Our world is full of so many fabulous ideas, places to go, things to watch, and things to do — all sitting right at our fingertips. It seems that as things get easier, time speeds up with all the moments we fill it with, experiences piled one upon another.

And then there are those magical times when the world slows down.

We sit with friends laughing around the fire. Or squat beside our grandson discovering an ant, talking about the wonders it quietly shares with us. Or sometimes we simply sit, finding our space again, giving ourselves the luxury of time… and the room to exhale.

“Room to Exhale” is a reminder that life is not only about doing, achieving, measuring, and moving faster toward the next thing. Sometimes the most important moments are the ones where we soften, pause, breathe deeply, and simply allow ourselves to be fully here.

Created through layered marks, open space, and soft sweeping movement, this piece explores breath, presence, stillness, and the beauty of allowing life room to unfold.
This piece is created on my layered paper ground, built through nine layers of paper, water, texture, and movement slowly working together to create the rich atmospheric surface beneath the painting. I love how the paper shifts and wrinkles unpredictably as the water moves through it, creating these beautiful random passages that feel organic, weathered, and fully alive.

It also marks the first time I began moving this body of work from black and white to colour — allowing beautiful blues, reds, and layered washes to enter the conversation while still holding on to the openness, texture, and breathing space I love so much in the monochromatic pieces.