Loss (study); 2017; 15.75″ x 19.75″; mixed media: conte crayon, pastel, acrylic, watercolor

I began this painting about a week after my grandma transitioned from this life to the next. Since then, we’ve been working together as a family to hold an estate sale and prepare her house for the market. But last week, I set aside the logistics for a few mornings to complete the painting, to try to process visually all the emotions of losing someone I’ve dearly loved for 46 years. Through this season of loss, the love and support of friends and family has meant the world.

I love how my dear friend, Nicole, expressed her sympathy, “One more shimmering chord attaching your heart to heaven…”