Author: Fragments of Light

The Bird Must Fly

It's the heart splayed, soul displayed feeling. Vulnerable, that's how it feels to walk into a new gallery with art in hand, even if you already know your piece is accepted into the show. And even more so in a new city. A new city, and yet an old city. I graduated from the University…Read more The Bird Must Fly

Arise (2)

  Song of Solomon 2:10-13 “My beloved responded and said to me, ‘Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, And come along. For behold, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone. The flowers have already appeared in the land; The time has arrived for pruning the vines, And the voice of the turtledove…Read more Arise (2)

Arise

There you are, backed into a corner, walls closing in, ceiling compressing and floor heaving to meet it. Suffering has a way of whittling the world down into compact space with infinite feeling. Like a tiny dandelion in a vast open field, exposed. Like the deafening silence of lonely cries withheld in a crowded room, because no one will…Read more Arise

Art in the everyday

      My most treasured creative contribution to this world is my children. To study the raw materials of their souls and guide and encourage them to become all they are created by God to be, that is the deepest desire of my heart. I send them like arrows out into the world, to…Read more Art in the everyday

Unless A Grain of Wheat Falls….

All around me the earth flutters. Dreaming of the future, it sends messages like little notes for tomorrow, twirling in gray dawn sky, like rain. The tree is determined to hope. How does the tree know it is time? How am I here at just this moment to witness its innermost thoughts? No one tells the tree,…Read more Unless A Grain of Wheat Falls….

Photoshoots: behind-the-scenes

We have stories to tell, and photos powerfully weave layers of color and texture into a single view. My long-time friend and Pamba Toto business partner, Debbie, and I are newly impassioned to impart insight into our products and the artisans who make them. After visiting Kenya together last June, we are fully cognizant that there is…Read more Photoshoots: behind-the-scenes

Tend Your Soul

Recently I painted a friend's "safe place." Turbulent waters threaten her survival; and in her mind, she swims to a quiet, peaceful space to weep, dream, hope, and gain new strength before plunging back into the storm. Places possess power. Yesterday I wandered one of my own safe places, a prayer labyrinth buried deep in the…Read more Tend Your Soul

Small and Beautiful

When I hold them in my hands now that I am home, each one represents a world unto itself. They transport me to a time outside time, when I was so enthralled I forgot to eat, drink, or relate to the outside world. Each tiny bead represents a human's touch, a woman far away... and yet…Read more Small and Beautiful

Senior Photos

I absolutely adore taking senior photos! Senior year is a magic time in life, when one chapter draws to a close and the future is alive with possibility. I love spending a couple hours drawing out what makes each young person unique. At first there is unavoidable awkwardness, but once we engage in talking about interests, dreams…Read more Senior Photos

Henry the Star

  As I begin painting in earnest again, I find myself drawn to a place of simplicity and happiness. I drag out from the shadows a painting I began last spring. At first I think it's a "light" theme, a "warm-up," with deeper visual ponderings to come. And then I realize, the most treasured offerings in…Read more Henry the Star