"There have been times, if only rarely, I have felt a complete connection to God and all that was around me. It is as if a transparent veil gently falls enveloping all: in a sense at this time I am my own being and all beings are also me, flowing back and forth with the Spirit of God at the center. It does not come at my bidding or at any specific time or place.

Over the years through reading, meditating, and the process of maturing, plus searching for a deeper sense of the Spirit, these occurrences could not be denied. They and the Spirit could no longer be held separate and away from all I am all I do.

Reconciliation was needed.

In the past if someone reacted in a positive fashion toward my work it would be dismissed, as I had labeled it only another “pretty picture.” Conversely, pursuing the popular notion of what is current and worthwhile in art, journeyed me away from what I knew to be true. In turning to face God: in every aspect of my life, my understanding grew. The understanding also formed to embrace the “pretty pictures” as genuine and an attempt to show the joy, beauty and mystery grounded in the Spirit.

It is my continued desire, through the creative process of painting and drawing, to ask God to be present. If it is His will, to work through me, so I may feel and portray the Spirit. Is it easily attained or does this happen all the time? No. However, painting and drawing to be meaningful and integrated in spiritual growth, for me, needs to have this valuable component. To follow God, instead of trying to lead, even at this late time in my life, is to find open, moving and ever expanding possibilities."