There is so much that induces panic right now. As I scroll through my social media feed and read about so many awful things I notice my breath becomes shallow. I lose focus, and worry and anxiety soon appear. When my mind starts reeling, I’ve learned to stop for a minute, and just breathe. Even one little minute of breathing deeply grounds me and helps me focus again. It’s small and it’s simple but it makes a world of difference.

This collection is a way for me to process the events of 2020. I think it’s safe to say, we’ve had a stormy year and it doesn’t look like things will be letting up anytime soon. I don’t know a single person who hasn’t struggled with some aspect of it, whether it is COVID, racism, protests, quarantine, the economy, or even just the fact that it’s an election year. In general, there’s a lot of dark heaviness and it can feel so overwhelming and all-consuming at times.

But there is also hope. There is also beauty. There is also light and growth and renewal. Even in the midst of all these hard, dark, stressful things, there are good, valuable, and worthwhile things as well. We just have to take the time to look for them and learn from them.

"Breathe Deeply" is a 20x24 inch original oil painting on 1/2 inch cradled panel. The edges are unpainted natural wood. It comes wired, ready to hang.