My challenge as an artist in the fleeting moments of a life drawing sitting is to capture essence. My challenge as a mother is to see my daughter and help her grow into herself. My ever-watchful eye recorded Nicole's life from infancy through teenage years and into her own motherhood. Yet that watchful eye could also be an anxious and worrisome eye, in need of creative transformation. I did not want either Nicole or Paul to grow up in the shadow of my fear. As a painter, I drenched my children in color and sang out the joy of our connection--the strong color, like a strong heartbeat, ensures life force and vigor.
We are told that "time heals," yet I know that generations carry the loss of a child. As a family, none of us has let loss be the last word.
