I felt the need to gather positive thoughts fairly early in my grieving. The old expression “Feather Your Nest” kept coming to mind, so I composed this little poem to express my feelings. Feather a nest where your heart can restLined with blessings soft as down.Moisten with tears over the yearsYou are never truly alone. As I wrote the poem, I remembered a small nest I’d had leftover from a craft project years before. After covering a canvas square with…
I recently created this canvas as I explored a recurring theme in my life and artistic expression. This idea, which I originally created over 30 years ago, expresses my belief in the miracle of and connection between all living things. I created the flower and rainbow from paper with accents of beads and tulle. The snowflake is a refurbished charm from a old bracelet. This is the original piece, created in 1992. The image has become a personal symbol of…
The background of this artwork is cut from a watercolor wash that I experimented with many years ago. Using this paper from my past gave me a sense of continuity and promise. Despite the mix of emotions I felt while putting the canvas together, using this paper helped me feel a sense of connection to my past and my future. The twine was collected from my basement. The flower is crafted from a variety of papers with tiny beads creating…
Doubt has the potential to overshadow my positive ideas and accomplishments, creating a dark curtain over all bright and hopeful plans. I drew the flowers for this piece with colored pencils, one of my favorite mediums. To represent the feeling of doubt, I created a mixed media “curtain” by dripping and marbling thick layers of paint. I then cut out the shape and placed it over my flower drawing. Though I wouldn’t say I liked covering the flowers, it was…
This simple piece was one of the first I created as I took tentative steps toward healing. I sometimes create flowers from paper, as I did with these snowdrops. The red paper heart is cut from scrapbooking paper, while the background paper was purchased from a favorite handmade paper shop. The flowers in the picture are Snowdrops, a symbol of renewal and hope. Snowdrops are among the first flowers to appear in early spring. Since grieving can feel like wandering…
Healing from loss has required tapping into resources I never knew I had. I often found inspiration in unexpected places. Clinging to the idea of hope in the essential goodness of life and the positive flow of healing was not easy, but I found even my darkest moments held promise if I remained open to possibility. This uplifting poem by Emily Dickinson expresses the universal quality of hope. Hope Is the Thing With FeathersHope is the thing with feathers –That…