Dedication

When I started painting this collection, I wanted to paint a personal piece for our home. The waters in front of our house were changing with the fall season and I've been photographing them at this time of year for years now as a substitution for painting... this would be my chance to finally sit down and put my brush to canvas, painting what I saw off of our porch every beautiful fall. I am currently pregnant as I write this, 8 months to be exact, and thought it would be great to have some therapeutic time in my studio before the new baby came. 

Then the news came, my Grandmother had not woken up from her shoulder surgery. I panicked. I was on the phone with my family everyday checking in on her and during that time, I was in my studio on overtime. Early mornings, nap times, late nights, anything to take my mind off the fact that my Grandmother's heart could stop beating at any moment. I felt so helpless from afar and checked in with my doctor to see if I could still travel (which I could) so our family promptly hopped on a plane to Florida so I could go see her. I said my goodbyes to her, feeling so blessed I got to see her one last time. I remember being in her hospital room, watching her heart rate on the monitor and feeling my baby kick inside of me, weeping, praying for a miracle. It was hard. I returned home, threw myself back into painting, and a few days later, surrounded by her family, her beautiful soul went to heaven. 

I knew before we left to travel to Florida, I wanted to dedicate the collection to her. Our memories together seemed to pour out with each paint color I mixed and every brush stroke I made. All the while I had my baby kicking fiercely inside of me. Everyone mourns differently and this dedication is meant to honor my beautiful Grandmother on the deepest level possible. This is how I celebrate and honor her life and the love she so freely shared with me. I love you Grandma, I will cherish and miss you for the rest of my life. 

This collection is dedicated to those two hearts.