I’m happy to introduce “Finding Sanctuary,” my newest water series painting.

I am enamored with painting how the human form is transformed in a watery world and how the light plays and shimmers. But equally powerful to me is capturing emotion; in this case, a woman’s luminous moment of gratitude for being held and supported.

I knew this canvas would require dedication and patience.

Sometimes, I ask myself why I have chosen a subject so ambitious. In actuality, this subject chose me. It demanded to be painted. I’m finding, more and more, this is my experience with the force that moves my hand (and my heart). Capturing the play of reflected light on the woman’s face was how I started. If I hadn’t expressed her expression in a way that would pay tribute to this important moment, I knew it wouldn’t make sense to keep painting. But she emerged and came alive for me. The man holding her, clearly a supporting role, was next. Then came the water, the rocks, and the reflections. As I painted, I found myself lost in the details that seemed abstract when painting them up close, yet came together in a symphony when I stepped back to take in the whole.

Finding sanctuary in silence…

Of all the things that I do, painting quiets my mind most and brings me peace. Believe me, I know how blessed I am to have such a sacred and self-nurturing space. While I have a “light” meditation practice, painting delivers the same and, perhaps better, calming benefits.

A work of art can be a glimpse into the artist’s soul. I wonder what “Finding Sanctuary” says about me. Maybe it expresses how important the sanctuary of friends and family is to me.

“All authentic art is conceived at a sacred moment and nourished in a blessed hour; an inner impulse creates it, often without the artist being aware of it.” — Caspar David Friedrich

The series continues…

Two new canvases have been sketched out, and several blank ones are waiting to be called into action. If you like “Finding Sanctuary,” I hope you’ll take a look at my other water series paintings.