Artwork Information

My daughter was an artist. Through her, our lives were infused with color and light. When she was killed at twenty-three, I lost color. Not just figuratively, but literally. It was a frightening anomaly that added to the desperation of my loss. When color returned the following year, I picked up Shannon's camera and found a renewed sense of wonder in capturing and savoring moments. Moments of intense color, and beauty, but often the essence of those moments was somehow overshadowed, even lost in the complexities of life that permeate our senses.

This series of charcoals brings me full circle and a simpler way to see. I find that I can continue to capture moments, unafraid of looking at the world once again in black and white. There is comfort in the realization that life must have both darkness and light. It is the blending of both that creates what lasts in our minds and in our memories.

Life is demanding and moves at a frantic pace. We often miss those magical moments that fill us with heartfelt gratitude and wonder. But when we allow ourselves to really be in those moments, they are with us forever in the lingering light of memory. There is an intimacy in working with charcoal. Within the simplicity of paper, charcoal and touch, I am able to experience each line and texture as it appears. It is a time for me to once again find my heart and my vision.