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DAHLIA is the sixth painting in the Mother Earth series about our relationship with the Earth. Dahlias symbolize creativity, change, and dignity. The humming bird is a symbol of tenacity and endurance. Because hummingbirds move their wings in the pattern of an infinity symbol, they are also a symbol of eternity and continuity. Bats are included because they are very social creatures, attentive mothers, and symbolize rebirth and death. The intertwining Coral and Scarlett King snakes, one venomous, one harmless, represent the many paradoxes in nature; her strength and vulnerability.

I have always been drawn to the mystery and beauty of wild spaces, where nature has taken over. I am also intrigued by the untamed spaces within ourselves; our restlessness, our obsessiveness, the messiness of being human and our relationship and identity with nature. I’m curious about the many paradoxes within nature and within ourselves. Our strengths and vulnerabilities. Our joys and sorrows. Our goodness and our cruelty. That curiosity and wonder drive my art. I’m constantly playing with images in my mind; landscapes, tree branches, insects, algae, flowers, moss, water, fire, and the human form. When I’m creating my art, I’m exploring ideas and feelings and leaving questions hanging in the air. I combine nature and the human...