just knew that every piece needed to be rooted in some hue of green, and while It was all happening I didn't really know why.
But after she said that, I felt this confidence wash over me. That whole time I was making these things I couldnt relly explain, to create this feeling I couldnt really explain, but when It was all said and done, someone truly understood it, and thats all I need with this work. To give one person that gift of relief, of hope, of unconditional love.
Painting is how I transform emotion and I think this pull toward green came from a need for reliefa longing to hold myself with greater compassion and regard, to truly believe in what I was trying to build. It's the same relief I feel when I look out the window into the forest and take a deep breath. The same thing that pulls me out the door for a walk when I'm feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or low. This collection was a way to immerse myself in unconditional love — to accept whatever was alive in me in that moment, without trying to fix it.
Each one of these pieces is a small part of a journey through a coastal forest. The ups and the downs. The happy and the sad.
Whatever journey you are navigating, whatever hurdle you face, I hope that taking time to be with one of these pieces also brings you some form of unconditional love, and a reminder of the amazing, capable person that you truly are.
I Invite you to view and purchase pieces from collection here
