Have you ever stood in front of a painting, drawn to a “something” you can’t quite pin down… then you hear the story behind it and all of a sudden you see the art more clearly?
That “knowing” creates a connection, transforming the art from an object to a shared experience.
It’s that connection that makes the artwork speak to you.
The story behind my painting Transitions was inspired by a dream.
A dream given to me as a gift from Kathi, a fellow student in our training as acupuncturists who became a dear friend.
I was just beginning my journey as a massage therapist and bodyworker, but Kathi had already been deeply involved in the study of Huna, a contemporary name given to a collection of ancient Hawaiian practices that focus on healing and spiritual development.
Those practices, including specific healing energies, had been passed down for over 23 generations through the lineage of the Bray family from The Big Island of Hawai’i.
Kathi taught me these powerful healing energies and, as our connection deepened, she became an integral part of the teaching retreats I developed.
Over the years we regularly traded massages. She came to Thanksgiving dinners. I helped her move (more than once).
Life, however, took its toll on Kathi.
Health challenges arose. Her kidneys started to fail. She had several minor heart attacks.
It finally became to much for her and, with no positive ultimate outcome, she finally decided to stop treatments.
I was part of a small group of friends who helped her face the inevitable.
A short time after her passing Kathi visited me in a dream, flooding me with a feeling of love and leaving me with the image, and message, of Transitions.
Painting that vision pushed me into doing things I’d never done before, but the finished 30” x 40” canvas turned out just as I had seen it.
Transitions’ meaning encompasses more than just the transition from life to the beyond.
It represents the hope we have – and knowledge we gain – when we pull away from what we “are” and transition into what we are destined to “become.”
Click here to read more about Transitions on it’s online gallery page.