I believe that stories like mine are common, but it isn’t common to tell them through the medium of art. The reason I left the church of my childhood was so I could have the freedom to create and to say what I needed to. Religion is good, in its place, but when religion suppresses the truth, it is self-serving and harmful. My hope is to always tell the truth with my art, to inspire, to enlighten, and to heal.

“I imagine this painting as the moment you wake up one morning and realize that you are glad that you’re here after all. You step outside just as the sun begins to make everything golden and sparkling. The sunlight falls on your face, and it is warm and soft and delicious. Half in shadow, half in light, you pause, and realize for the first time in months, you are glad to be alive.”

“The sunlight hits the tree, bright and warm. You know it will soon bathe you in golden, glittering light. Your skin will dry, and it will warm you, inside out. Two birds dance across the sky, disappearing into the brilliance of the sun. Their wings flash golden in the light. You watch in quiet awe. This is a moment you will remember forever, a moment that stamps itself on your lonely soul, a moment that you were chasing and didn’t realize it.

This is an epiphany. This is hope.”