Presence Prevails

My dad is the first person I know to pass away. He died suddenly in 2019 leaving my family shocked and saturated in grief. I was 23 years old. I had no understanding of death or idea of an after life. To this day, I still don't have a clue. I do know that my dreams, weather phenomena and music make me feel closer to him.

Sharing the grieving process with mom during our time living together meant we developed a shared way to process his loss and love his spirit.

On this day, we both felt my dad's presence while kayaking Lake Anna. The pacifying elements of the sparkling sun, perfectly clear waters and feeling of total peace made us think of him and all the moments we wished we could share together.

It is an indescribable experience to lose a someone you love. It is equally a blessed feeling to remember them for the rest of our lives.

2024

11" x 14"

Oil

$540

Desert Thunder

On this memorable trip to Tuscon, my mom, sister and I discovered the beauty and terror of desert weather while hiking the Tanque Verde Ridge Trail in the Rincon Mountains.

This 11 mile trail followed a steep ridge that was saturated with diverse cacti and beautiful summits. My exhilaration to seek greater heights pushed all of us to bushwhack extra miles and scramble up a final peak that would reveal the gorgeous expanse of the Saguaro lands.
To our surprise, a dark thunderstorm with flashes of lightning was on its way to us and fast. As meteorologists, my parents joked that weather followed them no matter where they traveled. The desert was no exception.

Our journey quickly turned into a race against the thunder. We hurriedly trailed back to our car for multiple miles downhill attempting to avoid being struck by cacti and lightning.

Luckily, we out ran that special storm. I was invigorated by the divine chase. My sister was mildly stressed. And my mom. Well, she ran into a cactus a few feet from our car. Our last moments were spent laughing as we plucked needles from her leg.

When we challenge our limits, we can rise and we can fall. If we don't challenge ourselves to move beyond what we know, we may never experience what lays beyond the horizon. And in our case, we may have missed the beauty and terror of desert thunder.

2022

8" x 12"

Oil

Siddhartha at Sunset

When I was nineteen, heartbreak opened my eyes to a world of spontaneity and synchronicity eventually leading me to Shaw's Cove beach in Laguna with the book 'Siddhartha' by Herman Hesse in hand.

Unfamiliar with religion and raised by secular scientists, I connected deeply to this spiritual novel about a deeply introspective and transcendent character named Siddhartha who set out to discover himself through experience. For years to come this story would serve as a pseudo bible for spiritual guidance.

That day, I finished reading Siddhartha's journey in perfect timing; right at sunset as the incoming tide pushed me back home. I left Shaw's Cove inspired, in awe and primed to begin my journey of self-discovery.

2024

11" x 14"

Oil

$600