Themes

		Heart shaped mouths represent the need to speak with care - ideally with love. Many times I have wished I could take back words that have carelessly come out of my mouth, but can't, and so I paint all of my people with heart-shaped mouths as a constant reminder to myself of how I want to speak and I what I want to put into the world.

		Houses always represent the self - our true self - the person I would be if I was fully at home and at peace. Houses are symbolic of people being who they really are at their core. Sometimes, I have the houses positioned on the horizon. The foreground represents the past, the horizon is the present and the sky or background is the future.

		Tulips are one of my favorite flowers. They are one of the only flowers that actually move with the sun. Like people who want to be awake and live in the light, they move to get what they need. I love that. I also base them loosely on hearts because I believe at their core, people just want to love and be loved and to know that they matter.

		Furrows represent the process of growing. I grew up on a wheat farm in eastern Oregon and my Mom always told me I would be more apt to experience success if I was humble and remembered where I came from. She wanted me to embody the true spirit of what it means to be a farm kid-simple, down to earth, and always aware that nature will win every time no matter how hard you try. Like my father who patiently worked the soil many times a year, I believe that we can grow our successes with patient, focused and continual action.

		Hills represent obstacles: there's the climb, the peak and the process of coming down on the other side.

		Families are a huge part of my work; and what I love about them is that we have the ones we were born into, and the ones we choose. Ideally, they are the people that we love and support and the ones who do the same for us. Both of us have been welcomed with open arms into the other's family and circles of friends. Our lives are infinitely more rich and broadened as the result of the formation of our family together as a couple.