Our society tends to place more value on what we think than what we feel. As a consequence, our self-worth becomes measured by our college degree, professional credentials, how much money we make, and how many possessions we can accumulate. If one is a creative person, it is easy to apply the same measure to our art by believing our creative success depends on how much money we earn from it.

To fully engage in the creative process requires a complete surrender from thinking about it. One’s muse finds you in the space that lies between judging and criticizing ourselves based on self-imposed standards. Creativity is a connection to the heart, which has a separate language from our mind’s thinking and judging. My most successful paintings have always come from that special inner space. It is a space some call the frontier of the spiritual. I think of it in spiritual terms because it is the place where the heart resides as a portal to the source of love, forgiveness, and compassion. If we can truly create from that place, I believe everything else in our outer life takes care of itself.

When we connect to heart-consciousness we tap into the wellspring of love. When the spirit of love flows through us unimpeded by repressed emotions and negative thinking, we are a channel for spirit to manifest in the world. As a channel for the spirit of love, the art we create becomes a monument to spirit, standing as a metaphor to what is true and whole within our authentic self.

Many of my paintings are inspired by the feminine spirit, which serves as a metaphor for heart-consciousness and our connection to our higher soul self. Their figures are often seen trapped behind an invisible barrier which separates our outer physical world from the divine. The feminine speaks to us about what lies beneath the surface of our perceived vulnerability and self-judging. These figures represent an appeal from behind the veil of our senses to go beyond words and to seek positive and love-motivated action within the world.