My visits to Vietnam with Hope's Promise deeply impacted me (click the link to read the story of the painting above). I painted Sacrificial Love after one of these trips. Recently I had the great privilege of interviewing Dennis Pringle after his trip to Vietnam with Hope's Promise. I wrote the following article for the Hope's Promise…Read more Sole to Soul in Vietnam
Author: Fragments of Light
The Wings Are Mine
Like a dense, winged creature draped across my chest, it caws over charred dreams, disintegrating into ashes. But still the fire rages. What is left to burn? The bird's merciless wings fan flames hotter and heavy. Until a moment of inexplicable release. Rescue. A force of goodness beating the creature back, forcing it to lift.…Read more The Wings Are Mine
Spring Surely Comes
Winter and spring scuffle for dominance this year in Colorado. Spirea yellow and crab apple pink persevere against steel gray sky. A few days ago, on May 2, snow-bound foothills yielded to patches of white clinging to city shadows. Frozen and formidable, Pikes Peak still anchors winter's battlefront. I will never forget the latest snowfall of…Read more Spring Surely Comes
Failure, Rejection, and Passion
Failure: When you work on a piece for weeks, wrestling the paint and your vision, and they simply refuse to dance together. And you reach the desolate conclusion that it's dead for good, and you rip it in half. It's not a violent gesture, simply an acknowledgment of its state of being. And you feel like you'll never…Read more Failure, Rejection, and Passion
I Am Still Here
Cruel winter winds too fiercely blow. They drive me deep beyond where I can speak. Everything silent except a heart beat, my own. Waiting, listening, I survive. Until the day harsh winds scamper away, tails between legs, ashamed, chased away as the liars they always were. All that was frozen, drop by drop, slides into a…Read more I Am Still Here
Language of the Soul – Chihera’s Music
As a visual artist, I don't know a lot about the technicalities of music; but I do recognize the language of emotion and soul. And, if joy can shape-shift into musical notes, the nimble fingers of Chihera band members know how to conjure it. I first discovered Chihera on a golden late summer evening last…Read more Language of the Soul – Chihera’s Music
My Beloved Mom (& Mother’s Day Gift Ideas)
In 2007, I stood on the banks of the Nile River with my mother. It was a magic life moment that came to symbolize so much of my admiration for her. She is one of the bravest people I know. I wrote about the experience in this post: A Beautiful River in Uganda, excerpt below: "It…Read more My Beloved Mom (& Mother’s Day Gift Ideas)
Dreams in Her Eyes
Funny how she is always thanking me for spending time with her. I've out-lived her by some three decades, and my greatest hope as I mentor her is to impart courage to keep seeking, to keep pressing into the unique gifts she holds in her heart. In some ways, I am motivated by a debt. Once,…Read more Dreams in Her Eyes
Strange how hope swells…
Strange how a lantern can appear out of nowhere. Walking barren tracks, and suddenly there's a light in your hand. Sincerely Danielle Shunk (SDS) plunked into my grasp like that. A friend knew a friend, who told her about SDS, who told me. I stepped foot in that magic space and before I knew…Read more Strange how hope swells…
Tiny, Subversive Flames
Art, so often for me, helps me access, grab hold of, and integrate experiences in life. I painted the first iteration of this piece, "Offering," several years ago, but found myself circling back to the image in recent months as I both read the book and watched the movie, "The Letters" about Mother Teresa. New…Read more Tiny, Subversive Flames
Colleen Briggs Images & Writing 