Everleigh entered this world on August 14, 2016, welcomed by birth mother, Delaney; birth father, Kenny; and birth grandmother, Karen. On August 17, Everleigh went home in the arms of adoptive parents, Casey and Michael. Nine months later.... with special thanks to Hope's Promise (Adoption Agency) of Castle Rock, CO. (303) 660-0277.
Finding the Way to Nowhere (in Kenya)
Bounce and jostle over potholes and dusty ruts to the middle of nowhere. Second-guess a few times if you've lost your way. Double check with someone on the side of the road. Spot the turn-off at last and park your car. Hop out and glance to the right; and, shocked to discover it here in…Read more Finding the Way to Nowhere (in Kenya)
In the Cracks
Astonished, I found Him, the Beautiful One, deep in a cranny of Mathare Valley, Kenya - the same One I glimpsed in the fissure of a Mother Teresa's home in Huruma, as I share below. It's enough to make my head spin - apparently, at least according to what my senses report, my body landed…Read more In the Cracks
Why do slums exist in Kenya?
One of the greatest joys of my recent trip to Kenya was sharing the experience with two of my children, Justin age 17 and Jacob age 20. I tried to capture some of the wonder I felt in a previous blog entry: Meeting Myself There. Because of Justin's most unexpected surgery, Tommy John to repair…Read more Why do slums exist in Kenya?
Colors of Kenya
Color lives and breathes in Kenya. From subtle drab slip-and-slide of slum grays and browns to vital dance of Meru tea-farm greens, color sings and color weeps in Kenya. Color shimmers delicately in a solitary tear, lingering on the face of a Ugandan artisan now grown from a childhood spent as a household servant. Fed…Read more Colors of Kenya
The Beautiful One
Hope's Promise 2017 Connection Trip to Kenya, May 25-June 5 I invite them: come. Come, stand on the brink of devastation, human suffering as you have never seen before. Come, listen to these words: “Give yourself to the hungry, satisfy the desire of the afflicted.” Isaiah 58:10 See their faces, look into their eyes, feel…Read more The Beautiful One
The Power of a Line
Lines are powerful. I'll never forget the first time I leaned in close to examine a graphite line drawn by Van Gogh. The shimmering dance of the stroke, straight from the master artist's hand, absolutely enchanted me. Lines, as my college professor taught, can whisper and shout. For this painting, I allowed myself to feel; and…Read more The Power of a Line
Believing What I Can’t See
Many times for me, painting is a language I speak to myself – to affirm what I know to be true and thus to persuade my own heart to believe. The physical world around me, in a similar way, constantly whispers metaphors to me concerning spiritual truths. In this painting, for example, I wrestle with Newton's third law…Read more Believing What I Can’t See
Trying Again
I would really like to just stop painting. I'm weary of the creative journey at the moment. The impetus - I entered a show and didn't get in. And I thought - I'm done with this. I would like to be happy doing something else. I made it almost a month, and then I couldn't…Read more Trying Again
Can Art Change the World?
In my travels around the world, I've witnessed excruciating suffering and pain. When I see a baby dying in Mathare Valley slum of Nairobi, Kenya for lack of a $20 medication, I don't think about painting a picture. I just need to get the money to the child's parents so she can see a…Read more Can Art Change the World?
Colleen Briggs Images & Writing 