Sweet November

The opening reception at Portland Art Gallery on November 7th, 2024 was a well-attended, beautiful celebration of art, life and community. Each artist was provided an opportunity to discuss their art, process and meaning behind the work they create. I enjoyed getting to know more about the work and lives of the other Portland Art Gallery artists and discussing the interests and questions of other keen art enthusiasts who joined us in celebration.

I was absolutely delighted to chat about my process, travels and discover the overlapping interests with many who attended the reception. One lovely couple had purchased one of my paintings in the early moments of the event. I was so honored to have the opportunity to discuss the background and pivotal point this painting was for my current process. I am so grateful for this moment and for the support of Portland Art Gallery for allowing me to share my work in such a beautiful and caring space. Here is the painting that was acquired during the opening reception:

Prefer to read what I had written (and now slightly altered) and shared at the opening reception? I’ve included those words below:

“As I was thinking through what to share with you here tonight, I acknowledged the fact that there must be a certain standard to these artist talks. There must be some general structure that would be advised and, if folllowed, the talk would be considered successful. Oh, this should be good, I thought. I can’t even follow when my husband leads me in a dance. I want to follow and enjoy a moment of musical synchronicity with him, I really do. It’s not a problem with my rythm or coordination, I’ve got that covered. It’s just that dancing is one of my most happy and free expressions in life and “following someone else’s lead” in this case, proves time and again, to be met by my wilful, wild side. With that thought in my mind, I noticed my own process in preparing for this talk became stifled. I felt so many familiar emotions emerge. This, I realized, was a familiar feeling to me. This is the precise set of sensations I was challenged with right before I chose to begin painting.

The very act of painting and the resulting work of mine you are viewing here tonight are the acceptance of, or rather the celebration of, our uniqueness, our imperfection, our doing our best even when, it may seem, from the viewpoint of others: you’re saying the wrong thing, you don’t know what to do, you’re making unpopular choices , and you’re not being everything to everyone at all times because all you know is that you absolutely must to be what you honestly need for yourself right now.

In 2019, our family moved to New Zealand, where we spent over two years amongst some of the world’s most magnificent landscapes. Surrounded by and immersing myself in nature, away from everything familiar, I found the way back to myself. I realized this strong determination within myself that has been constantly battling between pleasing others and getting what I want in life has been all in the name of self-preservation. This was all so profound and eye-opening.

The challenge was, I then had to ask myself, “what is it about myself that I’m so determined to protect”? And so, in this new home, on the other side of the world, I chose to spend countless hours outdoors alone. I created time-layered photographs, original impressions of the movement of the sea and I began painting.

Once we returned back home, without so much as a photo reference or general theme in mind, I continued to paint outdoors and in my attic studio. When I paint, my mind vividly returns to childhood days and as an adult with children of my own, I play like a child. What I am protecting, with every breath I take, is what I learned from every lifetime moment spent with nature. I am protecting MY OWN very nature. I found that I thrive while creating within conditions that force me to respond to wildly natural forces beyond my control. What I am after, is an almost fight or flight moment. I am catapulting a moment where I’m forcing uncertainty and a need to make instinctual moves in my work that will alter the outcome in the most critical aspects.

And so, one day, after studying art history books, I decided to completely let go and paint with wild abandon. These large-scale paintings are the result of my wish to free myself from the constraints of expectations, fear of failure, and fear of how I define success. You see, like many others in our lifetime, there are roles we play and boxes we are assigned to. These paintings are an expression of breaking free from those lines and living a life, trusting our heart over everything else and unapologetically chasing what brings us joy.

Standing on a platform, holding a microphone and speaking to a group without being provided a set of rules and bullet points may be considered one of the most vulnerable positions a human will encounter. I wish we could all have the opportunity to be heard, to speak, act and profess ourselves to be who we are without fear or judgement. My wish for my art, is that it provides a sense of understanding, comfort and joy for being preciesly who you are in this very moment and inspire you to let yourself be guided by your very nature.

Thank you Portland Art Gallery for providing me this opportunity to invite understanding so that I can carry on painting within my own lines.”

To sweeten an already amazing week, I learned that my paintings, ‘On a Hot Summer’s Day’ and ‘Jasmine Crush’ have been featured in both the September and November issues of Maine Home+Design.

November Cover image: @jeffrobertsphoto 
November Cover Architect: @winkarchitecture 




September Cover image: David Waddell
Rangeley Building & Remodeling

@portlandartgallery