Inscapes (2016) 

This body of work explores the “inner landscape” of the human experience - the ways in which we move about our lives and the things that we work our way through in order to survive, grow and thrive. It is about the internal experience that we have while navigating external circumstances - going inward so we can come out the other side, the struggle and letting go, the moments of truth and revelation - and the triumphs and feelings of 'falling in love with the world again' after having come out of the dark. These paintings evolved from a time of heartbreak and deep grief, after the loss of my beloved dog Daisy. Fueled by the desire to express what was in my heart and move through my own process, I began working exclusively in the abstract - which somehow gave meaning to my feelings. Often how we navigate life is unique to each of us, and guided by our individual souls if we are willing to go inward and listen. Yet at the same time, these are universal experiences that we as humans have in common. These paintings are essentially about the need to embrace that which means everything to us and live authentically, as we move in and out of the world with freedom to be the person we are here to be. The title for the series comes from the writings of Gerald Manley Hopkins who coined the word “inscape” to describe an inner essence within each and every thing that characterizes its individuality, and from Thomas Merton who wrote in New Seeds of Contemplation: “No two created beings are exactly alike. And their individuality is no imperfection. On the contrary, the perfection of each created thing is not merely its conformity to an abstract type but in its own individual identity with itself."