Why I Continue to Paint Hope and Beauty

2020 has been a most difficult year, perhaps the most difficult in many of our lives. In the midst of a pandemic, we trample on the planet and one another. My cynical side feels that we’ve entered a dystopian universe from which there’s no return.

But there is also heightened compassion and appreciation of small wonders. We have found new ways to connect and show kindness. And so, my art reflects beauty, joy, connection and harmony. When I paint, I feel like a conduit for the imagery that wants to be created by me and through me. World events influence my imagery, but I filter them, searching for a sense of wonder and mystery, expressing hope and love. This is my authentic personal expression and my purpose as a painter. Although there is much in life that is frightening and saddening that is not the story I’m meant to tell. The world of my paintings is not “realism” but perhaps it’s “magic realism”. It is the reality of what makes my life worth living and what I want to bring forward into the world.