I believe in the healing power of beauty, the comfort of sweetness and the vital importance of whimsy. When we dare to dream, to think beyond the ordinary, the mundane can become transcendent. I believe that everything in Nature has soul and character and it is this soul and character that I work to capture in my art. I hope to share the magic I feel in natural things and the mystery inherent in the things that others take for granted.
As I write this, I am aware that the above probably sounds pretentious. I don’t mean what I say to be pretentious in any way, it is just my heart’s truth and my motivation for, the core of, doing what I do. I also love creating! I love the process of art and craft making. I love the feel of paint and ink and brush and carving tools in my hands. I love the scent of the beeswax polish I use on my easel. I love the way that the world looks clearer, brighter, sharper, more beautiful, through my artist’s vision. I love the skill required. I love the quiet, and the challenge, in learning and mastering each new skill and in keeping old skills keen. I love the discipline and the dedication it takes to gain real facility. I love coming back to old, neglected skills, and allowing all of my practice to change how I see the world, allowing that practice to offer insights into our human experience and change me for the better. Art and craft are skills gained through patience, practice, the courage to fail and the ability to recover. All good lessons for life.
Being disabled has taught me resilience. Being a disabled artist has taught me to be continuously innovative. I have hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (hEDS), a connective tissue disorder that effects all of my body’s systems. Sufficient to say that life is pretty uncomfortable most of the time. But I have found, and continue to find, great solace in the creative process, whether that be art, craft, poetry or fiction and non-fiction writing. Because of the hEDS, I try not to give definite deadlines for commissions because I do not know what challenges I might have to overcome to get a commission finished. However, I take my work as seriously as any professional artist and, fortunately, delays are rare.
There is something incredibly special about the process of creating something beautiful out of raw materials: the miracle of a blank piece of paper, canvas or wall transformed into something unique, personal and, hopefully, inspirational. I have the best job in the world and I can’t wait to share it with you!
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