Oil on Canvas

In a similar manner as when making my quill jewelry, I approach my paintings and other artwork in Ceremony, in stillness. I listen to my canvases, paints, and pens, and wait patiently to give form to what already exists.

Oil is one of my favorite mediums. Its movement, richness, depth, and layering are truly grounding for me. For many years, I was both curious about working with this medium and unsure of how to bring non-abstract forms into being. I began mindlessly creating gradient layers as a form of meditative, self-directed PTSD art therapy; eventually those layers began forming themselves into the ocean I was born into. The initial painting on this page, marked by deep blue water and dark purple clouds, was my first complete nautical painting. It was the most beloved piece in all of my art shows, marked “artist’s private collection”; so it remains.