The Belonging collection
Paintings about being called deeper into a beautiful world.
Finding Freedom in Nature
I’ve been exploring the idea that specific places call to my soul. They draw me in and inspire me to linger and breathe in their beauty. This collection is the first installment in my current project about being called deeper into a beautiful world, where we find we belong. It’s a homecoming. It’s an exploration of the new places we go that immediately feel like home when we see their beauty. It’s about the connection we feel to all the beautiful places that speak to our souls and call us out into deeper waters. It’s about belonging in a beautiful world.
This project began at a turning point in my life when I decided to claim the title “artist” and pursue a love for painting that had long lay dormant. I discovered a deep longing for my art to portray that ultimate sense of freedom, confidence, and joy that we all hope to find in life. I asked how my life would look if I could learn to live fully free in my own identity: where I would go, what I would do - without boundaries and without fear. This project began as a dream to paint that sense of freedom.
During the pandemic of 2020, many began to question ideas they had previously taken for granted: their jobs, where they lived, what they were doing with their lives, and even their own value. Deep down, I think we’re all striving to find freedom: to unplug, to let go of stress, to be accepted for who we are, to follow a path that excites us, to feel the peace and fulfillment in doing that which our souls most love.
For me, this sense of freedom is best expressed through the wild expanses of sublime nature, where wild beauty and strength are something we enter into - and become part of. It doesn’t only exist outside of us, we belong there: empowered, emboldened, embraced.
My first step was to interview others I saw living lives marked by exploration. I asked about what continually draws them out into intimate connection with nature: how it feels, what motivates them, and what activities they most enjoy. I interviewed people who hike, ski, kayak, climb mountains, camp, fish, mountain bike, and who ruuuunnnnn (long distance running to those of us who don’t ruuuunnnnn.) All of them mentioned what I have termed a sense of freedom - the appeal of being disconnected from social pressures and experiencing the beauty of the world. These are people who not only visit nature, but they take up residence there. For them, being out in the world is a part of coming home.
These paintings are grounded in their stories, words, and photos. To me, they capture different aspects of that freedom we all long for and invite us to explore further, to find strength and to know that we belong.
Room to Breathe
Room to Breathe, Dead Horse Point State Park, Utah. Source photo courtesy of Missy Birkholz, @missybirkholz
Room to Breathe is about nature forming a foundation for the relationships in our lives. In my conversation with Missy Birkholz, I was struck by her conviction and consistent efforts to foster a spirit of exploration in her children. Through shared adventures, they draw closer as a family. I’ve seen other families aspire to this, but the busy nature of life consistently derails them. To Missy, the best advice is “don’t think about it; just do it instead.” While the idea of planning and packing and unpacking from weekend trips deters many parents, to Missy, the time and bonding spent together is strength and joy and fulfillment in life.
For me, this work also channels a deep desire to separate myself from social and other external pressures, while recognizing my domestic life is both restricting and a source of great freedom. Recognizing the tension between daily responsibility and the desire to hare off after adventure doesn’t have to be a reason we never go - instead it’s all the more reason to bring along those we love and to share with them our joy and sense of awe.
Just Beyond
Just Beyond, Little Port Head, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Source photo courtesy of Peter Yates, @thewaytothesea.
Just Beyond is a painting about the importance of living in the present while keeping an eye on the horizon. It’s about following your path with certainty. It’s about the confidence that comes with recognizing the influences that brought us to this moment, which shaped us and put us on our path so we can live boldly.
This painting feels like a moment poised with promise. It feels like the way we should live – aware of possibilities and threats, while immensely grateful for the journey and the beauty of the moment.
This painting is dedicated to the memory of those who have gone ahead, whose legacies continue to bring us joy.
Within Reach
Within Reach, Bottle Cove, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Source photo courtesy of Peter Yates, @thewaytothesea.
I consider Within Reach to be the origin of this series of paintings. Although it was the fourth I completed in this collection and I continued to revisit and “fix” elements much later, this was the image that sparked the idea for a collaborative painting project. I wanted to bring in ideas that went beyond my own personal experience and incorporate the wisdom and experiences of others to add richness and life to the paintings I imagined.
Within Reach is based on a source photo by Peter Yates that simply grabbed hold of me and wouldn’t let go. Peter’s photograph captured a moment full of life and possibility, of light and darkness, of energy and profound stillness. For me, it’s an exploration of the things we experience in life - sorrow and hope, facing life with fierceness and joy, and reaching out to grab life with both hands.
The endless push and pull of these waves are a powerful and effortless force that we as humans can enter and experience the same way as we have for generations. We are not diminished by the fact that we are finite, we are expanded and elevated for having shared in its power. We belong here and are a part of an endless, timeless power that is so simple and profound. To me, this painting feels like a moment of eternity, suspended in time that reflects all that life has to offer and is, therefore, timeless.
Summer’s End
Summer’s End, Nottely Lake, Georgia, United States.
There was something about the light dancing on the water and the closeness of this tree canopy that captured my attention and wouldn’t let go of me until I painted it. There is stillness and peace and every time I look at it, I long to be out on the water. The day I found this place, the water was warm, the shade was welcoming, and a rope swing out over the water called to us. Behind me, my son and husband splashed and shouted while in front of me the kayak drifted into this peaceful space. To me, it captures that moment at the end of summer where ruckus meets rest and you find yourself enjoying both at the same time.
