Earlier this year, we moved from Silicon Valley to a small island in BC; taking on a huge change to be closer to family in the pandemic.  In the few short weeks after we made the decision, I had to move out of the professional studio I loved, pack up all my supplies and catalogue all my paintings, while we went through the general stress of moving in a pandemic with three young children. During this already emotional time, I was supporting one of my best friends in her last weeks of hospice care for breast cancer.  

For those few weeks leading up to the move, I slept very little, and went through a huge range of emotions. I’ve always gravitated to blues and greens, but I was faced with a wall of bright colors - unused mixed paint that I needed to use before losing access to my large, sunny studio.  During the most difficult week, I poured this series of paintings with my remaining paint and waited anxiously for them to dry while I packed my supplies into boxes.

These abstract landscapes are looser, more spontaneous and less polished than most of my work. In my signature Fluid Landscapes, I usually go back and add intricate landscape details, often in many layers. However, making these in one go helped me remember why I love the unpredictability of this fluid medium. Looking at these now, on the other side of that change, what strikes me is how real and hopeful they are, even if I didn’t feel that way at the time.  I’ve learned that my best work sometimes comes in times of upheaval, when the room is full of big emotions.

We left a community we loved and a studio I made many happy memories in - but we went on to build another, and it is getting easier each day.  I can see those strong feelings of uncertainty and instability surfacing in the paintings, but I enjoy looking at them now and seeing a snapshot of that time.  

We’ve all faced enormous changes this year. For me, this series is both a poignant memory of that difficult spring, and a way of channeling it into something concrete and beautiful.  I’m calling this one the Hope series, and I’m excited to share it with you.