CONNECT

This year has been the best of opportunity mixed with layers of grief. Not to say my experience is any different but the irony is poignant. My art provided travels to the swamps of Mississippi to the Tianmu Mountains in China. On February 25^th, my artist friend Susan O’Malley passed away along with her baby girls. I’ve used her words as a guide moving forward. And without them, would be forever lost.

Susan’s friendship provided the courage to swim through complicated waters. And when she left this physical world, her wisdom provided comfort and passage. With every opportunity 2015 offered, I repeated her mantra: “BE HERE NOW.” I grasped its meaning tightly, took a deep breath, and leaped forward.

Connections and patterns occurred. Or perhaps they already existed, but now I could finally see. Whatever the answer, a new perspective emerged.

Dome:

Looking up inside the Guggenheim. — Guggenheim Museum, New York, New York, USA.

Subway ceiling. — Subway, Shanghai, China.

Tradition:

Choctaw Museum, Choctaw, Mississippi, USA.

Line:

Facebook Headquarters, Menlo Park CA, USA.

Mark Bradford, Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Nature:

Clouds, Sam D. Hamilton and Choctaw National Wildlife Refuge, Brooksville, Mississippi, USA.

Rock, Half Dome, Yosemite National Park, California, USA.

Susan:

Sam D. Hamilton and Choctaw National Wildlife Refuge, Brooksville, Mississippi, USA.

San Pablo Ave., Berkeley, California, USA.

2015 was like a storm and when parts of it passed, the landscape appeared renewed. A rebirth and awakening occurred. Instead of being fearful of the unknown and doubtful due to ignorance, I embraced the challenge.

Negativity and guilt no longer control or influence. Apologizing for a positive existence won’t be allowed. Character and integrity will be my guide for 2016.