2023 was a challenging year for me. It is hard to move into this new year without reflecting on all that has happened last year. I started 2023 out with some pretty challenging goals for myself, including putting myself and my artwork out there a lot more. In this I feel that i met my personal goal and am proud of all I accomplished. Unfortunately I was hit with a devastating loss this fall when my best friend suddenly died. I can’t describe the depth of my sorrow and grief.

These past few months, I have been trying to work through some of this immense grief using my artful practices. Inspired by my friend, who was an incredible storyteller and writer, I even started writing a novel to help keep some of him alive and as a way to help myself. The main character I’m writing is facing a similar loss and I feel maybe helping her through her grief may show me how to manage my own. So in my novel she is and artist and I am having her work through her grief in her artwork… ultimately, showcasing her work in a show in the end of the story and having that visual representation of her grief journey.

Of course, life imitates art so I find my own work to be dominated by these overwhelming feelings of loss. The watercolor above represents how I’m feeling that this sorrow has taken root. It is so hard to surmount this loss and keep moving forward.

The world keeps spinning and around me life continues its forward march. Sometimes I want to ride along with the current, but I’m still anchored by the weight of my loss. That is a good visual… Perhaps my next painting…

How do you work through a loss that shakes you to your foundation?