"Of all the purposes my art and life can serve, perhaps The Art of Healing imagery can most inspire a strong and loving spirit in others. One heart, one soul, one being at a time."

"I see, over and over, that the human spirit is above and beyond the confines of the body. If I was in a lot of pain, I needed to create a world that was not so painful and so I began to put my passion more into things that drew out of me positive living. And that served me really well. I took that and I shaped that like a piece of clay, like you would mold that … and so while I can’t control that I have a bone disease, I can control the way that I live with it."

arts

“I have been given the strange gift of very brittle bones; it's part of my story. My Kindred Spirits collection evolved out of the experience of having a broken leg. And while I wanted to convey, at that time, bright spirit and inspiration and color and good feeling, I couldn’t find it in me and I was quite sad about that. I felt vulnerable and afraid. I couldn't trust my body. I started focusing on these river rocks, and I saw animals projected onto these rocks. Very primal animals, all close to the ground.”

"I hobbled to my studio, got my bushes and paints, and painted what I saw, right on those rocks. I found it was just something I needed to do. I felt comforted by these creatures; I wanted them closer to me. I started feeling a kind of strength. I saw beauty in those creatures. I saw the importance of them on the earth, and I could see my value, and that my broken leg and my inability to stand upright had nothing to do with my ability to create and contribute. I saw that the human spirit is above and beyond the confines of the body."

women singing a song

 "While creating these unusual creatures, I began to understand that I was part of a continuum, engaged in something artists have done throughout time. Instead of making simple, playful objects of beauty, I was creating things that express ideas embodied in the myths and traditions of many cultures. I was expressing a kinship with other living things.”

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