When I sit down to paint, the quiet setting aside of other cares and daily responsibilities happens naturally. I prep my paints, select my brushes, and decide which piece I’ll start on – and even light a candle to signal to myself that it’s officially time to paint. The soft scrape of bristles on canvas accompanies the clinking of brush handles against the water jar (and maybe a podcast). All of these slow actions and little rituals gradually pull me into full focus on the scene I’m painting. 

TRAVERSING LIFE’S MOUNTAINS

As often happens when I start a new collection, the message behind the work comes in to focus as I’m doing the painting – not ahead of time. With each mountain, slope and valley that emerged on canvas, I thought of the real challenges we face in life, and how the energy and courage required of us can feel like, well, traversing a mountain.

Even from a young age, we learn to accomplish big things. I’ve watched my own young kids learn to walk, experience disappointments big and small, have their teeth grow in – only to fall out(!), and leave the comfort of their always-together-pandemic home to be in new school environments with unfamiliar faces. Once we make it through those “first” milestones of childhood, the world has plenty more waiting for us – challenging milestones like loss and grief that stretch us to our limits, and long-awaited accomplishments that inspire joy and celebration.

CELEBRATING OUR SHARED PERSEVERANCE

This collection is about the adaptability of human beings – to make it to the top of one mountain, only to find another (higher and steeper) mountain on the other side, and trust ourselves enough to keep going. Collectively, we went through a worldwide pandemic that shook up all of our lives and challenged every last one of us. It forced us to set aside all that we’d taken for granted and live in unfamiliar territory for a LOT longer than we’d hoped. If we’d known how long that journey would take when we set out, we may have given up – but we kept on when the climb got steep. Looking back, we can take pride in our adaptability – in all that we’ve overcome, all that we’ve created, and all the resilience we take with us into the next chapter.

If you’ve spent time in the north and observed its tumultuous weather patterns, you know that some adaptability is required! These pieces celebrate the northern landscape – in its rolling fields, rough-cut mountains, winding rivers, and windswept grasses. The north isn’t exactly known for its gentleness, and while conditions can be harsh and cold in some seasons, they can be idyllic and breathtakingly beautiful in others. These pieces in the Light of the North Collection show a broad range of northern landscapes, all united in their rolling motion – through undulating skies, sloping hills, and flowing water. 

WHERE TO FIND

The Light of the North Collection is available online here. I invite you to take in the sunlit slopes, calm waters, jagged rocks and robust trees. While you do, be sure to think about what “mountains” you’ve overcome that inspire a little pride in your own life. And don’t miss your chance to own for yourself the piece that speaks to you most!