The subject matter in “Familiar” may seem like an odd combo of elements - figure, dog, table, leaves - but it reflects the back and forth between the domestic and natural spheres that we live in.
I think we’ve all been there. A little lost, depressed, stressed, and stuck in our head looping thoughts that don’t quite serve us. It’s an easy trap to fall into. And I fall into that place more frequently than I’d like to admit.
It’s like my head is trying to keep up with the modern world, but my body yearns to be in the natural one, and there’s a constant battle happening inside.
The opposite of depression is not happiness, at least not for me - it’s vitality. It’s taking time to tend to the little things that contribute to feeling alive and connected. Just an hour of being immersed in nature melts away the pictures and sounds inside my head and helps me remember that I am connected to something larger, doing something kind for someone else revitalizes my spirit, and finding time to move throughout the day is a real game changer for mood!
I use the act of painting to manifest beauty and bring attention to spaces and feelings in a way that words can’t. Sometimes not even realizing the driving force behind the piece until years later.
- Subject Matter: figurative
- Collections: Figurative & Wildlife