…there is still hope and possibility for joy and healing no matter the grief, the pain, the brokenness we’ve experienced.

In March 2022 I got the privilege to create a live painting at an event for to empower and encourage girls and women who’ve experienced domestic violence and sexual abuse (Brave Event). I shared the stage with women who shared bravely of the struggles they’ve experienced in order to enoucrage the girls present that their value is not dependent on what has happened to them…they are of immeasurable worth…their value is unchanging…each on is precious, beautiful, and deeply loved. It was a beautiful and stretching experience to create for them in real time. Unlike a painting completed at and then revealed at its ending stage, painting live was like storytelling with brushstrokes and color. The process was full of storytelling possibilities in each moment. The final photo in this post reveals the end product, but it feels incomplete to not share each stage and take you on the journey. Here’s a little more about the heart behind the piece:

At the core of who we are…we are loved. If there is breath in our lungs, there is still hope and possibility for joy and healing no matter the grief, the pain, the brokenness we experience. This painting is a journey from new life through valleys and forests of pain and trauma back out into light and the restoration and revival of the loved soul within each of us. May the resilient sprout you see growing remind you of the possibility within your own heart.