Refuge in Nature: THE LANDSCAPE OF LOVE & LOSS
On display at ArtReach St. Croix, August 28 - October 3, 2025
Artist Statement: Carol was my Grandmother, but also one of my very best friends. We were quiet companions - introverts and nature lovers - with a shared passion for books, wildflowers, travel postcards, and brandy old fashioneds. She instilled a love of hiking in my brothers and I at an early age. As a kid it seemed that she knew the name of every bird and butterfly, as well as the geological era of every kind of “cool rock”. We caught frogs together and watched turtles sun themselves on the logs that stretched across the river at our favorite park. Quietly resilient, fiercely stubborn, and quick to laugh, she was the definition of a “tough cookie.” She made sure to pass the torch of curiosity and wonder on to her grandchildren. Carol passed away earlier this year. In the months after her death I wrote 50 poems, some of which are reflected in this exhibit as painting titles.
This sudden explosion of poetry took me by surprise. I’m a landscape painter, not a poet, but I suddenly had words. A lot of them.
Artistically, I began exploring what it looks like to begin with a title poem and then find the appropriate landscape to paint instead of the other way around. I never work this way, and yet it has been the process I’ve needed to work through this season of grief. This collection of paintings honor my grandmother’s memory and the lessons she taught me. They also reflect the literal landscapes I turn to in difficult times for comfort and perspective. They are the outdoor sanctuaries where I search for healing, inspiration, and hope.
May these paintings remind you of your own personal refuge in nature - and the people who bring 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.”