Growing up, my first love was ice skating. I savored the feeling of gracefully flowing to music while dancing, jumping, and spinning on ice. Beautiful sparkling designs were formed as a result of my relationship with the surface. It was as if every movement painted a masterpiece—a magical, captivating dance. But life has a funny way of throwing unexpected challenges our way, and life is about to change. My mother became very ill and priorities shifted. My dreams of skating were put on hold. The heartache of her illness and leaving my first love was immense but I found solace in my artistic abilities. Drawing inspiration from the spirit and beauty of nature, I studied the patterns formed by the transformative power of water as it shaped the earth and transported pieces of land to the canvas. The paintings revealed themselves as if I were skating over the surface with long, compassionate strokes. They seemed to come alive in the midst of an intimate conversation with the pigments, coaxed to show their hidden depths.  Exciting dialogues resulted while allowing exploration into imagery that encouraged free-flowing movement. This welcomed promising accidents that invited unplanned but chosen harmonies. My art became a reflection of my own personal growth and a testament to the healing, transformative powers of creativity.