Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
This painting wasn’t made for a gallery, a client, or a collection. I made it for me.
Recently, I lost my two 15-year-old dogs, Ginger and Barney, within a month of each other. They had been part of my life for so long that their absence left a space I wasn’t quite sure what to do with.
So I painted.
Using the colors of their fur as my palette, I worked with a trowel—layering, scraping, covering and revealing, without worrying about what the finished painting was supposed to look like.
I call it Woven Into Me.
This painting also reminded me of something I sometimes forget: art can be therapy. We spend so much time thinking about whether other people will like what we make. Will it sell? Will it get views? Is it good enough? Does it fit my style? Sometimes none of those questions matter.
Sometimes you should make something simply because you need to make it.
There is tremendous freedom in creating without trying to please anyone else. No expectations. No rules. No desired outcome. Just you, the materials, and whatever needs to come out.
In this video, I share the process of creating Woven Into Me and a little of the story behind it.
This one was for Ginger and Barney. ❤️
This painting wasn’t made for a gallery, a client, or a collection. I made it for me.
Recently, I lost my two 15-year-old dogs, Ginger and Barney, within a month of each other. They had been part of my life for so long that their absence left a space I wasn’t quite sure what to do with.
So I painted.
Using the colors of their fur as my palette, I worked with a trowel—layering, scraping, covering and revealing, without worrying about what the finished painting was supposed to look like.
I call it Woven Into Me.
This painting also reminded me of something I sometimes forget: art can be therapy. We spend so much time thinking about whether other people will like what we make. Will it sell? Will it get views? Is it good enough? Does it fit my style? Sometimes none of those questions matter.
Sometimes you should make something simply because you need to make it.
There is tremendous freedom in creating without trying to please anyone else. No expectations. No rules. No desired outcome. Just you, the materials, and whatever needs to come out.
In this video, I share the process of creating Woven Into Me and a little of the story behind it.
This one was for Ginger and Barney. ❤️
