The Beginning

Some people say that postpartum lasts about two years, some say seven, some say a few weeks. I even heard one woman say it must only last about two days because she could fit into her size two skirt by the time she got out of the hospital.

And while I know that there are many ways that we do rebound and return to our prior selves and fit into our old clothes and lives, are you ever really the same? Do you want to be?

For this reason, I’m really not sure how to pick up and start again. My art is so close to my soul, and my soul has unfolded and grown in such a beautiful and fundamental way that makes it hard to just… carry on. It’s like I used to see yellow, and now that I’ve had my son I see in it’s place a kaleidoscope of marigold, lemon, butterscotch, gold, and cream. My brain is different, my heart is different; I have more to say but less time to say it. I have sketches and painting ideas scratched into every notebook that I own but am only halfway through the first one. You have heard from me here and there over the last couple of years, but now that I have a plan I would like to officially return with some more stability.

And so I will start slowly, but with purpose. After finishing a couple of commissions for the end of 2025, there are several projects that I have put a lot of thought into already that will begin in the new year. It will take a lot of time and there will be stops, starts, and gaps throughout but I want to take you with me. Maybe you will see your own unfolded, growing heart looking back at you when you see my work. Maybe you will see your mother or your grandmother, a jar of pickles made by your great aunt or a bundle of lilacs clipped from your sister’s yard. My work is and has always been about remembering who we are and what matters; this is who I am and what matters to me, and maybe you’ll find it matters to you too.