"CARRYING THE LIGHT" 2020 CANVAS SERIES

"Carrying the Light" is a series of canvases I painted this past Winter season. It was a transformative time for me, and it began with the passing of my grandma, the last elder in my family. As I carried her ashes home to Nelson I felt them turn to embers in my heart as her light washed over me. I painted the surfboard piece "Embers" on the floor beneath her seat in Comox only days after she had passed on. The veil was extremely thin for those next few weeks, and as I painted each brush stroke I felt her life energy flowing through me. Looking back it was one of the most profound spiritual experiences of my life, and I'm so grateful I could be a part of her transition, and allow her spirit to shine through my work.

I began painting the first of the "Carrying the Light" series right as quarantine hit, and I dove in with no plan, only emotions. Like the other four paintings, it pieces together the pandemics contrasting forces of light/dark, isolation/freedom, clarity/haziness,  warmth/cold and love/fear. As we all navigate our own journeys through 2020 this symbol of a bright fire has been my best guide. It's a reminder to keep shining the light and holding the flames through these uncertain times.

Love and Light ♡