Grand Forks Art Gallery – Altered Perceptions
Altered Perceptions
Central Gallery, Grand Forks Art Gallery
August 17 – November 9, 2024
I am so pleased to announce my show at the Grand Forks Art Gallery in Grand Forks, BC.
Altered Perceptions is a meditative, deeply personal return to creative work exploring the stories and narratives surrounding the trauma and tremendous grief of my daughter Rowan’s death.
Inspired by the paintings of Hieronymus Bosch and his depictions of Hell on Earth, this series of felted works depicts a world plunged into chaos and terrifying darkness yet marked by shimmering moments of precious beauty and value. Death and grief and the shifted realities they cause, although common experiences are rarely talked about in our modern culture.
Ultimately, there is strength in not knowing why we are here, not knowing what meaning our life has, and how it is interconnected. To not know means you can be open to every beautiful possibility and learn so much in the search.
Each piece in this collection reflects the journey I have been on since Rowan’s passing—a journey that has taken me to the very edges of my own understanding and beyond. The landscapes I have created are symbolic representations of the emotional terrain I have navigated.
Shimmering Moments of Beauty
Amidst the darkness of loss and grief, there are moments of unexpected beauty—fragments of light that break through. These moments have sustained me and provided me the strength to continue creating, even when it felt impossible. In many ways, these pieces are a testament to the resilience of the human spirit—the ability to find meaning and purpose amidst unimaginable pain.
A challenging aspect of this work has been the exploration of death and grief in a culture that often shies away from it. We live in a society that tends to sanitize and compartmentalize grief and prefers to keep it at arm’s length. But grief is not something that can be neatly packaged or easily understood—it is a messy, chaotic, and deeply personal experience.
Through “Altered Perceptions,” I hope to open up a dialogue about these experiences to create a space where we can confront our fears and uncertainties and perhaps find some solace in the shared experience of loss.
With this show, I invite you to join me on this journey, to step into these altered perceptions, and to see the world through the lens of loss, love, and creation.
