THE LANDSCAPE OF LOVE & LOSS
On display at ArtReach St. Croix, August 23 - October 3, 2025
Artist Statement: My grandmother passed away this year, and it has been one of the most painful and profound experiences of my life. In the months after her death I wrote nearly fifty poems, some of which are reflected in this exhibit as painting titles.
As a landscape painter, I’ve been exploring this grief through the lens of my “soul place” - a well worn hiking trail on the bluff overlooking Lake Michigan. It’s a landscape that I turn to time and time again for healing, inspiration, and hope. The Lake is a place that always provides comfort and perspective, I always leave feeling renewed, even if I don’t find the exact answers I went there searching for. Growing up in southeastern Wisconsin, Lake Michigan is woven throughout inter-generational stories in my family. This Midwestern “coast” has been a constant companion - a place of solace and joy for my grandmother, my mother, and myself.
When you spend a lot of time with a landscape (or a person for that matter) you begin to bear witness to each other’s stories. You don’t necessarily need a lot of words to express your love or share each other’s griefs. Time and attention will do. The Lake has taught me that.
To love deeply inevitably means we will also experience loss. But it’s important to love anyway. My grandma taught me that. May these paintings remind you of your own “soul place” - and the people who bring the sunshine to the landscape of your life.
Hiking with LiL
This exhibit is on display Nov 2024 through Jan 2025 at Woodland Hill Senior Living in Hudson as a part of The Phipps Center for the Arts Enriching Arts Program.
Artist Statement: “Like many of us, I find the deepest solace on the quiet coastlines of water and in the leafy cathedrals of woods. “Hiking with Lil” is a deeply personal exhibit inspired by my two favorite hiking trails in Wisconsin. The work explores ideas of beauty, spirituality, and finding our way home.”
COASTLINES
I had the pleasure of exhibiting a collection of paintings and prints inspired by my favorite coastlines at Westfields Hospital & Clinic in 2024, as a part of The Phipps Center for the Arts Enriching Arts Program.
Artist Statement: “There is something about an endless horizon that quiets my soul, calms anxious thoughts, and puts life into perspective again. As a native Milwaukeean, I have spent many afternoons alone, hiking the bluffs of Lake Michigan and over the years I have built a relationship with this Midwestern “coast.” It is no longer just a place to me, but a friend in whose presence I can truly rest. I look for this kinship with water now wherever I go - sacred spaces to breathe deeply, listen to the power of the waves, and embrace the wisdom of the natural world.”