Way back when I painted a picture for an art class and someone remarked how uncanny the resemblance was to the work of Georgia O'Keefe. When someone else mentioned a similarity I decided to investigate. I fell in love with her work. I could feel it. I could move with each flowing curve of her voluptuous floral abstracts. I could see the same way that she did. As years went by and I followed my own slow course in time I discovered another artist by accident - Emily Carr. I immediately felt like I could have been her reincarnated. I had just finished a pastel drawing that I titled "The Clearing." I was looking in a book of Ms. Carr's work and discovered that she too had a "Clearing" with almost exactly the same focal point and surroundings. It was almost strange. There is also a similarity between her work and Ms. O'Keefe's and they were contemporaries and I know the two met. I feel a strong connection to both of those women for the inspiration they have provided.

This painting represents life and hope. The colorful ribbons are a facade - a curtain hiding true meaning of life. The sharp object is piercing through those layers to see what lies at the core. Either way, here or there, there is beauty all around us and if we just look inward we can find peace.

This is painted with artist-quality acrylics on 24 x 24" 1-1/2" think canvas.

This is in a private collection - Thanks Ovation Screenprinting and Awards.