My Art Process

My art often tells my clients stories, which become part of my own story.

For over 30 years I have listened to other people’s stories. I have helped them to process their trauma, guided them in finding their own voice, and encouraged them to speak their truth.
I have been listener and witness, both to their trauma and their healing.

With no voice, we are powerless and trapped, unable to move to safety, unable to be free from our past.

So many of us have been silenced. Silenced by traditions, politics, religion, as well as by family, neighbours, and friends. We shut down who we are through fear of censorship, ridicule, humiliation, and judgement.

A safe place for our truth to be welcomed, to be acknowledged, accepted, and validated.

We create that safe place when we give ourselves permission to speak our truth. Imagine a community in which we all participate in our unique ways, a community in which we are all valued for our differences and our contributions…

The good, the bad and the ugly.

All my life experiences show up in my creative process. I have explored life’s shadows as well as its kaleidoscope of colours.

What is helpful? What is possible?

As we validate what was, we create what could be. We acknowledge what is evolving, what is becoming more and more present in our lives. When our history sits within us, raw and untransformed, we remain stuck in old and often unhelpful patterns. When we process our past what emerges can be confronting and confusing, an experience that is both visual and visceral. What emerges is also liberating.