In sixty short days I’ll run face first into the 5th anniversary of my mom’s passing.
In grief there are dark days and light days and many days somewhere in the gray.

She was an artist on so many levels. Creation & recreation were some of the things I most admired about her. In the last years of her life she was painting ceramic figurines (again).

The process began the same with each.
First, a coat of black paint on the entire statue- I can still smell the acrylic paint she used.
Second, she selected the lightest colors, the whites, the skin tones, the yellows covering the black areas with soft brush strokes of color.
She had a technique I can’t copy, softly layering the colors over the black, and leaving parts of the darkness to peer through.
Third, she would select the colors that gave the art piece its character,- the blues, reds, and all things bright, taking that piece from darkness to living color.
Lastly, she would spray a seal coat over the entire thing protecting it from the elements of the world.

I loved to watched the process, secretly guessing in my head what that final outcome would look like, thrilled when she would ask for my input on what color to do next. She took total darkness and made it light again. The recovery took days, sometimes much much longer. It was a dedicated work and she never rushed to the finish.

Some pieces just took longer than others.

It wasn’t until a few nights ago, as I sat painting- bringing old things to newness- that I felt an overwhelming sense of re-connection with my mom. Maybe it was the smell of the paint, or being patient with the step by step process, or even still guessing what the next color will be- But I felt like I was finally going from a dark color to a lighter place.

Olivia has now joined me-Finding things to paint and sitting at my feet while I work. Together we are taking all the gray things about grief and slowly covering them up with color.

& Some pieces are going to take longer than others.

(samples of her work)